Lost in Dongmyo
- Jan 6, 2019
- 8 min read
It's late, I'm exhausted but also euphoric as I am finally realising a long held dream to be in South Korea and are twelve hours enough to say that I love it? I think so!!! (Ask me again in fourteen days and my opinion may have changed but if I go on first impressions than I am sold!!!!) It was an extremely early start to the day as we left our hotel at 4am for our early morning flight to Seoul, thankfully we had organised a taxi to take us to the airport because the trains don't run that early. In contrast to yesterday's cabbie this one was a little taciturn (maybe he didn't like the early start either) and for the first time in Taiwan I felt like he was only there to do a job and he had no interest in us-and I am so glad this was at the end of our stay and not the beginning. (We had a quick wander around the airport but we have a few hours here on the way back home so we decided to hold off any shopping until then and decided to enjoy our last meal in Taipei...there were not a lot of options- and we ended up with rather disappointing sandwiches which are not going to feature on any food blogs anytime soon)
We left a wet and warm Taiwan behind (leaving with fond memories and hopes that we may get to experience this beautiful country in more depth next at some later stage) and arrived in a sunny and very cold Seoul.
As you fly over the country you can immediately see the difference as there isn't the lush green scenery that Taiwan has to offer, it seems quite dry and brown in comparison and I do wonder what it is like north of the border where the water management system is unknown as both countries are still recovering from severe droughts (and famine in the North) from 2014-15.
Having a window seat as your prepare to land at Incheon is amazing because the
island that the airport is located on was reclaimed land between the two existing islands of Yeongjong and Yongju and it is a bit harrowing as the sea seems incredibly close and you hope the pilot applies the brakes in time.
I have to confess to having "a moment' when we first arrived, that I was finally here in South Korea (not sure I will have another moment like that until I go to two other places Zimbabwe and Auchwitz). I am not quite sure why this country has such an effect on me and I am wondering if I will still feel the same by the end of the trip or whether my time here will have cured me of my Korean obsession or whether it will be amplified after being here.
Our first objective was to get train tickets which was simple enough, just following the signs and speaking to the staff at the counter (there were ticket booths but for some reason they wouldn't accept our currency). We bought AREX tickets (which is the express train costing W9000/$11 Aus, there is a cheaper option which is the standard subway at W4150/$5 Aus but we were in a hurry and didn't want delays on the train) We all had "a moment" when we left the terminal and went down to
the train station and instead of seeing a fire extinguisher to be used in emergencies there are the gas masks and instructions on how to use them and you realise something that you may have forgotten that South Korea is still in a state of war with North Korea (the conflict only ended with a truce and no real resolution and can spark off at any moment which is a sobering thought as we spend the next two weeks here) But as they say 'when in Rome' we have to think 'when in South Korea.....' and if the Korean people can go on with their daily lives without stressing about what 'could' happen then so can we. I know that it is the back of our minds (to be accessed only if needed) that at any point something could happen-not likely but it is still there, but I am more excited to think of the new adventure that is about to begin.
The trip from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station on the express train takes roughly 50 minutes and it gave us ample opportunity to take everything in, and just relax because once we hit Seoul Station we were on the ground running as we had places to be and a deadline to be there. Seoul Station is another huge station with the Airport Rail, Korail trains and two subway lines all converging on the same place, however it is easy to navigate, with signs in both Hangul and English showing you the way. The only issue is that the station is huge and while there are escalators and lifts in some sections, in others there aren't and although there are some luggage conveyor belts there are lots of stairs to navigate and when you have luggage it's not an easy task getting up those stairs (so be prepared).
Navigating the Seoul subway is easy, again all the stops have signs in Hangul and English and the announcements on the trains are the same. Using the underground is easy, you can buy single fare tickets but if you are spending a lot of time in Seoul I suggest you get an Easy Pass which you top up as needed (and each ride is a fraction cheaper this way) it also gives you a cute souvenir to bring home with you.
As soon as we arrived at Dongmyo station I felt at home, we were helped through the barriers by a lovely Korean man who instantly made a connection between Jenna and I noting that she was my 'baby' and he welcomed us to his country and this was just the first of many times today that I have felt really welcome. We walked out of the station into a thriving Sunday market and I really wish we'd had time to wander around it and get a real taste of Korean life but we were on a mission to locate our hotel and head out again. Dongmyo is not a touristy area, there are a few hotels dotted around, but in comparison to Dongdaemeun (which is one stop up on Line 1 of the Seoul Subway) it feels more like being in a local neighborhood.
The market was awesome, covering many streets in the area which caused a few problems for us as we tried to locate our hotel (our map showed a street which in fact was just a lane and we missed that small lane in our walk through the market)
We came across a group that were jostling around a couple engaged in a fight and while they had one eye on the fight and what was going on there, and had another on us welcoming us to Seoul and letting us know that 'this doesn't happen all the time'. We didn't know whether to laugh or to worry about where we were staying, but the welcoming smiles was enough for us to hope that we hadn't made a mistake (I guess that will be a make or break as to whether I still like Seoul at the end of this trip!!!)
Our home away from home is the Maui Hotel in Dongmyo, which is a very small guesthouse/hotel which was incredibly cheap each of us paying less than $450 for the 14 nights we are staying here. Finding it was not as easy as it should have been and we were tired and frustrated and I had a moment where I wanted to cry (although now that we know about the 'lane' I don't know how we missed it....I guess the market and exhaustion threw us a little)
Hotel finally located (and a moment of panic thwarted as we thought we had lost one of our bags in the melee) we had about five minutes to freshen up, wash, change and in some cases (Sarah and Linda) don those layers and layers (as the temperature was 1 when we landed and heading down to -7 ). Jenna and I decided to test ourselves as we know what the weather has in store for us while we are here and tonight we knew we were going to be on trains and in a concert for most of the night and out in the open for only a short time so we wanted to see how well we could cope with the cold.
The four of us were back on the train (thankfully we found our way back to the station a lot easier than we did leaving it) and it was time to navigate the underground properly and hope that I have the correct directions this time.( Dongmyo station to Cheonggu on line 6 then swapping to line 5 and getting off at Olympic Park
and following the crowd that are heading to an iKON concert. For those that don't know who iKON are, they are a K-Pop band that I really like and when I found out that they were doing a concert the day we arrived I couldn't resist the opportunity to experience a k-pop concert in the country that made them.
The concert was fantastic and I could do great reviews on how amazing these boys are (and how thrilled I was to see them again and hear their latest release 'I'm Okay" for the first time )I had seen them in Australia last October and they were so good (hence the reason we were at another concert) but was also special was the experience of how Koreans enjoy their bands, they are very passionate and enthusiastic but at the same time very respectful to the artists performing, and the way they move their lightsticks (Konbats for iKONICS) to the music is amazing and we were bathed in a constant sea of Konfire (see first photo).
It was so much fun and I would seriously recommend that if you are in South Korea to check out a K-Pop concert because they are so much fun and of course if iKON is touring anywhere in or out of South Korea I would advise you to go because you won't be disappointed, they are amazing. As we left the concert we realised that we hadn't eaten all day (apart from very dodgy sandwiches as the airport and a slightly disappointing breakfast on the plane) and we needed food which lead us to a great experience that both Sarah and I had been looking forward to and this is when I say sometimes getting lost can be fun.
We arrived back at Dongmyo (because we knew we'd find somewhere to eat because there were lots of small restaurants around with late closing times as we had checked on our way to the station) The subway stations we have been in so far in Seoul are large and we couldn't find the exit we had used earlier today so we just exited and wandered around trying to get our bearings which wasn't easy as the area looks different at night.
Thankfully we spotted one of the signs to one of the larger hotels that was in the general direction of our hotel so we knew which way to go and as we headed in that direction we passed one of those street tent cafes that I watch on my Korean dramas and we couldn't resist and it was amazing, both the food and the experience and it finally sank in that I am here, finally, in South Korea and so far it has surpassed any of my expectations
It's only the first day and I already get to knock off a few things from my to-eat list, ttetboki (spicy rice cakes), fish cakes and soju and beer mixers, as well as dumplings with side dishes that included kimchi and a warm broth, so we didn't really feel the cold as we walked back to our hotel as we were well warmed with alcohol and delicious spicy food. (Well Jenna and I didn't- we seem to be coping with the cold weather really well-although it's only day 1 and we have a lot of cold days in store for us)
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