Sometimes the little things are easy to miss: the way signs are designed, the way everyone stands or doesn't stand on a line, to even how tableware is offered. These are the kind of differences that are just there, a part of everyday life, and easy to dismiss. But once those subtleties are discovered, it opens a new world of observation.
*Warning: Info heavy! But I am only going to scratch the surface of each since this is just for comparison's sake. I didn't realize how much I actually had to say...
New York City has the MTA. Hong Kong has the MTR. Guangzhou has the Metro. When land is wide and people aplenty, trains and subways are usually more efficient and effective at getting where one needs to be. Unless you are rolling in money or can have your transport fees compensated for, most people take mass transit when traveling.
Granted the MTA is old and there is only so much they can fix without making it a, even more, pain in the butt for the millions of daily riders. A girl can dream—hoping for contactless Metrocards, reliable "Next train's arrival" signs, and staircase exit numbers and directories.
Above Ground Station Signs
NYC: White text on black, followed by colorful circles with either a number or letter. Many stations also have green globes or half green half white globes, usually on pillars, next to the black signs.
*Subway and train are interchangeable in NYC. No one uses metro here. Outside of the 5 boroughs though...those are all trains.
HK: 1) White text on navy, usually next to a maroon logo. 2) Navy text on silver, next to a maroon logo. 3) Maroon logo only.
*Subway and metro are 2 very different things in Hong Kong. Metro is almost exclusively the rapid transit. Subway could also mean an underground walkway that goes below a big multi-lane road.
GZ: All white text on red. Shows their logo, station name, and entrance/exit letter.
Station's Exit Signs
NYC: Exit signs will only tell you what street the staircase is on and whether the staircase is NSWE on the block. It is pretty useless if one station has many exits that are close together. It is only helpful you know exactly where you want to go and where that location is in terms of NSWE to where that particular staircase is. To be honest, who knows that right off the bat or has the time to think of that in such a short amount of time?
HK: There are generally loads of directories to point towards exits which are lettered A to whatever. Each letter is typically associated with at least one specific nearby destination: street names, malls, schools, hotels, museums, etc. It is particularly useful if you have access to a phone map and can give yourself some context of the surroundings. The exit letters are only available on the inside of the stations or very discretely on the side of an entranceway.
GZ: Like in Hong Kong, exists are also given letters and corresponds to a local landmark. Unlike in HK, the exit letter is also posted on the entrance side of the metro. This is useful if you have to meet someone at a certain station and can then name a specific entrance letter versus "the one on so and so street, you know next to the shop".
Transit Card/Fares
NYC: Pay per ride Metrocards, weekly cards (1 time pay for 7 consecutive day use), or monthly cards.
The fare is standard no matter the distance. Allowed 1 transfer to a bus or from a bus within a 2-hour period. A Metrocard costs an additional USD $1 and can only be used for the MTA. It can only be swiped to take the subway or inserted to take buses, it is not needed to re-swipe when leaving the station.
HK: Round trip station-specific tickets or the Octopus card.
The fare differs depending on the distance traveled. An Octopus card requires an HKD $50 refundable deposit and an initial HK $100 stored value. Possible alternatives to the card are ornaments (phone charms, key rings, watches etc.) and special phone SIM cards. All versions are contactless and can be used across multiple modes of transit (subways, buses, taxis), public payphones, vending machines, and convenience stores. Unlike in NYC, the smart chip enabled card or charm needs to be tapped when both entering and leaving.
GZ: Single-trip token ticket, 1-day pass, 3-day pass, Yang Cheng Tong Smart Card.
The fare differs depending on the distance traveled. (I believe) The single-trip and day-passes have no deposit fees. The Yang Cheng Tong requires an RMB 30 refundable deposit fee. All are tap-only and can be used on multiple transits and at some consumer stores, needs to be tapped when entering and leaving as well.
Transit Operation Times
NYC: 24 hours. Trains and buses at off hours are just more sparse.
HK: 5:30 AM to 12:30 AM.
GZ: 6:00 AM to 11:30 PM.
Platform Safety
NYC: Barrier-less. The only thing keeping you safe from an oncoming train is yourself and your senses. Pushing, whether accidentally or not, is a thing. "Be careful of the oncoming train traffic. Standing on or at the yellow platform edge strip is dangerous."
HK & GZ: Most stations, outdoor and indoor, have a glass barrier sliding-door mechanism. Floors have arrows to direct the waiting crowd.
Platform Etiquette
NYC: If you're lucky, people waiting for the train will be nice enough to step to one side when the doors open. It is more normal for people to do whatever they want and have a "me first" mentality.
HK: People in Hong Kong mostly follow the arrows and allow space for alighting passengers to first leave. When it is peak rush hour, the HK MTR even has uniformed attendants directing traffic: how much more people can go on safely, which doors are less crowded, etc.
GZ: I can't say for sure what Guangzhou is like since I took the train at off-peak hours only a couple of times.
Escalator Etiquette
NYC & CN: If the waiting situation is any clue, the escalators are also a "do whatever" kind of style. Most of the time it is zig-zagging, on rarer occasions it might be some kind of an off-to-one-side situation. Apparently, some reports say this is actually more efficient and doesn't force a crowd at the starting point.
HK: Being on escalators in Hong Kong was a little weird at first. It is easier to follow the crowd and step to the right side when I was one person. When I was with someone else, we were more than likely to stand next to each other and effectively block the walking zone. Once I got the hang of it, standing ahead of my companion and following the local mannerisms wasn't too difficult.
As someone who usually waits for people to get off the train first in NYC, I thought to allow a walkway was a neat idea. It is good for those really in a rush. But I do see where the studies come from when they say the single-file system is slower and potentially more dangerous. Just stay put and let the moving stairs do its thing!
Elevator Numbering
Other than the fact that some Chinese elevators don't have a specified 4th floor, because 4 in Chinese sounds similar to the word for death, I found Hong Kong's floor labeling situation very difficult to adjust to.
NYC & CN: Most street level floors start at 1 and ascends. I want to say a majority of the underground levels become B or B1, B2, and so on. But don't quote me on that because not many places have multiple underground floors.
Most elevator sensors in NYC are pretty forgiving if anyone is anywhere near the doors. Of the ones I rode in China, I felt like most were unforgiving. Unless the button is pressed at a precise moment, a hand or anything else placed between the closing doors be clamped on.
HK: The street level floors in Hong Kong all begin with G for Ground level and continues to 1 and above. I can't count the number of times I or my mom or Aunt pressed the 1st floor button wanting to go to G. I remember the first time I asked for directions in a mall and was directed to go to the 1st floor but upwards, my brain had to do a double-take.
Internet Speed & Access
HK and NYC are more or less equal in terms of access. Nothing is particularly forbidden unless a company or specific place limits certain sites and apps for their own business benefits. The major difference comes in the internet connection speeds. I cannot say what the specific numbers were; browsing the internet in Hong Kong, whether at the airport or in most hotels, just felt faster than in most places in NYC.
China is a whole different beast. It is no surprise that it has the worst accessibility, maybe second to North Korea. Most websites and apps that non-China based humans frequent are unloadable. The minute I crossed the border from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, China, the cellular provider ends and so does the connection to the world (quite literally). Surprisingly, notifications still came through but it was impossible to actually load the app. WeChat and local phone calls were the only forms of communication I had there and even that required a new China SIM card.
I have heard that if your service provider at home has a global plan that covers China, it is possible to access everything. Otherwise, the VPN route wasn't necessary for me since I never stayed in China long enough to need the internet constantly on any given day. Internet speeds in most of the hotels, up and down China, big and small cities, were either at a bearable average speed or too slow to handle. It was less frustrating to turn on the TV to pass leisure time.
Smoking Culture
I know, it is impossible to find anywhere where cigarettes and nicotine do not exist. But at least in most developed/major cities where someone can smoke a butt is well regulated. If the sign says "No Smoking" or you'll pay a fine, it means it. If there isn't a sign, at least it is a widely followed practice to not puff inside.
The level of bearableness goes from most to least: NYC, HK, and then CN.
NY & HK: People seem to follow the rules and etiquette well. It just felt slightly less tolerable in HK because of the number of smokers in such a small compact space.
CN: While there do seem to be laws to control smoking, it didn't seem to be heavily enforced wherever I visited. Hotel rooms and hallways reeked of lingering cigarettes scent. Many restaurants that we ate at, especially in Taishan and Guangzhou, allowed customers to smoke...inside...at the table. Heck, ash trays were norms and burnt holes were abundant enough to be design elements on the table clothes.
Hotel Facilities
NYC & HK: Lobbies are commonly found on the street level floor of most hotels. No matter if the hotel spreads out height-wise or width-wise, the next closest and most common facilities to the lobby are the restaurant(s), gym, conference rooms, and any other extras. The guest rooms typically occupy the upper or outer perimeter. Hotels are places where visitors not only sleep in but for some to dine, wine, and relax at.
CN: I found the facilities at hotels in China very interesting. Unless it is a Western brand chain or luxury Chinese brand, gyms and conferences rooms were pretty non-existent. Restaurants were a must and "fanciers" hotels had multiple. Many of the hotels had karaokes in the same building or in a structure right door. In the China-based budget hotels I stayed at, thin walls and windows plus late night music blasting plus cigarette smell made for very terrible sleeps.
(Chinese) Restaurant Table Setting
NYC: I think I'll just apply this to most Chinese (especially Cantonese) restaurants in the USA and maybe Canada. The typical tableware that customers all get is a napkin, a plate, a teacup, and chopsticks. If you order rice or anything that is liquidy, bowls and spoons will be supplemented.
It is common practice to wipe down the tableware with the napkin before reaching for any food. Customers are expected to eat off the plate. Waiters, who are usually also bus boys, will come around periodically to replace dirty/filled platters with new ones.
HK & CN: Bowls and spoons are included in the tableware set. Rather than to eat off the plate, food is expected to be placed in the bowls and scraps/bones on the plate. There is less of a need to collect and replace dishes.
The biggest difference I had to adjust to was the cleaning of tableware with piping hot water or tea before eating. Even if the set is distributed in sterilized plastic covering, it is always re-sterilized with hot liquid for good measure.
Dimsum Ordering
NYC: Dimsum is a must eat whenever my family travels anywhere. The first breakfast meal my parents looks for is to go yumcha. Even in the USA and Canada, I think New York City is one of the few, if not only place, where dimsum is still served in push carts. Most places elsewhere have everything cooked to order via a checklist system. I personally prefer the carts because I like to see what I am going to get. I can still make some kind of judgment even if I don't know what the name is.
HK & CN: The checklist system is probably a more efficient method. Most food is cooked to order and minimizes the amount of stuff that sits out. Restaurants could hire fewer people to walk around to push the carts. More tables and chairs could be put out to make up for space not needed by the steamer on wheels.
Unless the menu has photos thought, which they rarely do at non-tourist spots, it is difficult for non-Chinese reading customers to order. I guess it adds to the fun of trying local spots, eh?
Dimsum Culture
NYC: While Cantonese restaurants serve dimsum every day of the week from opening until around 2 PM, the restaurants are busiest from 11 AM until 2 PM. Customers who frequent early in the morning are the every-dayers and retired folk. Numbers are given out by the host when rush hour hits. Sometimes the numbers make sense, typically it doesn't. It is most beneficial to know someone working there.
HK & CN: The homeland of dimsum and yumcha, of course, offers it every day of the week. The time ranges people visit and the restaurant service times were unfamiliar. A majority of people prefer to go for early morning dimsum (before 10-11 AM). Then there seemed to be a sort of second dimsum session in some places during the lunch/early afternoon hours where prices are slightly different. I even went to a restaurant for late night dimsum for dinner once and heard my mom's friends say they wanted to meet for late night dimsum after dinner (past 9-10 PM) as well. That was a concept completely new to me.
I have heard of all-day dimsum only establishments before, i.e. Tim Ho Wan and Nom Wah. But Cantonese restaurants that also had dinner service who ended their nights with dimsum felt slightly bizarre. Almost wrong, but somehow right; they have to prepare for dimsum service the next day anyways, I guess?
Suppose taking a trip is as simple as confirming travel plans, packing bags, and flying to a new city in a new country. Forget all the other nuances like deciding what the best places to eat are, which hotel would be the most ideal, or where the most popular attractions are. Does such an easy way of exploring really exist?
Traveling abroad can be really daunting. Potential problems vary depending on the destination in mind. If I go somewhere foreign, will people there speak or at least understand English? How much universal sign language and hand-flapping should I brush up on? What kinds of transportation are there to take? Which is the cheapest and safest?
Of course, these sorts of scenarios shouldn't ever keep anyone from gallivanting through the big world we call Earth. Our phones are a great resource nowadays. If not, the good old trusty travel guide books are a safe bet as well. Otherwise, the simplest answer for those who are hesitant of their own abilities and prefer a guided experience is a bus tour. This is the preferred method for my mom and many other older immigrants who haven't really traveled much before and have in recent years had the capabilities and wish to do so. It is also the solution to the biggest hurdle that might stop them from actually booking the trip: language.
I cannot attest to all bus tours because there probably are many different styles and many different price points within the travel category itself. My experiences mentioned here are going to be specific to Chinese budget bus tours abroad.
These are the kind of tours that are booked mostly through a travel agent at one of the many Chinese travel agencies that are open in the Chinatowns throughout the world. (Yes, I am going to make that bold statement because all the fellow bus tour members I have met in Thailand, Taiwan, and China did, in fact, come from all over the world. Whether they were from the USA, Canada, Australia, or Malaysia they all found their way to where we were because of a travel agency in their respective Chinatowns.) Somehow, the deals are always undeniably captivating: BOGO Free, BOGO 50%, ~$200 roundtrip flight to Asia + food + room & board + mandatory tour around Shanghai and neighboring cities, etc.
When promotions sound like that, how could one possibly resist? Sometimes a couple hundred dollars could land a person thousands of miles away. Participants don't have much to worry about since tour guides almost always speak Chinese, whether Cantonese or Mandarin varies and English is a plus not a must for tour guides. Everyone is bussed from one location to the next. Hotel and food are already part of the itinerary and mostly paid for. What a steal and it is headache-free!
If simply being to the most number of places in one trip is a priority, there is probably nothing like what the bus tour could offer. No matter if the tour is 6 days, 7 days, or 8 days, the sheer quantity of places and cities the tours can manage to fit in the itinerary is praiseworthy. On days where it was attraction-heavy, the guides would take us to 3+ photo-worthy spots. Other days, it may be one attraction and a bunch of shopping stops in addition to the travel time needed to reach a new city that is hundreds of miles away.
The places on the travel itinerary are usually ones that are relatively famous and/or tourist hotspots. The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Great Wall in Beijing, Taipei 101 in Taipei, and West Lake in Hangzhou. Sometimes it was to a lesser traveled to yet historically significant and interesting sights nonetheless. The Shakadang Trail in Hualien and Mountain Resort in Chengde. Regardless, the common point across all tours, no matter the country it is in, is the limited amount of time spent at all the attractions. The reason is pretty obvious. The only way to be able to visit all the places and see so much in a limited timeframe is by sacrificing the chance to slowly absorb the surrounds and move around at a relaxing pace. It is a tight line that tours usually try to stretch so attendees don't feel like they aren't getting their money's worth in terms of sights that are seen.
Shows and performances on the itineraries are interesting, for a lack of a better word at this moment. Cultural recitals, drag shows, and tease shows in Thailand and acrobatic shows in Beijing. It is a difficult topic to explain in a way without being contradictory. Having to go to performances that I had no say in picking keeps me open to other cultures. Yes, it is (usually) a representation of their customs and lifestyles and definitely unique from what I would ever get to normally see. But a majority of the performances we were taken to were filled to the brim with only other Chinese tourists. The shows were lacking the authenticity of the local art and culture that I would personally prefer. Something that people who live there are excited to see and give praise to instead of something that is more-or-less manufactured to profit from outsiders with.
The greatest and worst thing that comes with bus tours is the bus itself. Greatest because if anyone is the type, like me, that can fall asleep anywhere, the bus rides will add countless hours of naps to your schedule. Which is great because wake up calls are usually pretty early in the morning. Buses can be the best because there is no worrying about safety and transportation and money, just make sure your butt is with the rest of the group when the bus is ready to get a rollin'. Then there is the bad because not all buses or tours are the same. Some vehicles might have tons of leg room while others have barely any (which is saying a lot because I am a short girl). Some tour groups are larger than others (buh-bye double seats). Then there is the absolute worst because most of the time anyone spends on a tour is on the bus itself. Whether it is being driven 30+ minutes between stops or 2+ hours to reach the next city on the trip, your butt is in for a long long ride.
Food is one of the main reasons I travel; being able to eat and taste things that I wouldn't normally try or be able to try at home is a big driver. But on bus tours, food is more of an afterthought. All of the tour guides I met all joked that food on the tours were not to taste good but to survive on; it would not be anything particularly outstanding, just edible. What this actually meant was lots of buffet food from the hotel or family style Chinese stir-fried meals. Hungry, I was not. Yet I didn't get to taste very many local delicacies outside of what the hotel buffet line had to offer. Again, it is just an issue I personally have with authenticity to the local culture versus something tailored towards a foreign visitor. Why would I travel to a place like Beijing, Shanghai, Thailand, or Taiwan to have southern style Chinese food? The 2 exceptions to the buffet and southern-style Chinese food meals were once when the Beijing tour included a Peking Duck dinner and once when the Taiwan tour included a street-food themed sit-down meal.
As everyone's preferences are different, so are the way food is fit into tour itineraries. Some would include time at markets so that travelers could walk around and buy local snacks for the bus ride. Others would organize night market time as a dinner replacement. Certain occasions the guides would upsell meals after the included meals so that they could bring you to a "special local spot" for things like turtle soup in Taiwan or shark fin soup in Thailand.
Shopping stops are the single most shocking experience across all the tours. There were many stops to buy jewels, jade, pearls, tea leaves, teapots, animal-skinned goods, silk bedding, and dried fruits and candies. I had mentally prepared myself to fight off the temptations of just wanting things that look nice. I also readied to dissuade my mom from doing the same. Yet the tactics and sheer numbers of shopping stops got the best of us. There is always something that looks too good to resist. Case in point for me, local food and snacks.
I should clarify what these "shopping shops" are first in order to paint the full picture. The budget tours are so glaringly cheap because of the various sponsors who probably negotiate deals with travel agencies to provide food and hotel in exchange for customers who would be willing to buy a lot of stuff at their establishments. Establishments which aren't really open to the general public, from what I could tell. They are usually in seemingly remote places where the only other people you'd see, besides the employees, were tons of other bus tour groups members. The main goals of these shopping stops were so the sponsors would basically earn back the "investment" they made on the travelers. The better way of putting this would be to say they offer good prices for luxury goods to visitors.
There have been shows and reports, especially in Asia, that talk of how sometimes the establishment would force travelers to buy things before they can pass the doors to leave. I can say that I mostly didn't experience that particular style of sales on the tours but what I saw could be almost on par. The more typical approach was to offer steep promotions. Sometimes manager types would offer freebies as a way to entice. Then the penultimate maneuver is the story.
Oh, the power of a story! Each busload of people is usually brought into their own rooms with their own manager to explain the various kinds of things that they sell. Then there is the noteworthy "this is the one and only of it's kind," the strategic "best and safest investment," or the sympathy-inducing "I didn't really want to work for the family business but my dad is ill so here I am" scenarios that happen all too frequently. When the story is paired with the freebies or steep promotions, or better yet both, that is when the magic happens. Something in the minds of the people turns them into customers. The ability to make someone believe in something that may or may not be true is really something else. The sponsors and the guides bank on the affirmation that the formula works and that all bus groups are separate from beginning to end so the stories are never shared until it is too late. Now whether to call this a form of forcing is probably arguable. Saying it is the power of a story is being nice. Calling it deceit is the extreme.
Earlier I mentioned "I mostly didn't experience any forcing to purchase" because there is one scenario where it did sort of happen to a certain degree. At a shopping stop, there were only a few couples and families purchasing. A majority didn't see a need for the product or had particular excellent self-control that occasion. Many sales girls stood around with no sales to make. Despite the lack of interest, our tour guide hadn't suggested we leave any earlier. So we stood and sat around. Perhaps a manager noticed and started pushing a bit. While travelers who came as pairs were able to shrug off the advances more easily, a big group didn't fare the pestering as well and eventually gave into buying and all was well for everyone else. The reasoning? If enough people buy enough things, it would cover for what the non-buyers did not spend.
Yet with all that said, I don't think I want to completely condemn the idea of these Chinese budget bus tours. It is definitely not my preferred style of traveling: the time spent on the bus, the time wasted for me at the shopping stops, and the low freedom to roam. However, it is extremely difficult to deny how cheap it is. While the included tour is mandatory, it is still possible to get away with buying a very limited amount of things. It is especially easy if you don't speak Chinese or don't look Chinese. In exchange for the tour, the flight tickets are usually open for a long period of time; if holiday time allows the shopping tour does not have to be the only destination! I met a couple who took advantage of the cheap package price to also stop in Hong Kong for a week or so for their honeymoon. My mom and I, on the other hand, utilized the air ticket as a way to go to not only Hong Kong, but also my families' hometowns in Southern China, Japan, Singapore, and Korea all in one go. Hint, how there can be 3 more parts to this series to come.
My Korea Diary series was supposedly completed two months ago with the TY giveaway. But I found a bunch of footage in my storage and remembered it was always my intentions to stitch something together with it, eventually. Keep in mind I am definitely no vlogger.
I finally mustering up the courage and time to look through hundreds of video clips and man does my video work need improvement. Two-thirds (if not more) of it was too shoddy to incorporate. In other words, shaky, moves from subjects too quickly, and just not very interesting. At least I can say I tried my best to condense 50 days worth of memories into something a little intriguing and quick to watch.
Basically to sum up all the posts I have made and the video...I learned a bunch of stuff during the study abroad (inside and out of the classroom). I saw a lot of different things and met many great friends from around the world while eating a ton of delicious and indulgent foods along the way.
Highs are typically followed by lows. Good things usually come to an inevitable end. Despite having the photos for this final post in draft for a month (if not more), I couldn't find the words to say goodbye to that chapter of my life (even though I am 2 years late at it already). To say I am not good with goodbyes is a terrible understatement. Whether it was 2 years ago in the lobby of SK Global House with newfound friends or currently at home with this blog post, my emotions run high.
There was not a moment to waste after my friends and I got back to the dorms after our Korean spa visit. We had to have our bags packed and rooms cleaned by morning so that we could have the required check-out inspection done in time.
I was surprised that I was able to fit all my beauty purchases into the biggest 29" suitcase that I had brought. Shoes, schoolbooks, and miscellaneous items fit a carry-on 21" sized suitcase perfectly. While all the clothes I had filled a medium sized Nike duffel to the brim. Getting all my belongings to fit was one problem solved. The next hurdles were to figure out whether or not any were overweight and how I would navigate around with 3 bags as opposed to the original 2.
In the midst of tidying, everyone ignored all rules (i.e. no boys after night) and gathered in the lounge. Routine hall inspections by security meant hiding out in dorm rooms for a bit. But what was the risk, we would get kicked out...on the last day?
Anyways, there was a good reason to the behavior. Remember the birthday event that we had planed? Sometime between 3AM and 7AM all of us gathered in one dorm suite to surprise our friend with a cake.
It was a much welcomed tidying break. Before the event, I think it was safe to say that a lot of us were pretty burnt out from just trying to make some sense of our luggage situation. Afterwards, I felt like I had newfound energy to finish clearing my room. Bestie C and I took our linens downstairs to the laundry room around mid-morning. The pile mountain of bed sheets, blankets, and pillows was unreal! But of course we should have gotten a hint judging by the flood of garbage and unwanted clothing in the lounge.
Returning the linens meant we were ready for inspection. For us it was a quick and painless process; in, out, and OKed. Then it was goodbye to our dorm room forever.
The SK Global House lobby was hectic as everyone cleared their own rooms and met their friends to say goodbye. Even though I spent my entire night with all our friends perfectly fine and cheery, I was a hot mess the moment my brain finally took in the fact that we were all separating. I have always been the more emotional one so it wasn't a complete surprise that I ended up bawling. Social media and the internet may keep us connected but it wouldn't be the same as seeing everyone day in and day out.
Bestie C and I were the only ones in our group to immediately fly back home that night. The others were staying behind for an extra week or two to do some more exploring. Some were meeting up with family members who were flying in. Somehow it just worked out that most of our friends ended up staying in Korea and even the same guesthouse together for the rest of their summer. (I had tried to extend my stay as well but flights back to NYC were apparently packed until September!)
Bestie C and I chose to leave on a night flight in order to make the most of our stay in Korea. When time came to it, we didn't end up doing much the last few hours anyways. I was an emotional mess, the weather was rainy, and we were both pretty tired. Things just didn't work out the way we imagined.
We helped the big group of friends load up their luggages and sent them off with hugs and byes. A few hours of recouping later, Bestie C and I grabbed a taxi and headed towards Incheon Airport ourselves. The potential headache of fitting our luggages into the sedan taxis thankfully never came. This particular taxi driver was super patient and nice. He somehow found a way to fit 5 suitcases, 1 duffel, 2 personal bags, and 2 passengers into the vehicle with him. Just like that we were on our way home.
The last anticipated hurdle I had to face was the weight of my suitcases. Despite the 29" suitcase still having free space, it was way over the maximum weight with all the Korean beauty goods that I amassed over the past 50 days. There was no reshuffling things between bags or tossing things out. At that point there was nothing I could do but pay the overage fee. On the positive note, at least I had the option to pay a fee instead of being told it was completely too heavy to fly.
Who knew we would be faced with more issues once after that?
Due to some miscommunications, I ended up passing through security before Bestie C thinking that she was already inside. I actually somehow got permission from the security personnel to let me backtrack to the check-in area when I couldn't find her. They even gave me special permission to return via the faster "TSA Pre-check" equivalent lane once I located Bestie C.
We were both at the airport well before our scheduled departure time yet mother nature had other plans. The rain storm was heavy and relentless that day. It was inevitable that our flight ended up being delayed a bit. Luckily it wasn't by much and I think we even arrived back home around the expected time.
The homebound flight was a little easier than the Korea-bound one. No more worrying about being in a new place and being on such a long flight for the first time. I really wasn't homesick while studying abroad but I was definitely thinking about the comforts of home awaiting me after the flight.
Who knows when I would get to fly internationally or even get to go to Korea again, but whenever that would be, the experience would definitely not be the same as what those past 50 days were.
Oh before I knew it, the last full day in Korea with my new friends awaited me. Some of us may have gotten back during the wee hours of the morning but it would have been a waste to sleep in and waste our limited & precious time left together.
My last To-Do item was ticked off with the pickup of the prescription glasses and sunglasses. For Bestie C and a few of our friends, their next goal was to get a fresh new haircut in Edae. They decided on a Juno Hair Salon and off we went. Juno was a pretty popular chain in Seoul with many locations throughout the city. The prices were pretty very affordable at around ₩20,000 for a wash, cut, and style. I believed my friends also received a discount for showing their Yonsei IDs as well. The service at the salon was impeccable. Customers received complimentary drinks during their visit and I believe they were able to voice their hairstyle wishes with the help of a digital photo album that the stylists had handy.
Since I was trying to grow my hair out in order to donate it to charity, I decided to skip out on the haircutting experience. Another friend and I leisurely strolled along Edae and window shopped as we waited for everyone else to be pampered at the salon.
Those who got haircuts finished just in time for lunch. We grabbed quick bites at Albab House in Edae. This place never disappoints: fast service, delicious food, and inexpensive price.
Now my memory starts to get really fuzzy about what happened after eating lunch. Bestie C mentioned going back to the dorms to grab things for the jjimjilbang or Korean spa, yet I don't have much memory of needing to bring much for our spa visit. What I do remember is our group splitting in order to divert attention so that a surprise birthday cake could be purchased.
Anyways...! Once the surprise event had been settled, our group met up again to head to Myeongdong. A few friends had wanted to visit a Haunted House type of place there so why not make one last visit to the shopping haven. I wanted no part in the scary trip and luckily Bestie C was on the same page as me.
We ended up eating at a nearby budaejjigae 부대찌개 or army base stew @ Choissi Ahjussi Budaejjigae 최씨 아저씨 부대찌개. My favorite part was the ddeokgalbi 떡갈비 or minced short rib patty that came with the stew. Not that the budaejjigae was bad or anything but since we ordered a non-spicy version to accommodate for the non-spicy eaters at the group, our stew just didn't have the same flavor.
Our last visit to Myeongdong wouldn't have been complete without a street food sweep. This time, we had the most mouths together which meant we could sample even more foods.
There's no better time to visit the sauna and spa than after a full belly. We wound up at Dragon Hill Spa 드래곤힐스파 in Yongsan. Boy was it an interesting experience that I didn't even fully immerse myself into. (I'll explain more on what I mean later.)
We were greeted by the clerk who collected the admission fee of ₩13,000. In return, we were given a key along with a change of clothes. Once we crossed the turnstile there were rows and rows of small lockers for our shoes to be put into. The number on the keychain corresponds to the lockers number. But yes, be prepared to wander around the place barefoot.
The next stop was to the elevators which led to the locker rooms, changing area, bathing area, etc. This was when it began to get slightly uncomfortable for me. As the elevators were gender segregated and led to gender-specific floors, we were greeted by much nakedness the moment we stepped off the metal box. All the ladies walked around without a care in the world and only wanting to get cleaned and relaxed.
Lockers and changing rooms were on one side of the floor and the other had the snack bar, resting area, heat/sauna chamber, and bathing pool area. I stayed in the resting area most of the time we were there because I was pretty exhausted. Plus, I needed a little shuteye to help with my mission to pull an all-nighter packing, cleaning, and trying to adjust to jetlag before the flight. We did enter the heat chamber once or twice for a few minutes while we were there and it was HOT. I don't know how the older Korean ladies did it but I was sweating the moment I stepped into the contraption. Some point during the night we snacked on eggs and sikhye 식혜 (sweet rice drink) from the snack area. The cool thing about the keys was it doubled as a credit system. If we wanted to buy food or pay for anything while at the spa we could just tap it to keep a record. The bill was settled right before we left.
Before we even arrived I was already adamant I wouldn't take part in the cleaning part of the jjimjilbang experience. My body was and still is not something I am 100% comfortable with, even if everyone else there doesn't give a damn there. While I don't regret missing out on this part of the spa, I won't rule out the idea of trying it later.
We ended up leaving Dragonhill around 2AM. Apparently there was a co-ed arcade area in the spa but we realized it too late. The guys ended up having their bro-time and us girls had our gal-time. It was definitely much needed relaxing nap time to ready ourselves for the checkout process at SK Global the following morning.
I was really excited for the day's plans. It was something I had wanted to do the moment I landed and got situated in Seoul. I read somewhere on the interwebs about the inexpensive glasses available from Namdaemun and my goal was set, prescription sunglasses shall be mine at last!
A late night meant most of us ended up waking up around noon. After grabbing a quick meal in Edae, our group took the subway to Namdaemun Market to scout for some new specs.
Since Bestie C wasn't too interested in glasses shopping with me, I was really excited to hear that our Californian friends were. I was most afraid of my haggling skills and welcomed the extra support of going with a group of people. It was definitely reassuring to know that those friends had superior price negotiating tactics than me.
I probably mentioned it in one of my first Korea Diary posts, but Namdaemun Market had way too many eyeglass shops to choose from. What originally began as going into one to just price gauge became staying at one to price haggle. Our first and only visit ended up at Good Morning Eyeglass 굿모닝 안경원. It was one of the bigger places that could accommodate our large group.
One side of their store housed mainly the designer brands like the Ray Bans, Chanel, etc. The other side had the Korean brands, which were, of course, the more affordable options. Regular clear glasses from the domestic Korean brands could cost around ₩20,000. The price went up with additional things such as the thickness of the lens. Sunglasses frames were also priced a little higher as well.
If my eyesight wasn't as terrible and I was a stronger haggler, perhaps I could have gotten a pair of new specs for less than ₩20,000. Alas, that's not me. I was prepared to pay more for the thinnest lenses possible. These things practically live on my face so that I am able to navigate the world. I needed them to feel as if they weren't there. To no surprise, the prices the salesman gave was much higher for my requests. It wasn't as expensive as what it would cost back in NYC but a big difference from a no-frills version in Seoul.
(For comparison, I had my eyes checked before going to Korea and was quoted for a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses with thinner lenses and I believe anti-scratch. A sales person at a popular eyeglass chain in NYC told me it would cost $600+ for the sunglasses. The typical cost of my previous glasses with thinner lenses and anti-scratch was around $400-500.)
It took me a very long time to finally decide the frames that I wanted to buy. There were just so many choices to choose from. While I went in knowing 100% that I was going to walk out with a pair of sunglasses, I also tacked on a pair of normal glasses as well. Being in an Asian eyeglass shop meant most of the frames had nose support that suited small Asian nose bridges. This was an opportunity too good to pass up on. Plus, I thought it would help with the price haggling. Saying 2 for $xxx is easier than going 1 for $xxx.
If my memory is correct, I think the salesman originally told me that the prices of both frames together would be around ₩500,000. If I was back at home, this would have been a great deal. But I was hoping to get a steal.
I made the "ehh I don't know" and "it still seems pretty pricey" faces while staring at my choices.
Mr. Sales saw and shot back with a lower price saying that it was because I was buying two & he was giving a special discount.
Again, I gave him my unsure face. Until some time later he asked me how much I was thinking.
Bingo! Without looking too excited, I gestured 2 fingers, pointed at my picks, and then replied with ₩200,000.
Of course, Mr. Sales didn't give in that easily. After a bit of insistence and more back and forth, he finally gave in. YES!
In just an hour's time, the new spectacles would be mine. I say I definitely won the lottery at ₩100,000 a piece. I couldn't even have bought 1/6 pair of a sunglass in NYC at that price.
I went in knowing my eyesight so that I could avoid any potential language dilemmas surrounding an examination. But for those who aren't sure of their prescription, I believe shops do basic exams free of charge.
Everyone had souvenir gifts they needed to purchase and there were so many snacks to try. An hour at the Namdaemun Market went by really quickly. Same day glasses service is the best. Everything from start to finish only took less than 4 hours of the day. If you're not as indecisive as me it could even take only take 2 hours before new glasses reach your hands.
By the time we settled our glasses To-Do, dinner time was greeting us. Our big group found our way to nearby Myeongdong for dinner at School Food Blooming Mari. I don't have much memory of this place except for their colorful cidar/Sprite fruit drinks.
The only bar my friends and I went to in Korea was Bar Pro and that was for their unlimited drinks for an inexpensive price. It definitely wasn't the strongest cocktails but none of us went to Bar Pro for the drink quality.
After introducing our Korean friend (the one who studied full time in America) to Bar Pro, he told us he could show us a better place, alcohol-wise. That's how we ended up in Hongdae's 1st Island that night. 1st Island was definitely interesting. The first thing we were greeted with as we walked inside was a little inflatable pool with a turtle and then a small alligator inside a tank. I think the fee was around ₩25,000 for unlimited drinks, which is considerably higher than at Bar Pro but the cocktails were much much stronger and of bigger quantities.
A few friends left early because they didn't feel well. Being a little curious as to what bar culture was like, I decided to stick around. The more experienced friends in the group led the drinking games and that's how we entertained ourselves for the next couple of hours as we slowly drank/sipped on the vodka cocktails.
The last thing I wanted was to be utterly hammered. I had no idea what my limit was but I kept myself in check with how much I sipped since we had no pressure from each other to chug anything. While I left 1st Island conscious and aware, the same cannot be said about a couple of my friends. None were had the point of throwing up but their imaginations sure ran wild. It was probably in the AMs, we were all walking along to get towards a busier area and someone had mistaken a dog to be paper or vice versa. That sure was a good laugh!
I am not sure what the hangover eats are in Korea but a seollongtang 설렁탕 (ox-bone soup) shop was open at the insane hour we were still out. We needed a place to sit and clear our heads anyways.
By the time we were all okay enough to head back, the only options we had were either a taxi or on foot. Most of us were more than glad to hail a cab the short distance from Hongdae to SK Global. A few wanted to journey back via a stroll, so we ended up splitting up and saying goodbye for the night. It was already past 3AM by the time I arrived in my dorm room and Bestie C had probably been asleep for a few hours already. The hard mattress in my dorm room never looked so comfy.
