Make it Suntory time
When I first saw the movie Lost in Translation, I didn’t think much of it. Probably had to do with me being a teenager and having absolutely no concept of the struggles of being far away from home, so I just shook my head in disappointment at the critics who were constantly fawning over it. Fast forward 11 years later and now I have a much more keen understanding of what it was all about. When we first visited the Philippines in 2011, our return flight had a lengthy layover in South Korea.; a huge bonus for me, as I’ve always wanted to visit Seoul. I was with my brother and we explored downtown Seoul together with the kind of wonderment that only first timers experience. Jump two years ahead and I find myself in the same situation, however, this time I’m flying solo. Regardless of that, I still planned an itinerary to make the most of my time there.
My first stop was Namsan Seoul Tower, a popular tourist destination known for its panoramic views of Seoul. Unfortuantely, the tower didn’t open until 10am and I was ready to leave the airport by 5am. Rather than burn time at the airport, I decided to head to downtown Seoul already and do my wandering there. Since I had a lot of time to burn, I took the regular AREX subway train, which makes several stops on its way to Seoul Station in the downtown area.
The early weekend commute
However, it being early Saturday morning meant that there were hardly any riders waiting at the stops so it was practically a non-stop ride all the way to the end of the line. As I stepped out into Seoul Station, the first thing I felt was the frigid kiss of the morning air; Korea is known for its harsh winters (I would know, I froze my butt off two years ago!) and even well into March, it was still a chilly 40° F inside the station. I didn’t pack any cold weather clothing, so all I had to keep myself warm were my dress pants and the polo shirt that Lormi gave me as a gift. My ultimate destination was closer to the Myeongdong district of Seoul and in order to transfer to that line, I would have to leave the station and brave the wind chill outside. As I exited, I passed people entering the station and all of them were bundled up in scarves and puffy down jackets while I was quickly turning into a popsicle. Luckily the entrance to my subway line was just a stone’s throw from the exit, so I made my way down to the relative warmth of the underground.
When I made it to Myeongdong, there really wasn’t much to do; it was still so early that even the coffee shops were still closed. The underground shopping mall connected to the station had WIFI, but I didn’t want to waste my phone’s battery. In the end I decided to meet the cold head on and wander around the Myeongdong district, hoping to snap up some decent photos for the blog.
Fresh made to order!
This elevator takes riders up to the cable car station
The cold didn’t make it easy, but after a few minutes, it stopped bothering me; it’s amazing how the human body adapts like that. I scouted around to find the free elevator that goes all the way up to the Namsan cable car station and found that despite being unmanned, it too had operating hours and was not yet ready for service. I originally didn’t intend to have breakfast so I could have space for lunch, but out of boredom, I sought out a place to eat and to pass the time. Just a few steps away from the elevator, I found a cute little red storefront that stood out from the rest called Isaac Toast. There I saw ladies preparing their namesake toasted breakfast sandwiches stuffed with a variety of fillings sure to satisfy any breakfast seeker. I choose the “number 3” which was a chicken sausage patty, cabbage, special sauce and cheese sandwiched in between buttery, lightly toasted bread, which cost me 3000 KRW (about $2.88 USD). It tasted as good as it looked; warm, fresh, crisp, and had both sweet and savory flavors in one neat little package. As far as street food goes, this is definitely one of the safer and easier to approach options, but it doesn’t sacrifice quality! My only complaint was that it was over way too quickly and once again, I found myself wondering what to do.
I’ve always been a solitary person, so I’m no stranger to keeping myself company, but that day I felt what it was like to truly be alone. I began to feel a little like Bill Murray’s character in Lost in Translation; stuck in a major Asian city, a place where no one knows my name and without a familiar face to turn to or share a moment with. The excitement and anticipation was gone, replaced by loneliness and a lack of purpose. The two hours I had to wait until Namsan Seoul Tower opened were some of the longest I’ve ever had to endure and I couldn’t wait for it to be over; my only hope was that visiting the tower would pick my spirits up a bit.
The 10 minute ride offers great views of the city
Though the tower can be reached by car or by foot, some people don’t mind paying a little more to arrive there in style, by taking the Namsan Cable Car. The elevator down at street level leads straight into the cable car station and as soon as 10 rolled around, people began to flock to the entrance. There I began to feel a little out of place again; the majority of the riders were couples, both young and old as well as entire families. During the planning phase of this leg of my trip, I read that South Koreans generally do things in groups or at the very least, with one tag-along and that it was unusual for someone to wander around individually; at that moment I could see that every bit of that was true. Everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves with their friends and loved ones, while I looked like I was there just going through the motions of the average tourist.
Things didn’t really get better once I got to the tower either. The entrance fee for just the observatory was 9,000 KRW and there was a separate charge to visit Teddy Bear Museum, the tower’s other attraction. I wasn’t particularly interested in seeing teddy bears, so the observatory was good enough for me. I get ushered off into a dark winding hallway which led to the elevator going up to the top. Inside the elevator was a stoic young man who welcomed me with his broken English and told me to look up. He pressed a button on his remote and a movie projected onto the ceiling of the elevator began; it was a mish-mash of scifi visuals and fast paced electronica, depicting a rapid ascent through the sky and stars eventually reaching the very top of the tower, our final destination. The young man didn’t bother to watch with me or show any emotion for that matter; can’t say that I blame him, whatever little enthusiasm he may have had likely departed long ago as a result of dealing with tourists day in and day out and seeing that elevator movie more times than he would care to admit.
Once the “ride” was over, I left the poor elevator boy to his repetitive fate and was once again greeted by another dark hallway. There I found a canned photo-op area with a green screen and a cute female photographer; fortunately, she was a little more upbeat than her space traveling co-worker. She handed me a ticket and sent me on my way.
There’s a bit of a walk to the tower
At the end of the hallway was the observatory; a small, round structure made up of more panes of glass than I could count and offered a 360 degree view of the entire city of Seoul. Sadly, that day was particularly hazy and visibility wasn’t the best; the entire city looked like it was enveloped in steam and made for very poor photos. Before I could get to the views, I was stopped by one of the employees who urged me to turn in the ticket that I had received earlier. Now I’m not a huge fan of these canned photo-ops and I normally would not even bother ordering a print, but the way they were so insistent made me feel like maybe it was part of the admission fee and as always, I like to get my money’s worth so I decided to go with the flow. They asked me to pick a from a variety of simulated background images and I picked the one that I liked best; after which the clerk asked me for 10,000 KRW. I was hosed! That crappy photo with the pixelated, simulated background cost more than the admission to the observatory?! I didn’t make a fuss, after all I guess I needed a souvenir and I knew that there was one person that would be really interested in the photo.
The observatory was chock full of tourists and I found it difficult to walk around without becoming an unwanted guest in someone’s photo. There was an amazing view every which way I turned; even the urinals in the bathroom had a window looking out at the city! Aside from the sights, however, there wasn’t much else to do, so after having my fill of photographs of the hazy city below, I decided to make my way back down; which sadly meant taking another ride with the robotic young man operating the elevator.
Even the urinals have a view!
There was a little more breathing room outside the tower, but it was clear that there were more tourists coming in than coming out. I went to see the infamous “Lover’s Locks” that the tower is known for, which are trees covered in padlocks inscribed with romantic messages left by the couples who placed the lock. The locks are supposed to symbolize the unbreakable bond between the couple and are essentially good luck charms for their relationship. Seeing as how I was fashionably alone, I passed on attaching a lock; but I am hopeful that one day I will be able to take part in this practice, no matter how corny or touristy it may be.
Visiting the tower didn’t lift my spirits as I had hoped, in fact it had the opposite effect. I had this feeling of being out of place and it seemed like no matter where I went or what I did, I couldn’t shake it. It caught me a little off guard because most of the time, I don’t mind being on my own and that I was more than happy with keeping myself company, but that simply wasn’t the case that day.
Trees made up of locks attached by couples
I felt like I was searching for something, but unlike Bill Murray, I wasn’t going to find a lovelorn Scarlett Johannson or anyone else here. I was trying to fill a void that was created after I left Baybay; a void that I tried to fill with modern distractions, but it failed and failed miserably. I had planned to wander around Myeongdong and have lunch at Myeongdong Gyoza since I had a few hours left before my flight was scheduled to take off, but I was no longer in the mood; instead I headed for the subway and hopped on the train bound for Incheon Airport. I was ready for it to be done, I was ready to go home.
When I began this trip, I had a mission; an objective and after it was all said and done, there was nothing left for me to do. I was just a wandering speck in this city of millions, searching for a way to experience the same joy and happiness I experienced less than 24 hours ago, but it was nowhere to be found. As soon as I came to that realization, I had no choice but to park myself in the departure waiting area and let the hours go by until it was time for me to return to the mundane, the daily grind, my life; as I knew it.