Travel Tips for Korea

WHAT TO DO: Don't spend a lot of time in the cities: go to the smaller towns and countryside. This country is a haven for hikers, so explore the national parks. A lot of old Korea has been destroyed, but you can still experience Korea's past in towns like Kyungju and Andong. It's easy to get away: intercity buses and trains are cheap and reliable, especially if you compare them to Amtrak! If you're stuck in a city, you can always pass the time in a bi-di-o bang, or video room. For a few thousand won you'll have your own little room and can enjoy a movie. Oh, and shopping. Yes, there's a lot of that. If you want to find American sizes, your best bet is It'aewon in Seoul, although you may be able to find something in one of the many outdoor markets. Korea has a great variety of clothing store chains, and brands like Hunt and Edwin are of pretty good quality. If you wear prescription glasses, stock up here. You can find frames and lenses cheaply, and you can get your eyes checked immediately for free.

WHAT NOT TO DO: Blow your nose at the table, or in public period. Based on my observations, picking your nose appears to be acceptable, but plenty of Koreans think this is disgusting, so use your discretion. Call a young person ah-joo-mah or ah-juh-shee, instead call them hak-saeng (student), or you may get called something nasty in return. Sit around and gab at a Korean restaurant after your meal: you will tick off the ah-joo-mahs working there; socializing is to be done at a coffee shop over a $4 cup of instant coffee (probably cheaper since the won has been devalued now!). Try to get a cab at rush hour or during shift change, which is around 4:00 p.m.: you are only asking for frustration. Bring up the IMF: the bailout in December 1997 hurt Koreans deeply, and there is no use arguing with them. Imagine how you'd felt if your country was humiliated in such a way. Show anger: you will hurt someone's ki-boon and cause loss of face, which will only inspire that person to dig in his or her heels: Remember this at customs and immigration.

WHAT TO EAT: Korean food is simply fun to eat and darned good! You have to try kal-bi, either beef, or the cheaper, and I think tastier, twae-ji kal-bi (pork). If you're vegetarian, go to another country, or try bi-bim-bap, or even better, tol-suht bi-bim-bap, which is rice mixed with other beans and grains, along with shredded vegetables. Tak kal-bi is a delicious concoction of chicken, red pepper taste, veggies, and rice cakes, cooked in front of you: you'll have bad breath for days but it's worth it, and cheap, about 4,000-5,000 won a person. A good way to learn about Korean food is to go to the basement of any department store. You can simply point at a picture of what you want and an ah-joo-mah will whip it up for you in no time! During the winter, you have to try ho-dduk, which are sweet Korean pancakes filled with sugar and cinnamon. Another winter treat is ko-goo-mah, sweet potatoes roasted in an old oil drum: high school students often sell these to make some extra cash. If the above fare sounds too exotic, Koreans also make great roasted chicken, t'ong tak, so ask around. You'll usually see them impaled on a spit in a store window. Koreans love fried chicken, and if you don't mind your bird hacked into random parts, the Korean brands, such as Mexicana Chicken, Donkey Chicken, Lim's Chicken, and Pelicana Chicken are better than KFC. Korean candy bars such as Red Fox, Macarena, Black Joe, and my favorite, Smacky, also hit the spot. You've got to give Korean food a shot, however, or you're missing out on one of the best things about Korea.

No trip in Korea would be complete without trying so-ju, the national drink. It'll tear the lining out of your throat, but it goes down well with spicy Korean food. An-dong Soju is a lot smoother. For something different, try tong-dong-ju, a milky liqueur made from barley, or mak-kol-li, an even cloudier version. Both go down easily and taste great with appetizers, such as pin-dae-ttok, which I'd describe as a greasy vegetable pancake. Korean beer tastes pretty much like American beer: one nice thing about Korea is that you can buy a beer at a convenience store, drink it on the street, and no one will bother you.