Some advice on South Korea is requested

The Black Flag Cafe is the place travelers come to share stories and advice. Moderated by Robert Young Pelton the author of The World's Most Dangerous Places.

Moderator: coldharvest

Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby grawp » Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:16 pm

Good afternoon, everyone.

Miz Grawp's best friend is doing two weeks in South Korea visiting friends.
Now, this is a "Suthren Lady" of the first water.
She is comfortable with cultures not her own, though she is a bit of a "T-total Ayatollah' on the subject of alcohol consumption and raw seafood.

What can she look forward to visiting the Land of the Morning Calm?
Anything she should be careful of?
What are the BFC's "Not To Be Missed" sights and events in South Korea?

Thank you,

grawp
The world will never love us. They respect us - they might even grow to fear us.
But they will never love us, for we have too much audacity!

- Theodore Roosevelt – “The Wind & the Lion” (1975)
grawp
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 1245
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:12 pm
Location: Great Smoky Mtns.

Re: Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby rickshaw92 » Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:25 pm

though she is a bit of a "T-total Ayatollah' on the subject of alcohol consumption



Then my advice would be not to start with triples.
Im reallly fuclimg pissed but fespite that I can still hit a tarfet at 1000m plus. mayVRVe bnot tonight but it qint beyond the wit if man. Nowhammy.
User avatar
rickshaw92
Pikey Bastard
 
Posts: 9165
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:28 am
Location: Airport Inn trailer park

Re: Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby grawp » Thu Jul 21, 2011 2:03 am

Thank you, friend Rick.

As ever,

grawp
The world will never love us. They respect us - they might even grow to fear us.
But they will never love us, for we have too much audacity!

- Theodore Roosevelt – “The Wind & the Lion” (1975)
grawp
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 1245
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:12 pm
Location: Great Smoky Mtns.

Re: Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby Royal » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:41 am

Seoul.
Pushing & shoving in the stores. Smell of garlic on the natives breath. Hot women in "tarty dress"...(not applicable?). Metal chop sticks.
Haven't had time for much sight seeing :-) apart from Panmunjom.

Intresting & exiting place to be.
Image We have no effective screening methods to make sure pilots are sane.— Dr. Herbert Haynes, FAA.
User avatar
Royal
BABE MAGNET
 
Posts: 2581
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:35 pm
Location: Asia-Pacific region

Re: Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby kilroy » Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:53 pm

where in SK is she going and what type of stuff does she like seeing and doing?

PS, koreans are the irish of the orient, a good night out always involves a trip to wastoid-land. sometimes beginning at lunch.

if she doesn't drink or want to eat seafood just say 'im allergic'. it simplifies explanation as most korean folks will be confused as hell if one is physically capable of consuming booze and fish but chooses not to.
when they ask how you feeling
you tell em you feeling like something important died screaming
you tell em you feeling like something even more important arrived breathing
something you should probably try feeding
User avatar
kilroy
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 5691
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 7:34 am
Location: Alabambam

Re: Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby suwon fish » Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:41 am

South Korea has quite a bit to offer the guys. For the ladies... I really tried to come up with some nice ideas, but no shit, it's hard. When you remove booze and meaningless sex from the equation, there's not much left.

SK (for most folks) is just an engine room to work/bank money to spend somewhere else.

I did a search at Expat Korea and you'll see most expats here have very little to offer on the topic. The link isn't really helpful but it'll give you a realistic idea of what it's like as a tourist destination.

http://www.expatkorea.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=22377
A day should not be praised until the Sun has set, a woman until she is burned, a sword until it's tested, ice until it's crossed or beer until it's drunk - Viking proverb
User avatar
suwon fish
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 305
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2010 3:05 am
Location: The Poor House

Re: Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby rickshaw92 » Sat Jul 23, 2011 2:28 pm

When you remove booze and meaningless sex from the equation, there's not much left.



There never is.
Im reallly fuclimg pissed but fespite that I can still hit a tarfet at 1000m plus. mayVRVe bnot tonight but it qint beyond the wit if man. Nowhammy.
User avatar
rickshaw92
Pikey Bastard
 
Posts: 9165
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:28 am
Location: Airport Inn trailer park

Re: Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby kilroy » Sat Jul 23, 2011 2:54 pm

holy shit. after reading the first page of that thread i think i'd like to punch every one of those people in the face. the KTX is dangerous? haha, there has never been a single incident with it. 'ive never actually been to daegu but drove past it and it looked like auschwithz'. yeah you probably drove past the outside of the military base nearby you tool. polluted industrial wasteland? and then they reccomend beijing. it reads like none of those shits have ever ventured outside of itaewon for fucks sake.

i really like korea, and not because of all the drunken revelry and pussy. that's something to get into no matter where one is at.

she's going to visit friends, so i'm sure they will have some ideas. try some high end cuisine. go to a couple folk villages and buddhist temples (i'd recommend any of the 'three jewel' temples) . panmunjom is an obvious destination. the winter sports are great in the northeast (winter olympics there in 2016, yo) but unfortunate timing for that. seoraksan is a great hike in fall when all the leaves are changing colors. it's absofuckinglutely fucking beautiful, and that's an understatement. again, may be unfortunate timing for the visit though. the palaces and stuff are kinda neat, but i felt a bit cheated when i went and realized they're all recreations - the japs burned everything down when they annexed the place.

for summer if they could swing a trip to jeju island (flight from seoul or take the scenic route and ktx to busan and hit up the ferry from there) that could make a great trip all on its own. just jeju even has a bunch of stuff. manjangul is the largest lava cave system in the world. hallasan there is a dead shield volcano that formed the island, and is the tallest mountain in korea. but like all shield volcanos its a nice and easy hike, if you huff it you can even take it on in one day. great beaches. the ones on the north side of the island have deep black sands (rich in iron or some shit) that the locals say have some new agey therapeutic value. there's a couple casinos there too but it's no macau and probably isn't mrs grawp's thing anyways based on the teetotaler thing. you can get a sea kayak and paddle out to one of the even smaller islands off the coast of jeju (ulung do? or something, it's suppoesd to mean cow island, name based on shape of the island, no cows there).

for some decent live music hit the city of daegu up. take the subway and get off at the kyunghee university stop. cruise the various bars asking about the kind of music they play, who's playiing, when. i've seen jazz, blues, rock, and even some decent hip hop performers there. find a breakdance battle (though you may have to enter a nightclub for this). hallasan temple is also near daegu and houses the tripitaka koreana.

or if you dig military history hit up cheonan, the area near where i went to university, and go check out the home of one of the greatest military minds in the history of man, ever. Admiral Yi Sun Chin. dude was legit. pretty much singlehandedly warded off the invasion of hideyoshi (you know, the guy that came out on top after the samurai wars in that oda nobunago era). commanded over 20 naval battles and retired (well, died, in a battle that he won) undefeated, even though he was always outnumbered. how outnumbered? he fended off over 300 japanese ships with on 13 of his own. invented the first ironclad warship and proceded to singlehandedly fend off his villa is baller and you can even check out the grave mounds of himself and family.

that's all just a bunch of random suggestions off the top of my head, there's a lot more to do but it depends on ones interests and where one will be staying in the country.
when they ask how you feeling
you tell em you feeling like something important died screaming
you tell em you feeling like something even more important arrived breathing
something you should probably try feeding
User avatar
kilroy
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 5691
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 7:34 am
Location: Alabambam

Re: Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby suwon fish » Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:50 am

Sorry Kilroy et al, that was a pretty stupid post. 8 years here (or is it 9?) can take a toll...

Korea is probably the safest country I've ever been too. There is only really one thing to be mindful of. DON'T take a taxi from Incheon into Seoul. Ask for the fast, clean, easy to use Airport Limo Bus. 12 bucks vs 120 bucks.

Newcomers always enjoy the energy, noise and colours (especially at night) of Korea. Work and play are done with a sense of purpose here.

Restraunts are cheap, very varied and usually delicious. Cooking on a grill at your table with a half dozen plus side dishes (and a half dozen Cass/soju bottles) is uniquely Korean and something you'll remember.

Kilroy hit the nail on the head re: temples, Jeju and Seorak mountain. A nice district of Seoul for walking/browsing/shopping and experiencing the "vibe" of modern Korea is Insadong.

Having Korean family here will pretty much guarantee she has a successful vacation.

I live in Seoul. If you have a specific question, feel free to PM me and I'll do my best to answer it.
A day should not be praised until the Sun has set, a woman until she is burned, a sword until it's tested, ice until it's crossed or beer until it's drunk - Viking proverb
User avatar
suwon fish
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 305
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2010 3:05 am
Location: The Poor House

Re: Some advice on South Korea is requested

Postby grawp » Sun Jul 24, 2011 8:17 pm

Friends Suwon, Kilroy, et al.

Many thanks for your kind assistance.
I passed along all your info, which was gratefully logged, printed, and stuffed in respective passports.
The Lady and her friends are on their way -
via a 14+ hour flight from Atlanta.

Sheesh!

grawp
The world will never love us. They respect us - they might even grow to fear us.
But they will never love us, for we have too much audacity!

- Theodore Roosevelt – “The Wind & the Lion” (1975)
grawp
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 1245
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:12 pm
Location: Great Smoky Mtns.


Return to Black Flag Cafe

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests