I traveled to Seoul to check off a bucket list item.
I wanted, just once, to drop myself in a foreign land where I didn't know the language and see how well I'd fare. I wanted the challenge of knowing I knew no one would come to my rescue. I wanted to be alone in the world and see how I met it, and it met me. As a woman traveling alone so far from home for the first time, I was expecting hardships.
What I didn't expect was to find myself in a land so far from home. I found myself everywhere. In the food, the people, the history, and the country. I fell in love with an entire city and culture. Which is saying something, coming from a girl who moved into the wilds to get away from the city in the first place.
I didn't want to do the usual tourist things for a month. I wanted to see what the real Seoul looked like, felt like, and smelled like. Seoul has one of the most tourist friendly transit systems in the world. And I could say I almost abused it. I would take a random bus or train, get off when I was tired of riding. Then I'd walk.
Seoul is ridiculously safe for a woman wandering alone.
I watched people not so different from me going about their daily lives. Although, I could tell a few were wondering what the waygook was doing so far from Namsan Tower or the Han River.
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Me, being me, had to sample everything I could get my hands on. I hit up cultural festivals. I hit up live concerts. I hit up nightclubs. I hit up bars. I hit up the makkoli, soju, and mekju. And quickly learned how to ask for a bathroom in Korean. I learned soju and "My Lemon Tree" flavor from the local BR makes an excellent combination. I'm not sorry.
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The food was amazing. My favorites came from the YoGiYo app. It's not for those who can't read Hangul, that's for sure, but I found some new loves. Like kimchi fried rice and jjajangmyun delivered right to my door after a long day of walking around the city. Korean food delivery is nothing less than magical. If you get the chance, I highly recommend the jokbal place to the left of exit 6 of the Dangsan Station. Or pretty much any Korean bbq joint.
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