By day or night, Seoul proves irresistible

The capital city will keep you coming back for its tasty food, tempting shops and friendly atmosphere, Xiao Lixin reports

As my flight departing Seoul for Beijing took off, I suddenly was struck by an impulse, an almost unconscious reluctance to end this weekend getaway and leave the Korean city to which I have traveled four times.

I still remember a dialogue I had with a friend after we came back from our very first trip to the capital of South Korea.

"Funny how I miss the food and vibe and, well, almost every experience there as a tourist," she said. I nodded and replied, "I can't recall what specifically impressed me the most, but I just want to come back one more time."

I must say that any visitor, even if not a big fan of K-pop or Korean food and culture, would fall in love with the city of Seoul, because of its generally friendly residents, convenient transportation system and pleasant shopping experience.

Those who are interested in traveling to Seoul but are worried about language barriers can put aside such concerns. Major tourist attractions and shopping areas provide services in Chinese, and the subways provide instructions and stop announcements in four languages, including Chinese.

Even if you are bad at directions and at remembering routes, as I am, you can rent an "Egg", which is a mobile Wi-Fi device that provides online map navigation. Or you can count on Seoul's very welcoming and helpful residents. Although many of them cannot speak Chinese or English, they offer help if they notice that you are confused at a bus stop or subway station, telling you how to get to your destination or even personally showing you the way.

With these two major concerns allayed, everything else flows naturally and easily in an independent travel arrangement. It is recommended, to save time and money, that such an arrangement be booked on Taobao, China's largest online shopping platform owned by Alibaba Group, or another online travel agency.

What I find most alluring about South Korea is the integration of energy, avant-garde fashion and romance. And the first thing that occurs to many people about Seoul specifically is shopping, largely for a wide range of cosmetic brands from Korea and foreign markets. Myeongdong, the popular commercial district in central Seoul, is heaven for women of all ages, but especially the young.

To reach this area, take the subway to Myeongdong station on Line 4, or Euljiro 1-ga on Line 2, where a mind-boggling number of cosmetics shops, boutiques and large department stores are ready to stealthily empty your wallet. It is a very pleasant shopping experience, not only because of the reasonably priced products and welcoming sales assistants, but also the lack of pressure to buy anything that you try on.

During or after shopping, you can delight your taste buds and fuel your physical strength at the stalls and restaurants in this neighborhood. They offer Korean snacks and delicacies, such as bulgogi (Korean barbecue) and samgye tang (ginseng chicken soup). Personally, I find it quite fun and fascinating to stand beside the stall for a perfect set of topokki (stir-fried rice cake) and saecham oden (fish cake soup), which warm the body in cold weather.

Once in the Myeongdong area, and after walking and dining until sunset, it's almost certain that I will visit the N Seoul Tower, a 236-meter-tall city landmark on Mount Namsan that attracts tens of thousands of locals and tourists every year for the tower's panoramic view, especially at night.

I took the Namsan cable car to the tower, and then the elevator to the top observation deck. As the entire night view of Seoul unfolded before me, the phrase "breathtakingly romantic" popped into my head, although I cannot recall anything in particular about the scene that related to romance.

Perhaps it was a decoration on the deck, a huge sticker on the glass that read "Love is in the air", or the sight of other tourist couples happily taking sweet selfies with the dazzling night view as a background, that gave me that illusion. Or perhaps it is truly romantic, just like the love padlock tree on the roof terrace that has become a popular place for young couples to hang their locks symbolizing eternal love - a scene depicted many times in classic romantic scenes in Korean dramas and TV programs.

Meanwhile, if you want to shop some more in the city, the Dongdaemun Shopping Town should not be missed. From early morning to late at night, this area is bustling with locals and tourists fancying Koreanstyle apparel and accessories, and it is dotted with several shopping malls offering clothes and shoes in a wide range of prices, for wholesale or retail. It is a good place for bargain hunters as well as buyers seeking the works of local independent designers.

I often joke before each trip that I am determined to cut the budget by buying less makeup and clothes, only to find each time that the credit card bill grows fatter, because there is just too much temptation to resist.

To save some money, one little tip is that if you shop at a store where signs reading "tax free" are posted and you spend 30,000 won (about $27) or more, you can ask for a tax refund and collect it in cash or on your credit card or even Alipay, an online payment system of Alibaba, at downtown banks or airport counters.

After a mentally exciting but physically tiring shopping tour during the day, according to my own experience, it is a wise decision to spend several hours relaxing and refreshing at a jjimjilbang, an authentic Korean spa, which is sure to drive away all fatigue.

You can enjoy many recreational amenities there, such as a snack bar and karaoke, and experience the down-to-earth Korean pastime that often is depicted on Korean variety shows (wearing a croissant-shaped folded towel as a hat and having a boiled egg and makgeolli, a Korean rice wine). This is one of the mostloved ways for Koreans to relax.

If you are a clubgoer and want to have a taste of the best nightlife in Seoul, the neighborhood around Hongik University (also known as Hongdae), which especially excels in fine arts and design, is a must see destination. This is where the country's leading clubs are located and where the city's young hang out.

Additionally, you can appreciate and shop at the Hope and Free markets (on Saturday and Sunday mornings at the front gate of Hongdae), which offer a wide range of Korean cultural and practical souvenirs.

A K-pop themed schedule is what my friends and I tend to add to our travel plans while in South Korea, with concerts and musicals topping the list. While for concerts in general, tickets for a VIP seat cost no more than $150, the overall atmosphere, the cast of musicals and the audience all make the shows memorable.

Taking a sip of the very popular banana milk brought back from South Korea, and recalling travel memories, I found my heart already looking forward to the next trip, when I plan to have a journey with more of a historical focus and less shopping - something I have not tried before.

Contact the writer at xiaolixin@chinadaily.com.cn.

 

Chinese consumers shop at a duty-free store in Seoul. Zhu Xingxin / China Daily