Sojourn in South Korea - Surprising Facts

Taking that dream vacation in a foreign country is more than just a breather but a learning experience. Emerging oneself in a totally strange culture makes one learn beyond the pages of the book because some of the people's mores are not explicitly written on books especially those that reflect the modern lifestyle of the society. 

they sell this in vending machines

Despite how familiar the Korean pop culture is, especially for an Asian like me, there are just a lot of surprising facts I learned during my short vacay to South Korea. I stayed in Seoul most of the time so most of these interesting stories are based on my experience while sojourning in this city. It's worth the read if you're planning a trip to SoKor for the first time. 

Street food is everywhere in Seoul. 

Most of the Korean delicacy is readily available as street food especially in Myeong-dong night market. There might be Korean food in your local supermarket or in restaurants near your place but the taste of authentic Korean goodies served right in front of you is distinctly delectable. Some of the most common and affordable street delights are the fishcake (odeng/eomuk), rice cake (topokki), gimbap, dumplings, uniquely prepared seafood and chicken, freshly squeezed juice, and a whole lot more. One blog post would be too long to enumerate all Korean street food in the market.

at Myeong-dong night market

sweet and healthy strawberries with choco syrup

freshly squeezed

Korean beauty products are cheaper.

The most reliable beauty products are found among Korean brands. It's quite costly when sold overseas but it's quite cheaper in Seoul. Doing our own conversions, we reckoned that the ones sold in Seoul are 20 to 30 percent cheaper than the ones we have back home. They also offer big discounts and freebies in whatever purchases you have.

there were a lot of these shops, couldn't fit in my lens

Only a few speaks English. 

This is purely based on our encounters during our short stay in Seoul and while commuting through the subways. We often asked for directions since we were on a DIY travel itinerary and we had no tour guide nor internet connection. Asking locals was our last resort. Most of the locals we asked became hesitant when asked in straight English so we had to ask in broken sentences to make it more comprehensible to them. We noticed that the younger generation is  mostly exposed to the language yet they are still uncomfortable and they get teased by their friends when they speak in English. Perhaps they were teased in a good way, like speaking a foreign language is something you can be proud of.

 Koreans are extremely helpful.

A tour without a guide is quite challenging in a foreign land. Asking locals directions would be vital and sometimes inevitable. Although most Koreans (we bumped into during our stay) could not speak fluent English, they were very willing to stop, get directions through their phone app, and converse despite the language barrier.

Some of them called our attention and even walked with us after noticing we went into a wrong way (for not comprehending the directions well). We were amazed by their genuine concern.

Public display of affection is common. 

Asians are more conservative than the Western people especially in terms of showing romantic gestures in public. However, the times have changed and PDA seems to be an acceptable thing already in South Korea. Contrary to what is always being portrayed in Korean dramas, young couples are no longer shy to hug, kiss, or make out in public. Although this cannot be generalized as there are still a lot who does not do PDA but the locals do not seem annoyed with proud romantic couples around. It's as if it's a pretty normal sight.

that look when you see romantic couples all over the place

Vending machines sell condoms.

Unlike in other countries where condoms are only sold in pharmacies and convenience stores, vending machines make condoms available along with mints, gummies, tissue, plasters, and mouthwash. It's not everywhere though but there were a few in subway stations near the toilet areas.



It could rain the whole day. 

It was quite sunny on our first day there so we thought it's gonna be like that for the rest of our stay.  However, when we checked on the forecast, it says it would rain the next day but we didn't expect that it would rain the whole day. It somewhat affected our schedules that day so we had to buy transparent umbrellas so we could go on with our itinerary. Umbrellas in different sizes and designs are available in convenience stores.

umbrella saves the day!

Expect subway stations to have long steps!

Some stations have escalators or elevators but most stations we went to had no other option in going up  or down except going through the long staircase. It was exhausting at some point especially after walking quite a distance that we had to take our shoes off; otherwise we would pass out in exhaustion. Maybe it wasn't so pleasing to look at but it was the best option we had to have that temporary relief. We felt even more comfortable when most commuters did not even bother or notice at all.

for encouragement, this staircase tells you the equivalent calories burnt for every step

we almost quit but noooo!

Teens get drunk on weekdays. 

This was the first impression I had upon arriving in our guest house. The place was near Sungkyunkwan University and a lot of night clubs or disco bars are situated there. During the night, along the streets, drunk teenagers make up the crowd especially during weekdays. Weekends are quieter and less crowded.

not sure if these guys were really drunk but they intentionally photobombed

It's a safe city!

You'd feel secured when walking along the streets of Seoul. It's quite impossible to get robbed here. It seems that even if you leave your belongings somewhere no one would have the intention to steal or pick it up. Even the stores display stuff outside without an attendant. This is probably because CCTVs are installed everywhere.




Those were just a few of the things that made me totally a stranger in South Korea. Most of which I have never read on blogs so I was pretty surprised but always in a good way! I may entirely have a different culture and my beliefs differ from theirs but I totally respect and appreciate their way of life. Finally, what was really remarkable for me was how they treat tourists. I never felt discriminated in all my encounters with the locals. Despite the language barrier, they were always polite and ready to help.

Till our next laag!