For a North American, spoiled by vast amounts of open land and ample personal space, the first glimpse of South Korea from the airplane window can be rather unsettling. As far as the eye can see, endless high-rises stretch from horizon to horizon in a sea of grey concrete. To be fair, once outside Seoul, there are patches of forest, and the mountains provide welcome relief from the relentless spread of civilization.
The sheer volume of traffic is overwhelming. Regardless of the time, or day of the week, it's bumper to bumper on all the roadways. And contrary to what you might expect, there aren't a lot of tiny little urban cars as in most major European centres. To Koreans, size equals status, and most of the vehicles are late-model, mid-size sedans. At first glance, it looks like every car on the road is wearing a Hyundai badge; with a 75% market share, the brand is a dominant presence. The overwhelming majority of these are black or grey – there's a curious lack of colour in this automotive palette. Many vehicles sport foam shipping strips to prevent door dings.
There are many buses on the road; all have curtains and drivers wear white gloves. The excellent subway system helps alleviate some of the volume, but even with six lanes, downtown roads are choked. In the corner of virtually every vehicle's windshield is the owner's phone number - often on a customized card, or LED plaque. Double parking is common, and the owner of a blocked-in car can contact the other car's owner to come and move it.
The route to Seoul features some of the ugliest examples of urban sprawl – an endless expanse of apartment blocks devoid of any ornamental embellishment, distinguished only by a number. There are over 49 million people in this tiny country – more than 10 million in Seoul – and the dense population is made up almost entirely of apartment dwellers. Single-family dwellings are rare within city limits. Occasionally, we pass small patches of carefully tended farmland, mostly rice paddies; but some fields, draped in black netting to protect them from the sun, grow precious ginseng.
Like any world-class city, Seoul features the typical canyons of glass high-rises and big-name boutiques, with styles running the gamut from high fashion to playful, anime-inspired hip. There's a vibrant street culture, particularly in areas like Insadong with its outdoor street vendors selling everything from ceramics to beautiful scarves.
Several booths serve up roast corn and chestnuts, Korean BBQ or sweets. Cheonggyecheon stream, just below street level, features a 5.8-km stone walking path with beautiful waterfalls. Laser lights, synchronized to pop and classical music, play on the stone walls while couples and families stroll the walkway, or skip across the many stepping stones in the stream.
Our first dinner is buffet style, consisting of everything from raw sushi, various types of kimchi (a sort of fermented pickled cabbage or radish condiment served with every meal) boiled eel for the adventurous, several varieties of stir-fry and Korean BBQ.
Utensils for all three meals consist of a pair of chopsticks (steel, instead of the wooden ones used by other Asian countries) and a spoon (for noodles and soup).
Respect and good manners are paramount to Koreans, particularly towards guests. We're greeted with bows and graciousness everywhere, from company executives, to bus driver to engineers… even airport security staff. TSA could learn something here.
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| Photo: Lesley Wimbush/Auto123.com |
The sheer volume of traffic is overwhelming. Regardless of the time, or day of the week, it's bumper to bumper on all the roadways. And contrary to what you might expect, there aren't a lot of tiny little urban cars as in most major European centres. To Koreans, size equals status, and most of the vehicles are late-model, mid-size sedans. At first glance, it looks like every car on the road is wearing a Hyundai badge; with a 75% market share, the brand is a dominant presence. The overwhelming majority of these are black or grey – there's a curious lack of colour in this automotive palette. Many vehicles sport foam shipping strips to prevent door dings.
There are many buses on the road; all have curtains and drivers wear white gloves. The excellent subway system helps alleviate some of the volume, but even with six lanes, downtown roads are choked. In the corner of virtually every vehicle's windshield is the owner's phone number - often on a customized card, or LED plaque. Double parking is common, and the owner of a blocked-in car can contact the other car's owner to come and move it.
The route to Seoul features some of the ugliest examples of urban sprawl – an endless expanse of apartment blocks devoid of any ornamental embellishment, distinguished only by a number. There are over 49 million people in this tiny country – more than 10 million in Seoul – and the dense population is made up almost entirely of apartment dwellers. Single-family dwellings are rare within city limits. Occasionally, we pass small patches of carefully tended farmland, mostly rice paddies; but some fields, draped in black netting to protect them from the sun, grow precious ginseng.
 |
| Photo: Lesley Wimbush/Auto123.com |
Like any world-class city, Seoul features the typical canyons of glass high-rises and big-name boutiques, with styles running the gamut from high fashion to playful, anime-inspired hip. There's a vibrant street culture, particularly in areas like Insadong with its outdoor street vendors selling everything from ceramics to beautiful scarves.
Several booths serve up roast corn and chestnuts, Korean BBQ or sweets. Cheonggyecheon stream, just below street level, features a 5.8-km stone walking path with beautiful waterfalls. Laser lights, synchronized to pop and classical music, play on the stone walls while couples and families stroll the walkway, or skip across the many stepping stones in the stream.
Our first dinner is buffet style, consisting of everything from raw sushi, various types of kimchi (a sort of fermented pickled cabbage or radish condiment served with every meal) boiled eel for the adventurous, several varieties of stir-fry and Korean BBQ.
Utensils for all three meals consist of a pair of chopsticks (steel, instead of the wooden ones used by other Asian countries) and a spoon (for noodles and soup).
Respect and good manners are paramount to Koreans, particularly towards guests. We're greeted with bows and graciousness everywhere, from company executives, to bus driver to engineers… even airport security staff. TSA could learn something here.