Blending In

Saturday was partly sunny and warm - a perfect day for an excursion into Seoul.  Andrea and I decided to check out the infamous district of Itaewon.  An English-speakers paradise amid the confusion of South Korea, Itaewon boasts cheap shopping, western restaurants, and American dollars.  Unfortunately, Itaewon isn't just well-known for its shopping, and nightfall brings out a new crowd in search of a different kind of entertainment.  One of many red-light districts in South Korea, Itaewon is perhaps the most famous among servicemen and other foreigners who turn the night streets into drunken battlefields and sleazy hotspots.

We navigated the 1-hour subway ride, even gaining seats after only a few stops, and walked out of the station to a sight we had all but forgotten about. Americans... everywhere. Not only Americans, but also Canadians, Brits, Irish and Scottish folk in the form of teachers, backpackers, tourists, and military personnel.  A surprising wave of annoyance rolled over me as I realized how many other foreigners actually visit this country. Suddenly, I wasn't the token blonde anymore - there were more of us EVERYWHERE!  True, I've only been in South Korea for 11 days and I shouldn't claim to be the ONLY blonde, English speaker in the whole country, but I honestly fell quickly and comfortably into the role of a rare spectacle.  I even had my hair touched by a passerby at church last week.  She walked right up behind me and poked at my curls - I guess to see if they were real, or held magical powers.  

Thankfully, it didn't take long to overcome my self-centeredness and I admitted the sound of English being spoken was like music to my ears.  The colorful shops sold everything from postcards and pantyhose to mink blankets and cowboy boots.  A rack of obscure, American CDs stood across from a shiny display of Coach purses and Louis Vuitton wallets.   We stopped in an English bookstore (What the Book) and found over-priced, new and used books and week-old magazines.  The lack of English literature in Korea, and my love for bookstores was too powerful; and I caved under the pressure purchasing two new paperbacks.  On our way back to the train station we found a foreign food market, and decided to check it out for future reference (when our craving for American groceries is most intense). Salsa and Ranch dressing - now we know where to go.

Crooked, narrow streets in Itaewon

Of course there's a Starbucks!

One of the 500 Dunkin' Donuts I read about.  I still haven't stopped at one - holding out until the craving is unbearable!

One of my regrets after leaving Austin was that I never bought a pair of boots.  I never thought I'd have the option while in Korea, but it just seems wrong somehow...

We left Itaewon and took the train to Namsan Park in an attempt to ride a cable car to the top of Seoul Tower.  Once we hiked up the impossibly huge hill to the cable car stop we discovered other people had shared the same idea for a Saturday afternoon.  There were hundreds of people in line!  We put the activity aside for another day and rested in the park before heading down the mountainous hill to Namdaemun.  The shopping in Itaewon is nothing in comparison to the hustle and bustle of the Namdaemun market.  Table after table full of merchandise turns the city streets into a maze of consumer-frenzied hunting grounds.  Prices are low - very low, and anything goes. Women's undergarments for $2, designer bags at $10, and leather coats for a fraction of the original cost compete for the attention of every passerby.  It's overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time.  The smell of street food mingles with the crowd before colliding into the booming voices of the vendors. Eventually your brain is overloaded and all you want to find is the way out.  

We had an eventful day and our feet were begging for a break so we headed home. Unfortunately,  the subway was packed and our car was standing room only for the entire hour. I spent the ride counting how many men held their girlfriends' purses...

This is as close as we got to the Seoul Tower.  We'll come back again on a less obvious day than Saturday.

 

The craziness of Namdaemun Market