Sleepless in Seoul is not the sequel to the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan starrer. For starters I am an insomniac, and I could be Sleepless in Sydney or Singapore or San Francisco for all I know. Also unlike Hanks, my wife is still very much alive and my kids are far away in India. And assuming that some gori mem in Yankee Land, listens to my rantings, she would more likely turn out to be like Renee Zelwegger in Bridget Jones Diary, than a Meg Ryan. Anyway this review is not a “what to see-what to do-what to buy” kind of travel review. This is more my personal views on Seoul city. I am putting up a blog on my experiences in Seoul and Korea, where you can find more posts, at https://scorpiusinseoul.blogspot.com/.
The title of the review, is in a way a back handed tribute to this city which never seems to sleep. Shops and restaurants open late into the night, offices keep humming, and 11 PM in the night, seems more like 8 PM.
Maybe I guess because it’s summer here, when temperatures are warm and the climate is pleasant, though a bit muggy at times. During winter, when temperatures often go to sub zero levels, it would be a different story. Also this is one of the safest cities I have been to. You can find females at night 11 and 12, walking alone, with no fear of being molested. And no eve teasing at all. Also many a time I have taken walks around the city streets at 11 PM, without fear of getting mugged or stolen. Something I can only dream of in Namma Bengalooru.
Seoul is bisected by the Han River into two parts, the Northern( Gangbuk) and Southern (Gangnam) part. During the Korean war in 1950, it was totally bombed and completely in ruins. Later with American help, it was able to rebuild. There is a War Memorial museum in Seoul, which depicts Korea’s military history. Conquered alternatively by Mongols, Chinese and Japanese, Korea has faced a lot of wars and invasions in it’s history. The War Memorial depicts the entire military history of Korea, ranging from the medieval ages to the modern day Korean War.
The two halves of Seoul are a total contrast. The area to the north of the Han River, comprises the older city. This is very much crowded, with narrow lanes, shops and is quite noisy. I had been here for getting registered at the Immigration Office, and this area reminded me of good old India. Koreans are very enterprising people, and like Indians are good shop keepers. At the Immigration Office I could see hawkers selling everything from Call Cards to Ball Pens, and you are assaulted with a steady stream of voices in Korean, urging customers to use their services. Also like in India, you do find a large number of road side shacks, dishing up some hot Korean snacks. The smell and tastes did look tempting, but I resisted, as I did not want to experiment right now. Like Indians, Koreans are pretty religious, and you can find small Buddhist pagodas and churches dotted all around the city. This area is where you can see the older markets, selling spices, vegetables, and virtually everything under the sun. Pavement shops are popular here too. Only difference is unlike India, hawkers here are not harassed by the cops to pay their daily hafta.
The area to the south of Han River, is more modern and Westernized. Dotted with US style skyscrapers, huge apartment complexes, large shopping malls and plush restaurants, this part looks like any other city in the US. This area is more affluent compared to the northern part of the city. While a large number of the city’s working class live in Gangbu, the Southern part contains mostly business executives, MNC bosses, managers, bankers etc. The city is a pedestrian’s delight, with excellent pavements and facilities. Vehicles do stop, when they see a pedestrian crossing the road. They have no choice, the penalties for an accident are quite harsh here. Also at every zebra crossing, we have a red and green light, for the pedestrians, and at certain points there are underground subways, for people to cross from one end of road to another. Most of these subways are well maintained, and clean.
To date Gangster is the only Bollywood movie I guess which is shot in Seoul. Anyway Emraan Hashmi, in that movie, works as a club singer, and he lives in a posh penthouse. He must have been earning a fortune. Because housing is very expensive here in Seoul, and any company hiring people from other countries, has to provide accommodation. And even if you end up paying a huge sum, you get a small cramped rabbit hutch which they call as an apartment. I have seen families staying in such cramped apartments, with all furniture, toys, appliances and I really wonder how they manage. Housing shortage is a huge problem in Seoul.
Many of the streets in Seoul, have these crazy ups and downs, including some of the main roads, reminding me a lot of my favorite American city, San Francisco. Only thing is you don’t find any street cars here. The city is surrounded by hills and that explains it’s somewhat hilly topography. The Seoul Metro is one of the best in the world. It has about 5 lines with different color coding and the maps make it easy for the first time user. And oh yes, like in India, you do have hawkers peddling their wares in the Metro. Most of the stations are brightly lit, well maintained and there are certain stations, where you transfer from one line to another.
Seoul also has an excellent public transport system, with an efficient bus service and cabs. Inspite of that, you do find a large number of cars on the city streets. And people do drive at crazy speeds here, you have traffic jams at rush hour, though nothing to what you get in Namma Bengalooru. One thing Seoul does share with Namma Bengalooru, is the citizen’s love for gardens. Koreans are hard core nature lovers, and even the pretty small cramped apartments would have some potted plants on display. The city has some lovely parks, where you can find couples coochie cooing and families with their kids. Seoul is still a conservative place, and PDA( public display of affection) is not taken to kindly. There are however places like the Seoul National University and Itaewon, the American expats ghetto, where anything goes. The city has a fair number of night clubs and discotheques, but the biggest draw here are the music bars, where any one can go and sing to their heart’s content. Koreans love to sing and dance a lot, and Korean pop, rock are quite popular here.
Seoul is a very homogenous city, and most of it is a sea of yellow, with some specks of brown, white and black, that too in the University area. And watching the same old faces again and again, is tiresome, however pretty they might be. But still a nice place worth visiting.