South Korea - It's a wrap
16 July 2025
As has become standard for me when I've ended a trip I've
taken to doing a last summary or a 'greatest hits' review whenever I managed to
complete the final entry on the 'how, why, when and whatever else may
have been alcohol related' blog series of my most recent escapades. Usually at this point I’ll write, ‘sticking
with the tradition of other escapades’, but the fact is that in more recent
entries I just didn’t get around to completing a wrap. So lets now celebrate the
belated return of the tour wrap ……
,,,,,I therefore bring you the close out of my South Korea
experience, So let’s do it, here are the highs, lows, hits and misses of
imagining your own Korea tour.
[Morocco
- Europe wrap - June/July 2008]
[Vietnam-Malaysia
wrap - December/January 2009/10]
[Europe
- Morocco - South America wrap 2010]
[USA -
Mexico wrap - February/March 2011]
[Brazil/U.A.E
wrap - December/January 2011/12]
South
Korea - 2025
Favourite
places
In Seoul it has to be Euljiro, or as the locals call it, ‘Hipjiro’ – one of Seoul’s most captivating contrasts. By day, a maze of hardware shops and prints stores, but by night, this place exudes mystery, energy and promise. A hidden playground of speakeasies, craft beer bars, restaurants and multi-coloured neon-lit alleyways – to quote myself from the original blog piece, a neon-soaked playground of vibrant energy with subtle dystopian undertones. Intoxicating a vibrant, this is stands out as my favourite nighttime destination in Seoul.
Most
surprising
This response is less about a place or area and more about Seoul’s café culture obsession. If Melbourne is the café hub of Australia ( a badge that it wears with pride), then Seoul is an alpha city, competing easily with any contender or pretender to that throne. Every neighbourhood boasts stylish, themed, and very ‘Instagrammable’ destinations. On my first day in Seoul I spent some time on Café Onion, in Anguk (Jongo) district, and it was an experience. I also passed Soha Salt Pond in Ikseon-dong, which from the outside looked like more of a destination than a place to get a caffeine hit, but be sure, the output is certainly equal to the hype. For my experience, Anguk, Ikseon-dong & Seongsu-dong were teeming with cafes – which also aligns to another surprising element beyond the caffeine fixes, there seems to be a deep appreciation and loved for baked goods. Obviously there’s an association here but boutique bakeries are everywhere. I often passed the Artist Bakery in Anguk and there was never a time that the line didn’t go out the door and wind around the building. Each bakery takes the time to carefully craft & present their delicate, artisanal wares. This is an experience and something not to be missed when in Seoul.
Coolest
place for a night out
Euljiro in Seoul and Gwangalli Beach in Busan were my standouts.
Honourable mentions in Seoul go to Hongdae, Itaewon and Ikseon-dong, with
Ikseon-dong being my favourite from the runners-up. To me, Ikseon-dong felt
like a secret village hidden in plain sight. In a city of 8 million people,
stepping off the main street and into its hanok alleys was like walking into an
open air speakeasy. Intimate bars, cocktail dens and quirky cafes abound in the
midst of beautiful collaboration of old world charm and modern creativity. I
also want to highlight Seosulla-gil in the Jongno District which
became familiar to me through my nightly walks home. An ‘up and comer’ in
Seoul, this is being identified as a ‘to-be’ hip destination before being widely
accepted as such. Get there now.
Best
accommodation
I only stayed in two locations, so instead of nominating an actual property, I'll nominated the areas that I think would make great stays. In Seoul, for me the Jongno District or Ikseon-dong had it in spades. In all my pre-travel research I was taking bets on Myeongdong for how central it is, or, Itaewon for its integrated nightlife - I don't believe that either would have been appropriate for me. Jongno and Ikseon-dong have a lovely blend of the old charm of Seoul, with the new, creative, modern hip spirit of youth. These areas feel more refined, are trendier and less crowded, but have far more appeal that the high flyers mentioned. In Busan I stayed on Haeundae beach, which was fantastic but would give this one to Gwangalli beach on reflection. Gwangalli seemed to have a bit more of everything in the night life stakes but with that said, both were fantastic.
Best
drink
Soju is the undeniable king here. With me it had an inauspicious start on my second
morning when I grabbed a bottle out of fridge at the Benikea – The Bliss, hotel
in Incheon. It didn’t earn any plaudits on its debut. Usually a distilled rice
drink, it presents as clear, smooth and slightly sweet. Drinking it out of the
bottle ‘just for kicks’ did nothing, but with that said, I knew nothing. The
moment that I paired it with my favourite style of meal, usually a spicy or
savoury dish, then the whole world of soju made perfect sense.
Best meal
This one is easy, Dak-galbi is a dish of bite sized
chicken pieces marinated in the wonderful gochujang sauce/marinade, which
imparts a spice, sweet and savoury taste. The chicken is stir-fried with vegetables
and then topped with cheese. When paired with soju the combination is an
epicurean delight. An honourable mention goes to tteokbokki, also a
fiery & sweet street made food, made from chewy rice cakes and simmered in
a bold gochujang sauce. That darn gochujang is so addictive that
it was one of the first things I sought out once I arrived back in Melbourne. A
shout out to the stall holders at Gwangjang market that made my tteokbokki
experience all the more enjoyable.
Best bars
Honestly, too many to mention. I’ve already identified Euljiro
and Gwangalli beach as key in Seoul and Busan, and I would be remiss if
I also didn’t mention Huaendae beach in Busan, which was the near equal
of Gwangalli. So rather than naming the best bar, I’ll give this one to both an
interesting and surprising option, which is Sul 24 on Seousulla-gil
53 - Jongno District – Seoul. This place is literally an
unmanned bar, run 24hrs per day, 365 days of the year. There’s no staff, no
pressure, just grab your own drinks and enjoy. It says a lot about South Korea
and its people that this place work without an issue.
Favourite
photos
Coolest
moments
Sitting outside at another wonderful bar in Euljiro, looking out onto a little lantern filled alley, I was just in the moment and truly enjoying the whole experience.
Un-coolest
moment
Seoul works so efficiently, everything makes sense and is
intuitive, even for the first time tourist, but what I can’t figure out for the
life of me is why a travel pass can only be topped up with cash. There
was no option to top up with a credit card, which in itself presented a problem
to me when I lost my initial travel card and was able to get a replacement, but
couldn’t place any credit onto it. Going around to find an ATM presented such
an unnecessary nuisance, especially on my last day.
Most
random but still cool moment
On my first night wondering Anguk, I walked into a cute
little bar hidden inside a Hanok village, and there I met barman Min, bartender,
resident DJ and great guy extraordinaire. He was so attentive, so personable
and on my second night in attendance, he let me bash out a really bad version
of What’s the story morning glory. If I can somehow find the name of the
bar at a later stage, I’ll include the link.
Best
comeback
This relates directly to my un-coolest moment and just goes
to show how acting like a confused foreigner will give you liberties
that otherwise wouldn’t exist. After misplacing my travel card the evening
before and not wanting to run around with my luggage to find an ATM, I elected
to play dumb through various metro lines, acting confused and bewildered
whenever I was pulled up for ‘insufficient funds’. The most I was every
interrogated was at my final stop at Incheon Airport where the transit
officer quizzed me on where I purchased the card, how many won I added, etc.
After a couple minutes of a circular argument he obviously realised the
futility of the situation and let me through – case closed.
Travel
breakdown
Total
number of flights - 2
Total
flying hours – 18 hrs
Total
time spent in airports - 'Not many, if any...' - All
recognition and rights to that line go to Scribe, not may people can roll like
him!
Total
number of train rides - 1
Total
number of bus rides - 1
Total
number of sky capsule ride - 2
Total
distance travelled – 17220 kms
Total
bottles of Soju downed - 12 (give or take)
South
Korea, the surprise packet! Energetic, vibrant and running towards the future,
whilst at the same time, incorporating its culture in a number of ways to
ensure that its preserved for generations to come. A truly engaging, wonderful
place. I can’t wait to come back and spend more time here.
