Why I liked Seoul but didn’t love it.
What does your average K-drama fan look like? I actually don’t know, but I imagine I’m probably not what comes to mind. However, I can hold my own in any conversation about the best Korean romantic dramas (“Crash landing on you” is a good place to start). These shows are bizarrely out of character for me to like, but I have binged hours and hours of them. It has to be said, I do consume a lot of East Asian TV/film. This love for Korean culture should have made a trip to Korea a no-brainer. However, there has been a lot of resistance to actually going. But after 3 years, I finally booked those flights. And let’s just say, I wasn’t that excited.
Before booking most trips, I will do a fair amount of research on the location. Even if I get a fair amount of travelling done each year, each trip needs to be worth the money and our most precious of commodity, time. So even when I had been hyped up on Korean content, I still grounded myself with a bit of research. Logically, as you would expect, Korea is easy. As a Brit, it has just been made extra convenient with direct flights from London to Seoul with Virgin Atlantic. Outside of the basic research of how to get there, weather and cost, I watched a few YouTube videos, read some travel articles and also asked people I know who have been. Korea didn’t come across as appealing as other trips I had in the pipeline.
Finally, an opportunity came up that made going to Korea a financially and logically great idea. As I planned my second trip to Japan, I managed to grab myself a bit of a bargain on return flights to Seoul from London. As you probably guessed, yes, the Virgin Atlantic flights. These cost £700 return in economy and were booked days before the current Gulf troubles spiked flight prices around May time. Wanting to arrive in Seoul in style, I bid for an upgrade to business class, or as Virgin call it, “Upper Class”. I also used my Avios to book my flights to and from Korea to Japan in business class. I was very excited for these flights and for my return to Japan. But still, not much enthusiasm for Korea.
Again, every video about visiting Seoul made me feel like it would be a bit boring and a bit too grey. This wasn’t just my opinion. I was supposed to be travelling with a friend, but he also thought that Seoul looked dull, to the point he avoided it completely by going to China before meeting me in Japan. That’s a fair amount of backstory as to why and how I felt underwhelmed by the idea of going to Seoul. You may have been, or are going, and think I was totally wrong for thinking this. Please let me know if you think my opinions are bad, but this is just how I felt (obviously, I was delighted and still am to have the opportunity to travel, etc., etc.).
Did my feelings change when I arrived in Seoul?
Yeah, it was a bit of a thrill to land in a country I felt was familiar despite never having been before. Taking the express train from the airport to Seoul Station and looking out the window was very interesting, and despite bluebird skies, patches of Seoul did look as monotone as expected. Arriving at Seoul Station, I enjoyed the buzz, but also how straightforward the transfer to the metro was. Everything was clearly signposted and made sense, and my first step outside in Seoul, my initial thought was, it’s hot... like Singapore hot and sweaty. But after that, the charm of Seoul started to set in.
My first day I had a good time wandering around and found my surroundings to be entertaining. This part of the trip I was alone, and every so often with certain countries I feel a bit self-conscious for being alone and foreign, especially when the Koreans are dressed well and dealing with the heat with dignity. Myself, well, I felt like a greasy Greggs sausage roll (a reference for my UK comrades).
There were lots of things that were interesting to see and places to explore, and some nice surprises with how easy Korea is to be in as a tourist. The level of English was admirable, and everyone, for the most part, was very friendly. So far, so good, and straight away I liked Korea.
The first time I went to Tokyo, I remember strongly wanting to spend a month there just to photograph the city at night. It was so captivating. Or every time I land at BKK Airport, my favourite way into Southeast Asia, I feel a sense of happiness and familiarity. There are countless places and memories from travel that make me feel excited. Seoul isn’t one of those places. Not everywhere can be.
This, of course, is subjective. We all like different things. Naples isn’t for me, New York City isn’t for me. Seoul is for me, but just the once, please. So, I like Seoul, but I can’t say it’s a place that left much of an impression on me. The biggest impression, I guess, is: Korean people are great, Tteokbokki is everything I want from a snack, and I have started a skincare routine.
