26 May 2013
Rushing to Seoul after a rugby tournament at the Osan US Airbase, we hoped to reach our destination on time. Umoja, the South African musical, was showing at Chungmu Art Hall in Jung-gu. It’s right in the centre of Seoul.
Seoul Expressway at Rush Hour
Having left a little later than planned, the 60km took more than two hours thanks to the heavily congested expressway (as usual). Still, we saw a few weird and wonderful sights along the way. One was a motorcycle with a dragon tail and merry-go-round horse head. The man riding it was selling rice cakes on the expressway to all the traffic jam victims.
We saw a Porsche or two, as well. Maybe it wouldn’t have helped to have a faster car than our hand-me-down.
Just in Time for the Musical and a Spot of Homesickness
Despite the traffic, we made it to the show with twenty minutes to spare. That meant a deodorant bath, a splash of lipstick and getting there just a few minutes before the curtains rose to find our seats.
It was worth it. That night, we really enjoyed the vibrant taste of our homeland, South Africa. With all that dancing, singing and relatable humorous moments from home, leaving with happy souls and exhausted bodies felt amazing.
Since we’d rushed in, there had been no time to eat or look for a place to sleep, so we made our way out into the big city that never seems to sleep. At 10.30pm, we managed to find a bed and some food. Thankfully, you never have to look very far for these things in Seoul.
Twinkling Lights and Belly-Filling Food Before a Good Night’s Sleep in Seoul
Plus Motel was the first one we happened upon, right next to Chungmu Art Hall. For a reasonable price and fairly clean room, why not!
We tend to pick ‘love’ motels as a last resort. It’s often the most reasonable option for a private room (for two). We try not to think about the ‘main idea’ behind these establishments that offer rooms by the hour.
Having secured a bed for the night, we ventured out into Jung-gu to feed the hungry tummies. Again, not far from our motel we found a handful of coffee shops, Korean restaurants, fast food joints and, happily, an open market.
It’s wonderful being able to amble through the market on the lookout for delicious things. We settled on some kimchi mandu (Korean dumplings with kimchi inside them), a salad roll, some bananas and a little snickers bar for pudding. We passed on the pig trotters, live octopus and unidentifiable marinated meat.
Another Successful Journey for the Travelinds in Seoul
Tired bodies were in bed by midnight, and a good nine hours later we emerged from our blue and red neon-lit room to find some brunch. Tom ‘n Toms is one of H’s favourites because it has a delicious cream cheese pretzel and coffee combo. We headed to find one in nearby Dongdaemun, a vast shopping district.
We are always amazed at the hustle and bustle of this famous fashion and fabric shopping paradise. We sat sipping coffee and watching Seoul tour busses bring in load after load of tourists to Dongdaemun. Vendors lay out their wares, shoppers filled their bags and emptied their wallets, all with six lanes of traffic whizzing by.
Seoul is truly fascinating sometimes!
