How to Be a Tourist Just About Anywhere

You're bored all the time. You want to make some new friends. You need to escape the clutches of whatever screen you're looking at right now. You know nothing about your hometown despite having lived there for most of your life. Whatever the reason, you know you've got to get out...but you're not on vacation, so how can you be a tourist? I'm always itching for an adventure, so here are some of my tricks for getting off your butt and into the world, even if it's just in your backyard.

Use the internet. If you are uncomfortable adventuring alone, uncertain about where to go, too broke to go to the well-known places, or just not convinced that being a tourist is worth it, go ahead, stay home all day. And research some places to explore.

Don't limit yourself to the major newspaper and friend's Facebook walls. Read skim the comment sections of articles about the famous tourist attractions for lesser-known ideas. Google embarrassingly obvious things like "best secret spots of (insert location here)" and "(location name) blog" If you keep getting hits from the same websites, use the handy minus sign and eliminate those boring mainstream websites-- this is adventuring for bandwagon hipsters.

Let yourself be inspired, excited, intrigued by what you find. Search for videos of the event, stalk the spot on GoogleEarth, find online forums and groups that mention it. Basically, be a virtual tourist and get the itch to adventure. BUT don't let yourself get sucked into the abyss of the interwebs. Give yourself a deadline and, partner or no, get out there!

Pick up papers. Essentially the old school version of the internet, there is still paper everywhere. So pique you interest and also save the environment and pick up some papers. Newspapers, magazines, flyers, those annoying postcards people hand to you on the street right after you've nabbed one from the convenient table at the front of the restaurant, business cards, information pamphlets, tear off tabs. Be grabby, take what you want and what you aren't sure about--don't take what you definitely don't want--and recycle what you don't need. I find saving the paper I want to do and keeping it in an obvious place (next to my computer, in my wallet, or on my fridge) is a good way to remind myself that I'm interested. Bonus perk: when you read about the area that you are in, you become a more informed and engaged citizen! Who wouldn't want to be a contributing member of society!?

Hang out in public places. Public transportation should, at the very least, take you by way of some popular spots. Coffee shops, bus stops, libraries, park benches...they are made for people! You can be one of those people! Then maybe, just maybe, you can work up the nerve to do the next thing...

Talk to strangers. Yes, mama said not to. But go ahead. Ask for directions. Maybe they know a shortcut. Give someone a compliment. They might recommend the shop where they bought their shoes. Help someone with their bags and their dog and their escaping hat and the door. Perhaps they'll say thank you. Perhaps not. Whatever, life isn't a romantic comedy. But information comes from experiences, and PEOPLE have experiences, so ask about them! Pro tip: when the conversation is over, say goodbye and leave. Get their info if you (both) want, but forgoodnesssake please don't prolong awkwardness.

Become a regular. (Thanks, Gail!) Say hello to the man at the corner store where you buy your afternoon pick-me-up and chat with the happy hour bartender as she pours your drink. Chances are A. They're a long time local, in which case you need to prove your awesomeness before getting the good dirt, or B. They're new, but maybe they like adventuring too! Once again, don't be annoying. Keep it to a minimum, and always thank someone for their help.

Wander. Choose a direction, and go. Follow your intuition. Does that street look interesting? Take a gander. Does this area feel unsafe? Turn around. Obviously this is not to say walk around with your cash hanging out of your pockets and your eyes closed. What I am saying is only take out a map when you need one. I'm saying an itinerary is not always necessary.

Buy a map. My personal favorite. I love maps and hang them all over my apartment (which I know is a glorified room, don't judge! I don't spend much time there anyway!). Here's what you do. Buy a map and look at it. Look at it when you are waiting for your tea water to boil. Look at it when you are procrastinating. Look at it when you need a break. Look at it after you got lost on your wandering adventure and thank god your phone didn't run out of battery before you found the main road. You'll see something of interest, and you can go there! Door's on your left. Or right. Bonus points when you eventually develop a better sense of direction and don't need your GPS to guide you back home after a full day of adventuring.

Finally, mix it up. Sure, do what you like and like what you do. But adventuring is partially about the challenge of unfamiliarity. Would it have been cool to adventure in your living room? Maybe with the proper amount of couch cushions, sheets, and a good book....but certainly not every day. Pay attention to your patterns and inspire yourself to try something new. General adventuring categories I could think of off the top of my head are: natural/man made, inside/outside, free/ticketed, hands-on/hands-off(!), day/night/early morning, academic/athletic/musical/artistic, near/far, half-an-hour/all weekend. Take risks, and remember that no matter how cliche it sounds, failures are adventures, too.

Editor's Note: The magnificent creature featured as the subject in these photos is Winifred Rogers, who you can follow on twitter @RastaWinnie 

Jukjeon Edible Treasures

Jukjeon looks like a city in the eyes of an American girl, but compared to Seoul it's really out in the boonies. If you ever find yourself down on the Bundang line though, here are (some of) our favorite places that are close to home.


First Nepal
Just about the first meal I had in Korea, First Nepal is Dankook University's diamond in the rough. Serving dishes standard to American Indian restaurants, the curries are always spicy and the naan is cooked to perfection. Plus, the absolutely adorable owner always provides a lassi, sometimes mango, sometimes banana, while you wait for your food. And as if that weren't enough, be sure not to miss the endless reel of Bollywood dance videos paired with mismatched music.






First Nepal 퍼스트네팔
경기도 용인시 수지구 죽전동 1321-3
Yong-in suji-gu Jukjeon-dong 1321-3



Jung Seong Bon Shabu Shabu
Shabu Shabu is what Korea calls "hot pot": it's a huge bowl of boiling broth in the middle of your table, to which you add paper thin slices of meat, loads of veggies, and noodles to cook before your eyes. The best part is, after you have the veggies and the meat and the rice cakes and the dumplings and the noodles, the server comes and scoops out some of the now stew-like broth, and then adds some cooked rice and creates Korean rice porridge, called juk. And despite the fact that you felt ready to explode about twenty minutes ago, the juk is so damn good that you can't help but scoop it into your mouth.








Jung Seong Bon Shabu Shabu 정성본
경기도 용인시 수지구 죽전동 1328-2 단대프라자3 지하 1층 101호 
Yongin sujigu jukjeondong 1328-2 B1 1

http://www.jungsungbon.com
https://www.facebook.com/jungsungbondankook



BBQ by James' (old) place
In my opinion, this is the best BBQ place in the area. No, I haven't tried them all. But I actually remember the meat having it's own flavor, as opposed to just shoveling pieces into my mouth as quickly as possible. Bonus: the rice here is so good that I creepily sneaked around and took a picture of the bag so I could buy it and make it myself. Don't forget to order rice!! 

Yuganea Sutbulchon 유가네 숯불촌

경기도 용인시 수지구 죽전동

Jukjeon-dong, Yongin Suji-gu, Yongin

Yamadaya Udon
When Boris first visited in January, our Awesome Obie Korean friends took him to a restaurant that (apparently) is pretty famous for its handmade udon (thick, Japanese wheat noodles). I didn't get to go because I was at work. Hmph. Anyway, months later I finally made it to this Udon place, and then went back way too many times for how obnoxious it is to get to. The set plates come with tempura (a special batter for frying things like shrimp and thin slices of pumpkin), as well as a couple pieces of sushi. I loved the cold udon which has little broth, but the warm dishes were equally slurp-able.

Yamadaya Udon 야마다야

경기도 성남시 분당구 구미동 226-7

Gumi-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do 226-7

(not open on Tuesday!)

Japanese Ramen
I found this place through a useful location-based social networking group on facebook. I've never been to Japan, so I can make no comparisons in that direction, but the price here is friendly and the ramen is scrumptious. Salty broth, chewy noodles, and savory cuts of pork that melt on the tongue. Only caveat: they aren't open on Sunday, in my opinion the ideal ramen day.


Japanese Ramen 라멘만땅 분당오리점
경기도 성남시 분당구 구미동 189-1 성우스타우스 117호
Gumi-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do 189-1 117

Jogae on Cafe Street
I've only been to this place once, but I'm a sucker for seafood so this had to make the list. You'll sit on mismatched plastic stools around a metal BBQ pit called your table, on which sizzles an exquisite tower of shells: oysters, mussels, clams, and some shrimp all piled up and ready to be devoured.


구울래?찔래?
경기도 용인시 기흥구 보정동 1191-11
Giheung-gu, Yongin bojeongdong 1191-11




55 Chu

Whenever one of my students brings food to class, I unfairly exert my authority and ask that they share their food with...me. Usually they laugh and comply and I will take a teensy bit if I'm certain it won't be the most repulsive thing I've ever tried. When they offer more, I say 'no thank you' and tell them to put it away. Except this one student. She brought in fresh churros, still warm, and would offer them to me before I noticed she had them. And every time she offered, it was impossible for me to refuse. They were so crisp, yet soft, not too sweet, hint of cinnamon...and still warm. Swoon.

After a few failed teacher-student communications ("Teacher, it's by my house!") I finally learned where 55 Chu is located, and dragged all my foreigner coworkers on an adventure to heaven.

55 Chu오오츄
경기도 용인시 수지구 죽전동 1324
Jukjeon-dong, Yongin Suji-gu, Yongin 1324

https://www.facebook.com/55chu

Gangneung (강릉)

We went on vacation to Gangneung, a small beach town on the northeastern coast of the country. There wasn't too much information on the internet, at least not in an organized sense, so this post can hopefully be of use to people who, like me, find themselves googling "Gangneung blog" in hopes of adventure ideas. 

Hostel, Gyeongpo Beach (경포해변)
Our hostel was a quick cab ride from the train station. We walked there when we arrived which was a mistake, but it was cool to see the area. Myunganae Guesthouse was right on the beach. Technically, it was on Gangmun Beach, but it was right next to this awesome rainbow bridge (not to be confused with the rainbow footbridge) that led to a more bumpin' beach, Gyeongpo.

This is the footbridge (photo cred: Tyler)...

...the distinction is crucial.

Gyeongpo was the hang out place of the town. Mind you, this was pre-beach season, so there was no swimming or rainbow rows of umbrellas. Just a stretch of sand and waves and little pockets of people being merry and setting off fireworks. Korea loves fireworks, and drunk people on the beach do, too! Along the beach is a boardwalk and a line of fish restaurants. The atmosphere was ideal, the buzz of warm weather and vacation. On our first night we got seafood stir fry which turned out to be seafood soup, and it was delicious! As long as you're not shy about cracking crab legs and licking your fingers at the dinner table...and we definitely weren't.

 

Unification Park(s) (통일공원)

On Day One we grabbed our new friends from the hostel and hopped on a bus to Unification Park. Things in "Gangneung" are a bit spread out, so it took some time to get all the way down to this tourist attraction, and it felt like we had left the town because, well, we had. (Pro Tip #1: Cashbee and TMoney cards work on the buses in Gangneung, just be sure to charge up before you leave) The park is inconveniently spread out in two parts, with a busy, winding beachside road connecting them. The first bit is basically an outdoor military museum with airplanes and tanks, and an indoor museum that is actually about the Korean War and unification efforts.  The signage inside the museum was mostly in Korean, but there's still a lot to learn from what they are displaying and how they are displaying it. Outside there was more information in English. We mostly wandered around and took pictures with a bunch of stuff we didn't know too much about.

We decided to walk to the second bit of the park because the bus stop didn't have a timetable and we knew it didn't come as often as we would have liked. The walk itself was interesting because we followed the barbed wire fence along the beach, pointing out the Korean Army posts and hideout shelters that popped up every 500 yards or so.  We thought this was probably unnecessary until we arrived at the next part of the park.

Seems safe enough

No, Tyler, that's not the bathroom.

In this section there is a huge warship that Korea purchased from the US and used for a while. The ship itself is cool, but we couldn't find out too much of its history since, again, signs were in Korean. We did have an enthusiastic, older volunteer who shared some interesting stories with us about the first Korean novelist, who was from Gangneung, and his father who was from North Korea.

Tire on the boat

The best part by far was at the end of this park. There were two other seafaring vessels, one a homemade boat and one a submarine, both with fascinating stories. The boat was used in 2009 as a means to defect by 11 North Korean Refugees.  I was surprised to see how recently such an escape had occurred, and the boat itself was an amazing construction of everyday objects. The submarine told an even more exciting tale of 25 North Korean spies getting stranded on land due to rough waters. The submarine got stuck trying to get closer to shore, so the North Koreans set it on fire and were caught/killed attempting to walk back home. This explained the barbed wire and big guns all along the shoreline, and added quite a bit to my clearly very weak understanding of the history and climate between these two countries. Although we started the day slightly underwhelmed, by the end of our tour through Unification Park we were pleased with our decision to check it out.

Haslla Art World (하슬라아트월드)
After Unification Park, we realized we were already close to an indoor and outdoor art museum, so we waited around for the bus to take us to the Haslla Art Park. (Pro Tip #2: get food at the 7Eleven by the submarine/boat/ship. Aside from expensive museum dining, there's not really many other options) The museum was small, but the park was beautiful and a nice way to end a gorgeous day. It's basically a large arrangement of paths on a hillside that overlooks the East Sea. The art was cool, the view was lovely, and Korea once again delivered with satisfyingly organized and efficient markers directing you around the park so you were sure to see everything.

If you look closely, you can see the awesome cruise ship hotel "marooned" in the background.

Raw Fish (회)
That night we were delighted to meet up with more friends, and our group split up for a choose-your-own-adventure dinner. I ended up getting the famous raw fish. The price didn't look friendly, so we had resisted temptation the first night. But this time we had a Korean friend to help us around the menu and assure that we would receive enough food. For a hungry group of four, we ordered a medium sized plate of two kinds of fish: Rock fish and Flat fish. We were delighted when the meal came with tasty seaweed soup and a huge sampler plate of other raw fish for appetizers: shrimp, octopus, scallops, and more. The fish we actually ordered was delectable. I liked the flat fish better, as it was more buttery, but both were excellent choices. We even struggled to be clean plate rangers, which made the price (about $34 a piece, compared to the standard $10-15 for a meal), well worth it. I love fish, so I was in heaven.

 This is buttery as f***!  10/10

So many flavors!

It should go without saying that the night concluded with more fireworks and round two of vacation norebang.

Chamsori Gramaphone and Edison Science Museum (참소리축음기 & 에디슨과학박물관)
The next day was Monday and Korean Children's Day. Sort of like Mothers' or Fathers' Day, but for kids.  Incidentally, later in the month Korea celebrates Parents' Day and Teachers' Day, so I think the comparison is fairly valid. We took a cab to the Chamsori Gramaphone and Edison Science Museum, confusingly advertised as the third largest collection of Edison Artifacts in the world. In fact, the whole museum in confusing. It started out normal enough; a lobby packed with families and a pamphlet explaining the owner's intentions for the museum to be world-renowned made me think it would be an informative and kid-friendly experience. The first room was full of music boxes and gramaphones and the second had a bazillion light bulbs.  But as we followed the arrows through the halls, the displays were progressively weirder. Glass cases jammed with products manufactured by the Edison company seemed to be a stretch from our original understanding of the museum.  Then there was the exhibit dedicated to Edison's impact on Hollywood, with plaques about Justin Beiber and an Obama bobble head. Another room resembled someone's grandmothers' attic, with old televisions, radios, Coke Cola memorabilia, weird paintings. The true moment of bafflement occurred at every stairwell shrine to the owner himself. Rows upon rows of photographs of him in what seemed to be vacation spots, or posing with various celebrities. By the end we concluded that the museum was more an exhibition of the passions of a somewhat organized and likely wealthy hoarder. I think the experience was worth the time, we spent about an hour wandering around in entertained bewilderment, but it seemed more a lesson about Korea.  What that lesson is...we're still not sure.

Gyeongpodae Pavilion (경포대)
Our next stop was right next to the Edison Museum. The Gyeongpodae Pavilion was one of my priorities for the trip as I was able to read about it before arriving in Gangneung. It dates back to 1326, but Korea really likes relocation and restoring things, so I have no clue how old the current real deal really is. Famous for the view it offers of its unique location, the pavilion is on a sizable lake which literally a stone's throw from the beach. From the pavilion, you're supposed to be able to see the moon five times: once in the sky, once in the lake, once in the sea, once in a drinking glass, and once in eyes of a lover. We went around 1pm so we didn't see the moon at all, but it was really cool to see this beautiful lake and to make out a glimpse on the sea between the hotels and trees that line Gyeongpo beach.

Foreground: Lake. Dark blue square in center back: Ocean.  Apparently it was BYOLover

Traditional Houses (한옥/Hanok)
We made another mistake and decided to walk to our last two destinations of the trip: two traditional Korean nobility houses, Seongyojang (선교장) and Ojukheon (오죽헌). Seongyojang was a essentially a museum without all the boring being-inside bits, a museum of showing and not telling. Instead of having a random iron pot and explaining how it was used, visitors can piece together normal life based on the locations of different buildings, the division of the home into sections, the architecture and strategically placed furniture, as well as the occasional explanatory placard.

Heated floors

Proper party flow (for Mom)

Ojukheon was a much more popular attraction, probably because it is featured on some Korean bills. Two Korean historical figures lived at the home, Scholar Yulgok Yi Yi and his mother, Shin Saimdang, both of whom have spots on different notes of the Korean Won. Yulgok Yi Yi is known as the father of Korean Confucianism, and his mother was an artist, calligrapher and poet who is considered a model for Korean women. Unfortunately (for me, at least) much of the information at this house was in Korean, but with the help of Wikipedia I've managed to put together some of the picture. Yulgok was essentially a child prodigy, particularly in civil service, as well as three major Eastern religions: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. One particularly striking anecdote is that Yulgok proposed to the king  the army in preparation for an attack by Japan. The king refused, and of course, nine years later, Japan invaded Korea. And Yulgok didn't even get to gloat (or have to deal with the devastation of Korea, depending on how you look at it) because by that time he had been dead for eight years.

That night we struggled with taxi drivers to find a place for chimek (fried chicken and beer), but it was still better than walking around as we had been doing for the whole vacation. (Pro Tip #3: I prefer public transportation and walking, but everything was farther than it seemed- take a cab!) After lighting some last fireworks, we crawled into bed early, to mirror the early start we had planned for the next morning.








Sunrise

A couple notes on the vacation as a whole (skip this part if you like)  
We decided to take the train instead of the Express Bus, as it was a holiday weekend and we anticipated lots of traffic.  From reports from other travelers who had taken the bus, it seems like our travel time was about the same.  The train takes a roundabout route, so even though it's only a three hour drive from seoul it was nearly a six hour train ride. Still, the train was lovely and provided a nice tour of the Korean countryside. The last stretch runs right alongside the shore, and we even passed through the station with the world record for it's proximity to the ocean (or something like that, I didn't look up the fact).  So that was cool!

We didn't make it up to Jumunjin Beach, the Coffee Museum, or the fantastically shaped rocks at Sogeumgang.  Our tour guide on the war ship told us not to go to the coffee museum, plus it would have taken far to long to get there by bus (although knowing us we probably would have decided to walk). One of our awesome friends from the hostel had hiked Sogeumgang before we arrived and let us know that the path was blocked off pretty early, so we decided against that. We didn't do Jumunjin because after raw fish night we were all fished out.

Choosing vacation destinations is difficult, especially when you have limited funds, limited time, and limited information. Having already been to Busan, we wanted to see something new and chose Gangneung for not really any reason in particular. In the end, I think it was a good idea. At this time of year, it's too cold for beach bumming no matter where you go in Korea. Jeju was out of the picture because the flights were sold out. We weren't exactly sure what we were getting ourselves into, from the moment we booked our hostel to the time we arrived at the train station, but that's part of the excitement of vacation: making choices, finding adventures, and learning from it. We made some awesome friends, spent a lot of money on fireworks, and saw many things we will never see again. It was round two of winning vacation.