Come join the hedonistic party in Hongdae - Seoul, Korea

Come join the hedonistic party in Hongdae – Seoul, Korea

November 17, 2019

irst, everyone in South Korea doesn’t look like a model. This was startling and a little disappointing. (sigh…) You might expect to see K-Pop stars everywhere, perfect looking boys and girls with strawberry hair and baby-smooth skin singing to themselves on the subways. The reality is quite different. Everyone is just like everyone else – human. The city is a huge sprawling (crawling) metropolis of brutalist residential high-rise architecture as far as the eye can see – with millions of mostly normal-looking people wandering around shopping at normal stores like H&M, and Forever 21. The more wealthy lining up outside the golden gates of the Louis Vuitton store, eagerly waiting to be let in a few at a time.

I think it’s safe to say that Seoul is a busy city and an extremely populated city, but not a pretty one.

K-Pop dreams

The product they sell on TV is vastly different than the reality. I’m sure many Filipinos don’t realize that K-Pop stars are groomed from a very young age, may have had plastic surgery to get that genetically perfect look, learned from vocal coaches and use vocal encoders to sing with perfect pitch and have gone through a grueling and strict regiment to get where they are. They’re simply products or brands, just like the boy bands were in the west.

Arriving from Japan a few cultural differences were apparent immediately – a lot more car honking, high-end cars that seemed to delight in scaring the crap out of pedestrians as they literally almost ran them over and generally more aggressive behavior than you see in Japan. It was strange to see beggars in the street, and older men ogling younger girls. Many of the little niceties of Japan were not found in Seoul – like train stations always having escalators or elevators instead of a mountain of stairs (at least working ones). There were a lot more hard edges where Japan seemed to have refined them.

Too cute 😉

View from Seoul Sky

View from roof – Hongdae

OBEY sticker

Hanging out in Hongdae

Gangnam & Seoul Sky

The one place everyone’s heard of is the one place you probs should avoid – Gangnam. Famous from the song (meh) I dutifully headed to the Gangnam Station (using the long-ass subway ride) only to find exactly nothing to do. Even the giant gold hands couldn’t be found? About the closest thing to Gangnam is the Lotte World Tower Mall which has an aquarium and Observatory.

At 123 stories high (555 meters) it was just too tempting to ascend the world’s 5th tallest building (at time of writing). However, I still feel that once you’ve gone to the top of any of the world’s tallest super-skyscrapers you essentially have gotten 85% of the experience of going to any (or all) of the rest of them. Big panes of glass, lots of light, a tiny city below. Strangely, I think the best views of a city (and best photography) can be had much lower – say the height of the Eiffel Towers’ third observation deck (275 meters) – you can actually ‘see’ what you’re looking at (see details) instead of just little lego blocks. Lotte World and Seoul Sky also have a band of ‘cute mascots’ called ‘sky friends’ – strangely they miss the mark when it comes to the cuteness that seems so innate in Taipei and Japan culture, I found this true almost everywhere in Seoul – cute was often just kitsch or creepy.

The most fascinating bit of trivia – looking down from the observation tower was that somehow Seoul has managed to get probably 80% of all buildings to paint their roofs green this seemed pretty amazing until I later read the explanation:

“In Seoul, the green roofs are the result of the company Chaebols’ monopoly on waterproofing. The major manufacturer just makes one kind and everybody has to buy it…” – elblanco

Such a long way down…

If you’re near – do it. But, not sure if it’s worth a special trip.

View from the top

The tower

Exploring Seoul

I arrived (and left) in a typhoon – which meant that I was constantly either not having my umbrella and having to buy a new one in a sudden downpour, or having to carry mine around unopened in a lull in the rain. Umbrellas are everywhere, but the price varies wildly from inexpensive to wtf-expensive. There most common umbrellas are the clear plastic ones (which I think look super cool and futuristic) – however, beware; these too come ultra-cheap to a little spendy. If you buy an expensive one and then put in the umbrella holder at a restaurant or bar you may well find upon leaving that some smart local has exchanged their el-chepo plastic for your expensive one. (frown)

Style Nanda
Somewhere, someplace I came across someone talking about the Style Nanda store in Seoul that has like 5 stories, is pink and has a pool on the roof – the ‘ultimate Instagram experience’. I was unfamiliar with this brand but baited into the bid for some nice backdrops for photos and the hopes of catching others posing I made my way to their store. Yup, it’s pink, cool, and inside each floor is decorated like a different part of a hotel (the main floor is the check-in area). It’s actually a makeup store (duh – for those of you that already know the brand)… and the prices are affordable, at least compared to Sephora and MAC. Unfortunately, I bought nothing as I didn’t even stop to look at their products assuming by the fashionable décor that they were probably super expensive. Only once home, and on their website did I realize how inexpensive their makeup is.

The roof is arguably the best-designed space, sadly there’s no pink-tiled-pool – but there are plenty of pink beanbags to lounge around on and an umbrella to pose under. Great views of the surrounding city.

Ihwa Street Art Village
It’s also known as a ‘moon village’ which means it’s set on the side of a steep hillside, so be aware you’re in for a hike if you visit. The lure is their narrative: in 2006 a slum-area was set for demolition but officials got involved, rallied 70 artists to come paint murals everyplace a mural could be painted. In the hope it would attract tourists and some prosperity to the area. Unfortunately, there seem to be three problems with this:

No one asked the mostly elderly Koreans living there if they wanted this (or even told them what they were doing) – now they’re faced with a flood of tourists that many are unhappy with
There’s really nothing for a traveler to buy once you’re there, few cafes and fewer curiosity shops – so you go, look, take photos and leave without spending any money on the community – except maybe a bottle of water
The murals, sadly are not very good. There are a few that stand out, but for the most part as street murals go it’s not worth the literal hike.

Cat Cafés (and animal cafes in general) have caught on in Seoul as well. Out of all the cafes I’ve been to around the world (a lot) they provide the best experience for the money. The café I visited (somewhere in Hongdae) had an amazing 52 cats! – from hairless cats to Scottish Fold breeds. It was inexpensive and you got to spend a lot of time chasing around the cats, trying to get them to lick off pay-for-paste-food from the back of your hands with their little sandpaper tongues. Fun!

On top.of Style Nanda

Chilling on the beanbags

Losing my wings in the mural village

Hongdae

If you’re looking for fun in Korea, especially the liquid kind – head straight for Hongdae. It reminded me a bit of the Harajuku area in Tokyo (but without the Cosplay dress-up). I spent most of the time (and all of my nights) wandering around this area that’s full of bars, cafes, food, and shopping. Hongdae is right in front of Hongik University which is well known for its fine arts programs. Back in the day when rental prices were still cheap-ish students would set up their kiosks around this neighboorhood to showcase their work and make a bit of cash.

This, in turn, attracted more young creatives and the area became extremely popular in youth culture. Even now, that all the kiosks have disappeared to be replaced by proper bars, clubs, pubs and shopping the students still come back to party and it’s a genuinely fun place to drink in. As far as I could tell, there were no closing times – staggering down the street at 3 am the party still appeared to be in full swing.

I was excited to see a bunch of tents going up all around Hongdae the night I arrived, surely this meant street food, crafts, shopping, and beer. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a huge book fair. (sigh)… Not surprising I guess as it’s in front of the university, but I guess a little surprising – aren’t most people reading digital books these days?

If you secretly want to be a K-Pop star you can also try your hand at a Noraebang – essentially a karaoke room except in Hongdae some are overlooking the main street – so you get to look up to the second floor and see people singing, dancing, and acting funny or crazy.

There’s also a sheep restaurant (I sadly missed) – who doesn’t want to eat brunch surrounded by sheep? In addition to everything, you would expect from this area – lots of curiosity shops, vintage clothes, and outdoor street food. Seoul is also famous for its giant ice cream cones. At 32 centimeters tall (and for only 2,000 won) it’s best shared.

Peace is cheaper

Sticker art in Hongdae

Let’s go shopping

Want a night haircut or shave?

There’s food in the streets!

Glazed strawberries on a stick

Cocktail Bar or Speakeasy?

Full of more dive bars than upscale cocktail bars, I managed to hit a few and try their offerings:

BAR다
Almost a speakeasy as it’s hidden along the street, you have to look for a small dodgy staircase, and then be willing to ascend it into an even smaller den of low lit inebriation. It’s easy to pass a night here getting sloshed, and even their snacks (freezer to oil) are delicious. It feels like a cross between being in the wooden belly of a boat or someone’s hidden attic.

Robin’s Square Speakeasy
Strangely, this one really isn’t a speakeasy – it’s just an upscale cocktail bar, the night I went there were 2 or 3 female only bartenders serving up delicious drinks in an austere and somewhat clinical setting. Not the place to go to have fun, but if you wish to mediate over a very well made drink, or talk to a partner this is the place.

If you’re into chasing speakeasy bars:

Cobbler Speakeasy – They give little rhubarb cobblers as 안주. Drinks aren’t fancy, but they’re good enough
HoneyHole Speakeasy – a gin bar with a menu that changes monthly
Tender Bar speakeasy – supposedly the best with a bartender trained in Tokyo, but it’s got a strict dress code
Alice Speakeasy – an Alice and wonderland themed speakeasy – fairly far away from Hongdae