{"id":3449,"date":"2015-10-30T19:39:41","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T19:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/?p=3449"},"modified":"2017-12-04T07:22:45","modified_gmt":"2017-12-04T12:22:45","slug":"a-practical-guide-for-a-trip-to-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/a-practical-guide-for-a-trip-to-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"A Practical Guide for a Trip to Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s the DMZ, the Blue House (\uccad\uc640\ub300), the temples, and monuments. \u00a0You\u00a0could (maybe should) do that. \u00a0But when planning a trip to South Korea, no one would blame you if you wandered among the neon, snacking at street food stands. \u00a0Or if explored alleyways and followed the locals for samgyupsal (\uc308\uacb9\uc0b4) or into hofs (\ud638\ud504) for chi-maek (beer \ub9e5\uc8fc combined with chicken \uce58\ud0a8, or \uce58\ub9e5). \u00a0The fall and spring is arguably the best time to visit the ROK. \u00a0Although there is no reason to feel badly about being a tourist in a place where you will undeniably stand out, there is still a way to do Korea like–at times–a local. \u00a0And you will need some must-dos<\/em> for seeking out the day-to-day Korea and some slang words to impress locals, which, if done successfully, will probably lead to a need for a hangover cure.<\/p>\n

If you could be in only two rooms (or bangs\ubc29)<\/em>\u00a0in the entire world, let alone South Korea, it should a jjimjilbang (\ucc1c\uc9c8\ubc29) and a noraebong (\ub178\ub798\ubc29)<\/strong>. \u00a0The jjimjilbang<\/em> is a Korea bath house with separate, fully-nude sections for men and women, along with a communal clothed section. \u00a0In the former, it features rooms and pools of vastly different temperature, as well as a person whose sole job is to scrub you<\/a> with a scratchy washcloth from head to toe, washing off the oils in the layers of your skin and opening up the pores, resulting in a grayish pool of what was you.<\/p>\n

The former is the infamous Korean singing room<\/a>, where you enter one of many private singing rooms and drink while, typically in the business culture, eating plates of fruit in what is both amazing and awkward, and is usually\u00a0done best when you can’t remember how you met these people<\/a>. \u00a0During the songs<\/a>, disco-style lights combine with high-pitched acoustics. \u00a0But what is even better are the stock videos on the screen that might show anything from a couple running from a black bear to a terribly depressed low-20s Korean woman.<\/p>\n

In a way, there is a method for finding these gems in Korea: for where to find the bath house all you need to do in the city where you are is look at the table of slightly drunk Koreans next to you, excuse yourself (\uc8c4\uc1a1\ud569\ub2c8\ub2e4, joe-song-hap-ni-da), and ask “jjimilbang?” \u00a0For the noraebang, follow them afterwards.<\/p>\n

Staying in Seoul for a majority of your trip will not only be an incomplete trip, but not a fully authentic one either. \u00a0Korea, which is the size of the U.S. state of Indiana, has separate northern and southern dialects (withing the ROK), foods, and mannerisms, and the KTX ride will allow for some contemplation on how far Korea as come<\/a>, from the nation that was the first to receive international aid to one giving aid.<\/p>\n

Take a train to the south. \u00a0You can take this train to the relatively off-the-beaten-path southwest<\/a>, or go all the way to Busan (3.5 hours from Seoul with a direct connection to Incheon Airport for the way back), where you can take the same regional train to the tea fields of Boseong<\/a> (\ubcf4\uc131\uad70), which is better done if you have an extended vacation rather than a day trip during a vacation.<\/p>\n

Busan, famous for the beaches of Haeundae (\ud574\uc6b4\ub300 \ud574\uc218\uc695\uc7a5) and Gwangan (\uad11\uc548 \ud574\uc218\uc695\uc7a5), have some fantastic fall experiences. \u00a0The Busan fireworks (at Gwangan), which earlier this month attracted 1.3 million people<\/a>, has two nights of internationally coordinated firework displays. \u00a0It should be recommended, however, to reserve a local seat at seaside bar or restaurant, which can include bottle service or an all-you-can-drink deal, rather than rough-it on the beach, where personal space becomes anarchy in its full definition.<\/p>\n

If you need a Korean meal and had enough street food, a new feature to Busan is the food truck<\/a>, which is in Busan’s Citizen’s Park, located close to downtown<\/em> Seomyeon \uc11c\uba74, a park which was formally both a United States military base and a Japanese horse racing track. \u00a0(Check out more about Busan’s fall festivals, including the fantastic Busan International Film Festival\u00a0\ubd80\uc0b0\uad6d\uc81c\uc601\ud654\uc81c.)<\/a><\/p>\n

From Busan, even if it isn’t summer, one should\u00a0take a flight or ferry Jeju<\/a>. \u00a0Apparently, Korean women and men, though, have a differentiating opinion<\/a> on whether or not it is the best domestic vacation spot.<\/p>\n

If you made some Korean friends, even if they have broken English, they will warm up the more they drink. \u00a0Using a phrase as simple as dae-bak \ub300\ubc15, will go far. \u00a0But there are many more words and phrases you can insert into conversations that will make things more comfortable for both parties.<\/a>\u00a0 Since advanced Korea study becomes quite difficult, fake it until you make it when it comes to the Korean language.<\/p>\n

However, once you are at this point, and before your flight home, you will need a Korean hangover cure<\/a>\u00a0(\ud574\uc7a5\ud558\ub2e4 haejanghada). \u00a0In Busan, and perhaps nationwide, the most common is\u00a0Kongnamulguk (\ucf69\ub098\ubb3c\uad6d), a vegetable-based soybean soup. \u00a0If you need protein, the best option is\u00a0Gomtang\/Galbitang (\uacf0\ud0d5\/\uac08\ube44\ud0d5).<\/p>\n

For more on what to do in Korea, see the video below.<\/p>\n