Seoul
Out of context: Reply #6
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be sure you can speak / read some korean if youre spending any time outside of seoul. when i was there, i nearly got lost transferring train lines. no english on their signs outside of seoul.
i stayed at seoulbackpackers.com for 2 weeks. good value and good location + free wifi. 2 minute walk to the nearest subway station, 1 station away from seoul station and its just in front of the namdaemun markets. check the seoul subway map, if youre staying somewhere near the middle and north of the river, you should be fine cause you can easily transfer to other lines.
clothes shopping, dongdaemun has the best stuff. its like seoul's shibuya. its also close to seoul tower so you can make another stop there.
check out as many temples you can, theyre all pretty cool and you wont be able to see them all anyway. dress up in traditional korean clothes and take pics for posterity.
insadong for souvenirs and traditional korean stuff. its one of the best neighborhoods in seoul ive been to but its gets really crowded on weekends i heard.
try not to spend too much time in itaewon, thats where most of the tourists, us soldiers and hookers hang out. its good if you want someone to talk to in english for a while.
done be afraid to try out korean food. i hope you can handle spicy food. point if you cant read it. korean bbq is teh awesome ++ if you can handle soju. get used to kimchi with every meal. honestly, every meal i had to get burger king on my 5th day cause kimchi was wreaking havoc. street food is fantastic.
i hope youre not obsessive about everything being clean, if you are, seoul's not for you.
ultimately, the best way for you to enjoy seoul is if you know someone who lives there. i had a buddy from work who was doing his doctorate there so he showed me around. he had some more korean buddies who were more than willing to be your entourage on nights out. they would know the best places that you wont find on online travel guides. you can also read up on korean blogs for tips.
and print the english subway map before you go. they dont always have them. http://www.nsubway.co.kr/korea/s…
good luck and have fun!