The Rhythm of Seoul: An Adventure of Discovery Between Tradition and Modernity

İrem Aycı
Sep 23, 2024
9 min read

Actually, going to Korea wasn't part of the initial plan. Our main goal was to get married and furnish our new home as soon as possible—preferably before the price hikes hit in 2025.

But things didn't go as planned. Right in the middle of a 4+ season, mind-bending series, a voice echoed through our living room, "Shall we look up visa-free destinations?" It was Raşit who suggested it. I jumped at the opportunity, grabbed my laptop, and we started searching. Brazil, Montenegro, Qatar, Kosovo, North Macedonia, the Maldives, Serbia, Thailand, Ukraine, South Korea...

…Wait, South Korea?...

That evening, we bought our round-trip plane tickets (70,000 TL for two), chose our hotels, and booked our rooms (the hotels were quite affordable). We downloaded the necessary apps, prepared our KETA document (a verification document that substitutes for a visa—don't board the plane without it), learned a few Korean phrases, and continued binge-watching our series. Within 2.5 hours, everything was set! We were heading to South Korea!

On the morning of September 1st, my dad dropped us off at Istanbul Airport. Anyone could see the look in his eyes that said, "These kids are starting a life together, and we’ll be watching."

After escaping the drama of those glances, we plunged into the security checks.

It was our first time flying such a long distance. What I love most about traveling—whether by land, air, or rail—is watching the navigation and always knowing how much longer we have to go.

I was thrilled by the names of the countries we would be flying over and how those places looked from above, just a collection of names on a map. And then, we heard the noise… It was 6 PM… The plane was taking off…

Below us, all of Central Asia spread out like a vast carpet. I felt like an airborne infantryman from the Göktürk Khaganate.

After crossing the Black Sea, we flew over the southern and eastern regions of Russia, then headed towards Central Asia through Kazakhstan. Arriving in Mongolia, crossing over its expansive steppes and mountainous terrain felt like shifting the carpet’s color from brown to green.

We were flying over the northeastern regions of China, a place I was most curious about. But the rain clouds had covered the country so thickly that it felt like we might catch a glimpse of angels through the windows at any moment.

After about 8 hours, as we approached South Korea, we flew over the Yellow Sea that lies between China and South Korea. It was breakfast time, and we enjoyed a mushroom omelet, apricot yogurt, olives, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, butter, and honey. For dinner, we had a sauced chicken dish and wine that I had never tasted before.

Turkish Airlines put on a show for us that night. I felt fantastic, but when I looked at Raşit, he had switched to The Godfather Part III. The descent had begun…

The announcement before we disembarked surprised me. It was prohibited to bring products like mangoes and sausages into the country. Curious about the mango ban, I learned it was due to the risk of carrying harmful organisms and the possibility of containing Mediterranean fruit fly larvae.

As we stepped off the plane, I could almost smell garlic in the air, a scent mixed with carbon monoxide that would follow me throughout the trip.

Now we needed to find a bus to take us to our hotel—the adventure had begun.

But how would we communicate in a country where only 20-30% of people spoke English?

Luckily, we had downloaded the necessary apps: K-ride and papaGO. One was for taxis, and the other was a translation app that became our lifeline.

And there’s also an app that lets you explore both the bus system and the entire rail network: Naver Map. Unfortunately, Google Maps was quite unreliable in Korea.

Thanks to papaGO, we communicated with the bus agency, bought two tickets, and got in line. When the bus arrived, we were shocked. It was like a giant limousine inside! We were seated in a Hyundai bus that felt as soft as cotton. The journey was enjoyable.

Day 1:

Actually, the schedule for our first day wasn’t very packed—or so I thought. When we entered our room, it was around 10 AM. We felt so exhausted that all we wanted to do was take a shower and sleep...

But then Raşit and I locked eyes; this wasn't the time to sleep. We only had five days, and this country was vast.

So, we each grabbed a coffee, and suddenly we felt energized!

We threw ourselves into the vibrant streets of Seoul.

We had arrived at Hyundai Mall. This was the city's largest shopping and modern art center. There was no X-ray at the entrance; you could come and go as you pleased.

First, we stopped by an exchange office to convert some money. As you know, our currency appears valuable compared to the Korean won, since 1 won is roughly equal to 25 kuruş. However, that’s not the whole story.

The inflation rate, price levels, economic structure, exchange rates, consumption habits, and tax concepts in the country are so different that as someone using TL, you quickly feel how low your purchasing power is here.

In summary, South Korea has a high-tech, industry-driven economy.

This has led to high prices for many products and services, and thanks to relatively equal income distribution, even the lowest demographic class starts at a middle-class income level.

For 2024, the minimum wage in South Korea is set at approximately 9,620 KRW (Korean Won) per hour, which amounts to about 2,000,000 KRW (around 1,600 USD) monthly.

According to the documentaries I’ve watched, Korea’s tea culture is very similar to ours. They drink tea everywhere and at all times—when hosting guests, when stressed, sad, happy, or cheerful. Always…

However, I witnessed how this has evolved into a coffee culture during my visit.

Tea seems to have become a traditional item.

Taxi drivers, students, pregnant mothers, soldiers, retirees—everyone you can think of has incorporated iced coffee into their culture. Maybe it was just summer, but there was only one place we visited that offered us the tea we wanted to try.

Day 2:

The next day, we headed down to the café below our hotel at 9 AM for a coffee. There, we had a round pastry called a Blueberry Scone. It’s enjoyed with cream cheese on top, and I tried it with oat milk—it was amazing!

On today’s itinerary was Seoul Tower. We quickly downed our coffees and made our way to the bus stop. After a few transfers, we found ourselves in a large grove. At the end of the grove, a massive tower stretched high into the sky. My eyes immediately searched for the cable car because the internet said we would be taking it.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case; we took the bus instead. So, don’t believe everything you see online! :)

You can see everything happened at the tower from below.

Now... Let’s think of Seoul as a workplace… There must be internet everywhere in this building, right? Yes! The city offers a dedicated free Wi-Fi network split by neighborhoods, providing tourists with a perfect opportunity to take a deep breath.

Thank you, Seoul Metropolitan Government!

Our next destination was Gangnam… Yes, that "Gangnam Style"!

This place is like the Nişantaşı of Seoul. It's a hotspot for the latest luxury cars, fashion-forward youth, and K-Pop celebrities.

Many of the latest models in the country are either Hyundai or KIA. There’s a strong emphasis on supporting local brands here!

We wandered into streets filled with exclusive clubs and private estates featuring unique emblems. A sense of Stephen King-style eeriness began to creep in, so we quickly moved on.

Then we stumbled upon a charming little bakery run by a sweet grandmother who drew us in from the darkness. We enjoyed gluten-free cakes with our green tea ice cream and looked for a spot to try out our new IQOS devices.

It’s prohibited to smoke anywhere in the city. Those magnificent benches and wonderful tea gardens… it’s such a great feature. But what if you’re a smoker? In that case, you can smoke in designated areas that resemble closed bus stops. Of course, it’s also possible that you won’t see one of those spots around, as some areas have a smoking rate of just 0.01%.

But they’ve made that experience incredibly high-tech, calling it "I Quit Ordinary Smoking." These impressive problem-solvers have even created exclusive clubs. In the IQOS stores, there’s a special room where club members enjoy their IQOS devices alongside iced coffees. It was an amazing place! I absolutely loved this campaign.

As we were there, some outdoor campaigns around started catching my eye, and the advertiser in me awakened. I snapped a few photos and then lulled it back to sleep.

When we arrived in Yeongdeungpo, the neighborhood where our hotel was located, we felt right at home. There was a charming little eatery on our street with delicious aromas wafting from it. We chose this place for dinner.

Just like in our meyhanes, you pick your fish from the display in front and boil it in the pot at your table. It was such a fun experience! It was also my first time trying soju here—a sweet, anise-free alcohol. I think it’s perfect for those who want to get tipsy suddenly!

We didn't realize it, but when we woke up, it was already the next day...

Day 3:

Today, we were moving to our next hotel. We were heading to Gapyeong, where we would stay because we planned to visit Nami Island the following day. We filled our bellies and indulged in those amazing Korean toasts.

After a long journey, we finally arrived in Gapyeong. We hailed a taxi to get to our hotel. Here, taxi drivers aren’t scammers; if you’re using an app for your ride, there’s no problem. For those who don’t use the app, drivers quote the fare in advance, and it matches what you see on the app.

When we arrived at the hotel, it was completely empty. Unfortunately, it looked too much like the pictures online. I expressed my concern that we might have come to the wrong place. There was a car key at the entrance, and I honked the horn for a long time, hoping someone would come to let us in. We were exhausted.

We waited… and waited… but no one came. So, we decided to smoke a cigarette and headed back to the streets of Seoul.

Before heading back, we enjoyed a bowl of ramen, and our spirits lifted. The sting of that little scam faded quickly; the adventure we had experienced became a fond memory.

When we returned to Seoul, it felt like coming back to a warm embrace. The Seoul that had frightened us on our first day, making us wish we hadn’t come, now welcomed us back with open arms, showing us its true charm.

Day 4:

It was the big day! We were going to Everland!

I woke up with my heart racing, a feeling I hadn't experienced since I found my shoes by my bedside on a holiday morning. We quickly got dressed and rushed outside, skipping breakfast altogether. After a few long bus rides, we finally arrived!

Samsung had taken care of the pandas here and sponsored Everland. There were beautiful brandings throughout the park.

On our way back, we stopped by Five Guys, which Raşit insisted we try. If it were up to me, I would still be looking for a local eatery. Raşit couldn’t resist his burger cravings any longer. It was really good, and the peanut joke was quite nice, but unfortunately, the peanuts tasted terrible.

We returned to the hotel Raşit had hurriedly found yesterday. For a quick find, it was surprisingly affordable and modern. Did we want heated toilets or a cinema screen? After being scammed despite my long efforts, this was a pleasant surprise. Now Raşit was leading 2-1. 😊

Day 5:

On our last day, since our flight was at 11 PM, we wanted to bid farewell to our favorite place and headed to the heart of Seoul, to the modern art center. We had so much fun, embracing Seoul as if we’d never see it again. We moved slowly through the streets.

We were absorbing everything we had experienced, letting it simmer in our minds like a sponge. The garlic smell in the air completed the story's cycle.

We enjoyed our final bowls of ramen and our veggie rolls, making the most of the night. Then we hopped on the bus to Incheon.

Even the branding at the airport here features a Hello Kitty cat. The people are truly fascinating; it’s hard not to admire such uniqueness.

Once we boarded the plane, a wave of sadness washed over us, along with a bit of regret, as I realized how many places we hadn’t visited according to our itinerary.

However, as we descended, the feeling of being home enveloped us, preventing this drama from lingering too long.