Seoul State of Mind: Dodging Rain and Finding Kimchi Dreams
okay, so. seoul. where do i even begin? i’m elara, by the way, and i’m a botanist. mostly. right now, i’m a botanist who’s desperately trying to remember which end of a camera lens faces the sun while simultaneously battling a persistent dampness.
I landed a few days ago, and the weather… well, it’s doing its own thing. i just checked and it's spitting a fine mist that clings to everything, like a disappointed ghost. the forecast says it’ll probably stay that way for a while. pack a good raincoat, seriously. and maybe some waterproof boots. you’ll thank me.
I’m staying in *Myeongdong, which is… intense. like, a sensory overload in the best possible way. neon signs, street food smells, the constant hum of people. it’s a lot. i’ve been wandering around, mostly just trying to not get trampled. i did stumble upon this tiny little tea shop tucked away down a side street. it was bliss. seriously, find it. it’s called ‘Cha-um’ and they have this incredible barley tea. check out their Yelp page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cha-um-seoul.
Someone told me that the best way to experience Myeongdong is to just let yourself get lost. which, honestly, is exactly what I did for about three hours. I ended up in a market selling… everything. Seriously, everything. I bought a weird little ceramic frog. No idea why. It’s now my travel mascot.
I’m trying to document the local flora, obviously. It’s proving trickier than I thought. Most of the plants I’m seeing are in meticulously manicured gardens or potted on balconies. Still, I did spot some interesting mosses growing on the older buildings. And the cherry blossoms are just starting to bud. I’m hoping for a full bloom before I leave.
Food. Oh, the food. I’ve been living on kimchi and bibimbap. It’s glorious. I overheard a couple of college students arguing about which restaurant has the best kimchi jjigae. Apparently, there’s a fierce rivalry. They suggested trying Insadong’s options first. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g298314-Insadong_Seoul.html I’ll have to check it out.
I’m also trying to learn some basic Korean. It’s… challenging. I managed to order coffee without completely embarrassing myself. That’s a win, right? I found a language exchange group on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/topics/korean-language/kr/seoul/. Might join that.
If you get bored, Incheon and Busan are just a short train ride away. I’m thinking of taking a day trip to Busan to check out the beaches. Apparently, they’re stunning. I heard that the seafood there is incredible, but also that you need to haggle hard* for a good price.
Honestly, seoul is a bit overwhelming, but in a good way. It’s chaotic and vibrant and full of surprises. I’m just trying to soak it all in before the rain washes it all away. I’m also trying to remember to charge my camera. That’s a constant battle.
Oh! And a local warned me about the subway during rush hour. Apparently, it’s like being packed into a sardine can. Avoid it if you can. Seriously.
Okay, gotta go. The mist is getting thicker. Wish me luck!
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