The Seoul of Asia: Notes From My Fall Trip to South Korea

Originally published on Endless Horizons; travel series commissioned by Fadzrul

In fall 2013, I ventured to Seoul with my fiancé to celebrate the end of the year and mark the close of my first adventure as a freelancer/entrepreneur. While four days wasn’t quite long enough to take in all of Korea, we did see a lot of sites thanks to the city’s walkable neighborhoods and extensive transit network. Here are a few things I enjoyed during my trip. 

1. Cheonggyecheon

Running through a majority of the city, the Cheonggyecheon is a perfect escape from the urban hustle of Seoul. Its lush greenery and running water are a nice compliment to the urban world at both of its sides. The most endearing feature I found about this area is its ability to create an almost uninterrupted walkway.

WARNING: Don’t try to bike it! I tried during my trip and was politely asked to leave my bike on the streets above.

2. Korean Food and All the Sides

Diets are ill-advised during a trip to Seoul. From hot noodle soups to traditional bulgogi beef, the options are endless and the flavors robust enough to satisfy the appetite of most eaters. It’s worth mentioning however pricing varies greatly depending on the neighborhood you’re in. During the last night of my trip I ate in Myeongdong and experienced sticker shock. Price for Korean BBQ and other staple foods were vastly more expensive than outlying areas.

3. Urban Fabric with a Bit of Natural Thread 

Often travelers are forced to choose between uber modern metros and more humble historic cities. Seoul is one of those rare places which effortlessly ties the two together. Traditional temples and homes sit adjacent to modern skyscrapers with looming mountains and trees lining most backgrounds.

Two of the most fascinating examples include Bukchon Hanok Village and Gyeongbokgung. Both are close to the city, yet thanks to careful planning don’t feel foreign or out of place within modern Seoul.

4. Forget the Disconnect

People looking to “get away from it all,” will get a quick reality check once entering Seoul. The city oozes technology; automation is almost at every turn. Glitzy signs direct visitors to nearby shops, live transit updates are provided via monitors in the subway, and WiFi is literally everywhere – even deep underground. I was personally impressed to see WiFi transmitters aboard subway trains and installed on phone booths. If you take a moment to look up, you’ll often see many Seoul residents on their smartphones.

5. Hospitality
From our host at our Hanok outside of Insadong to local shop owners and everyday people, Seoul is an incredibly friendly city. Most residents are also extremely accommodating to Americans or Southeast Asians who don’t speak a lick of Korean (PERSONALLY GUILTY).

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Seoul and would return in a heartbeat. No additional travel plans booked for the rest of 2013 but looking to add some US destinations to my schedule for the New Year. I’m eagerly waiting for my next trip.

“Seoul, Our Movie” Video Contest

Attention aspiring filmmakers, the city of Seoul is looking for help making a movie. The film titled, “Seoul, Our Movie” (currently in production) is focused on capturing the diverse experiences and feelings related to Seoul. When complete the city hopes the film will help introduce Seoul to new global citizens and increase people’s love for Seoul.

The initiative was launched by the city of Seoul in August and is being led by PARKing CHANce – a Korean film making studio owned by Park Chan-wook who recently debuted his film Stoker in Hollywood and Park Chan-kyong a prominent Korean artist.

Interested filmmakers can participate in this global film project by recording and uploading short clips (no more than 5 minutes) to the “Seoul, Our Movie” YouTube channel. The clips should relate to one of the film’s three themes - working in Seoul, made in Seoul, and Seoul (full explanation of each listed below in the theme section). The portrayal of aspects of Seoul can be both tangible and intangible. Genre of clips can vary but project organizers will not accept parody style clips.

Top clips will be added to the overall film being produced by PARKing CHANce and the best filmmakers will be rewarded with prizes. A few of the prizes include a free trip to Seoul, new Kia, laptops, and many other fun prizes. Best of luck to all participants; happy shooting!

How to Participate
1) Visit and subscribe to the “Seoul, Our Movie” YouTube Channel
2) Choose one of the three themes and create a video based on the selected theme
3) Upload your video to the “Seoul, Our Movie” YouTube Channel before November 9, 2013 at 11:50 PM (KST)

Note:  Publish your video by adding a comment with a link to your video on YouTube

Themes 
1) Working in Seoul: Show a typical day of a working Seoulite
2) Made in Seoul: Make use of a Korean made smartphone and explain its impact on your life
3) Seoul: Show any experience or feeling relating to Seoul

Contest Overview Once the submission process of the contest ends on November 9^th at 11:59 PM (KST), PARKing CHANce will select appropriate clips to incorporate into the overall film and add professional edits where needed. Entries will be judged on creativity, originality of expression, and number of views and likes on YouTube.

After all of these quantitative and qualitative aspects are measured, the best clips will be selected by PARKing CHANce. Top filmmakers will be entered for a chance to win cool prizes including a free trip to Seoul, new Kia, laptops, and many other fun prizes.

Submission Period

•  8/20/2013 – 11/9/2013 at 11:59pm (KST)

Contest Specifics

• Open to all global citizens who love Seoul;  no restrictions
• All video formats able to upload to YouTube are accepted 
• All videos must include “Seoul” in their titles
• Videos must be under 5 minutes
• Acceptable Genres: Documentaries,  fiction films, films of reenacted events, self-filmed movies, films created from still photos, etc. ALL PARODY FILMS WILL BE REJECTED

Contest Website: www.seoulourmovie.com/en/overview/overview.asp
Contest YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/seoulourmovie
Related Article in WSJ : http://on.wsj.com/1e2J1Dn
Related Article in Blouin Art: http://bit.ly/GHjk05

Show Me What’s Packin’…If You Know What I Mean

Guest post by Fadzrul Jamaluddin

Do you like travelling but always dread having to figure out what to bring along with you on your travels? Well, I do!

Growing up my mom never bothered to tell me what to put in my bags whenever I pack to either travel or go back to boarding school. She felt like I wouldn’t have listened to her anyway and we’d end up arguing over something as silly as packing a luggage. So, I had to learn on my own on how to pack a luggage…and I suck at it.

I always had something I’d forget to bring along with me, which resulted in my parents having to drop by the boarding school on a weekend to ‘deliver’ me those things. I became spoiled. I packed haphazardly thinking “ah well… there’s always the weekend if I ever forget anything”. 

Such bad habit continued on. When I was packing to go to Seattle for the first time I thought, “Well, I have shit-tons of scholarship money. I‘ll just buy in Seattle the things I need that I forget to bring along with me from Malaysia”. This habit is still here.

For our vacation to Cabo last year, I packed some toiletries and some beachwear. This girl can’t go anywhere sunny without a full supply of toner and moisturizer and a nice pair of cargo shorts. The rest of the luggage was pretty much packed by a magical elf – my fiancé. It’s so wrong, I know. But really, I hate packing. I will tell Josh “don’t fold, roll the shirts to avoid creases”, “make sure we have enough underwear” and “bring dress shoes in case we decide to go somewhere fancy” but somehow I won’t just do them myself. Lazy? Maybe. 

When travelling abroad, the most important things to have with you are:-

Medium of payment i.e. cash, credit cards, traveller’s checks.

Travelling documents

Smartphone

Mini travel kit that includes a Band-aid, a Swiss knife, lip balm, lotion, a pack of Kleenex and a pen. (Believe me on this)

Women usually stuff all of these in their handbags. Well what if you’re not a woman or not travelling with one? Well, seriously…get a man bag. It’ll save your life. Not kidding. Too insecure with your image and sexuality? Get a manly looking man-bag or if you eat tempeh-burger and shop at the local co-op, you can use your biodegradable-made-from-used-tampons-oh-save-the-poor-earth reusable shopping bag.

No matter where you travel as long as that plane is landing in an airport and not on some open unattended land I strongly suggest for you to wear shorts or sweatpants. It never really gets THAT cold in the plane. A flight from Kuala Lumpur to Seattle usually has about 18 hours of flying time. That means 18 hours in one seat where if you were lucky you’d have serenity instead of rude inconsiderate passengers around you. You really should be comfy no matter how short the flight is, so wear something comfy which I guess for me is a pair of shorts, a V-neck and my super comfy ergonomically designed sandals. This also helps you go through security faster. No belt, no socks, no jacket, all your gadgets and important stuff should be in your magic bag – super quick security check. 

Once you land, you can always change into more appropriate clothes at the airport. If it’s a long layover and you don’t have access to your clothes then you’re dumb, because you really should have put some clothes in your carry-on instead of putting them all in the check-in luggage. I personally would rather not lug around a carry-on around airports. So I would just buy new clothes if lets say I have a 24-hour layover in Seoul when it’s snowing outside. 

Ultimately, it’s not 1935. If you need something and you don’t have it with you, go buy it. Don’t fuss too much when packing for travelling, especially over small stuff like peanuts and condoms. Happy travelling!

[Photo courtesy of Shoot First, Eat Later]