Hello! My name is Lina and I am not a big fan of surprises. My day-to-day life is pretty normal, and I like to plan my days beforehand. I generally like order, and I prefer trying new things after I’ve done my research. I am a creature of habit, and I like it this way. I don’t think anyone would ever call me unpredictable. Except that they do. Because I am prone to buying airplane tickets to countries I’ve never been before, with little, or sometimes zero, time to plan.
Seoul, my first stop on this journey, is a city I felt immediately comfortable in. A modern looking city, with both new and old tucked away in its neighborhoods’ pockets, it is always contradicting its identity in bold ways. You see it in the locals’s faces, with the older people showing off their wrinkles, unbothered by the plastic surgery adds seen all over the city, while the younger generation vainly powders their gorgeous faces; you witness it on the Cheonggyecheon stream in downtown Seoul, runners striding alongside the water, their headphones muffling its murmur, while grey herons, easily blending in with the scenery, find it equally easy to ignore the runners, focusing primarily on pecking on lunch; you notice it in the street markets, where older women kneed on dough and feed their customers piles of kimchi, while the rest consume with ease and appreciation, before moving on to the next experience. A tale old as time, skills perfected by one generation scarcely making it to the next, and like folklore lost in time, magic wasted, replaced by a different witchcraft, something that with time, will also fade as well.
(“Op, op, op, op” stuck in my head throughout my days in Seoul)
Per usual, I walked a lot around the city, and even used the subway which proved to be one of the world’s easiest to navigate. Strangers came to my aid when needed, their accented English meeting mine, and I got where I wanted to be. I ate all the delicious foods Korea is best known for – except for anything alive or raw, although I was very, very tempted – and I even found restaurants serving Korean BBQ for solo diners (most places will not accept single customers, even if they do offer to pay more). I never felt unsafe, and never did I feel unsafe slipping into this careless mode. Whether browsing around a modern mall or a night market, the city felt like a big inviting hug, and I snuggly fit in.
(Shamelessly showing off some of the tastiest meals I had in Seoul)
Although I generally avoid tours, since, to my experience, they almost always come with traps, I joined one to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. At times, it felt intentionally intense, and sometimes, it simply was; and most of the time, unsurprisingly, it felt like someone took a part of the world’s history, and turned it into a thing tourists will want to, or will have to, pay for.
On the way to dropping us off, our tourist guide mentioned that he knows a jewelry shop that sells high quality precious stones, and more specifically, amethyst. This was not part of the advertised tour, and I bet had we been asked, the majority of the people on the bus would’ve declined adding one more stop to the tour. However, we were already one the way, and to pass the time, our very Korean guide had an entertaining story for us about Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, and how he created the first amethyst stone (spoiler alert: it involves a god fancying a maiden, and her turning into rock by a different god to avoid the first god’s advances). My heart smiled when I heard him tell the tale; here I am, in the heart of Asia, simply unable to escape the Greeks and our ridiculous myths about almost everything. I let him finish, and after getting his attention, channeling Mr. Portokalos from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I added “the meaning of the word amethyst is the one that is not drunk.” He stared at me for a heartbeat, trying to decide whether I am pulling his leg, and recognizing how this actually connects the whole story, he nodded with a hint of a smile. He then repeated what I said, adding it to his story, making it his own. It is a bit embarrassing, admitting that I felt pride, adding a small detail to the story this guide probably tells to hundreds of tourists per month.
(Obligatory selfie with the Greek flag in downtown Seoul)
Seoul is a city destroyed and rebuilt, much like the Gyeongbokgung Palace in downtown Seoul. It is a city that wants to please – from the Gangnam style statue blasting the all-too-famous song all day, to the countless eateries and cafes, to cute K-pop songs heard in every corner, to animated, colorful trinkets for sale, one will find anything they might think of. And if you’re not sure what is good, just follow the locals; they will lead you to the most unpredictable places no tourist guide will ever take you to.
(Who dis?)
Having visited almost 50 countries, I have experienced many different surprises while on the road. At this point, it would be surprising if something unexpected did not happen, not the other way around. I do not claim I am prepared for anything that might happen, and neither am I challenging my fate; what I am saying though is that, when things do go awry, I am at least mentally prepared, and will even laugh about it on the spot. Because if one can’t laugh when things don’t go their way, then they’d better stay home.
May this mere worshipper of Caerus, the Greek god of good times and pleasant surprises, continue her life long travels around the world, gathering memories, knowledge, and joy. And may you, beautiful person, continue reading my (sometimes surprising) life adventures.
(The Gyeongbokgung Palace, one of the most important buildings in Seoul, which was destroyed and has been reconstructed for the past decades, and me, showing off a well fed belly)