Features
by: -RoG-
(12/7/11)
In terms of travel, this has easily been one of the busiest years of my life. I drove from Los Angeles through Bryce Canyon and on over to Denver; I went on tour with Keith Apicary and we drove around the entire country from coast to coast; I went to Palm Springs and the Cabazon Dinosaurs; I exhibited at the San Diego Comic-Con; and I went on a variety of day trips in Southern California throughout the year. You'd think by now I'd be sick of traveling, but there's honestly nothing I like more than being out of the house and exploring new places. Like many of you, I spend most of my days behind a computer screen, so I relish the opportunity to get out into the real world for while in search of all things eclectic.
Re and I had been talking about going on a trip out of the country for quite a while, as we hadn't left the States in over half a decade, and we promised ourselves that we'd go somewhere this year. We finally settled on visiting South Korea, because we had never been there before and it seemed like an amazing city. I can't say it hurt that I studied tae kwon do for years and was an avid Starcraft player either. We also both really enjoy the holidays, and I have to say, nobody does Christmas quite like South Korea. I mean really... these people pull out all the stops when it comes to celebrating the holiday. At times, I wasn't sure if I was in Seoul or if I had accidentally took a plane to the North Pole to visit Santa's Workshop itself.
We traveled all over Seoul during our week there and I thought you'd enjoy taking a look at many of the photos from our trip in this big pictorial. You'll see everything from bad engrish and bizarre foods to impressive architecture and amazing Christmas light displays... and more. So without further delay, I present you with our Christmas in Korea pictorial:
We stayed at the Ibis Hotel in Myeong Dong, Seoul and they decorated the archway
near the elevators to get everybody in the mood for the holiday season right away. It worked.
Hell of a view from our hotel room too.
I flipped on the TV in hopes on finding some quirky Korean programming, but instead, I found the Australian equivalent
of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. I couldn't get the damn song she was singing out of my head for a solid four hours.
Our toilet came with a remote control which, among other things, either activated a bidet or a water fountain.
I couldn't be 100% sure which it was.
Upon our arrival that first night, there was a big protest going on right outside.
Power to the people.
Riot police were standing by with shields, but they didn't do anything.
Protests look like such happy, festive events when accompanied by a big Christmas light backdrop, don't they?
HAY GUYZ! HAVE A BONKERS CHRISTMAS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHSDFASDF;LKJA!@!!!
Shoppers were out getting their holiday shopping done into the wee hours of the night.
Hey mom, look what I'm getting you for Christmas this year! What!? You already have one!?
Oh well... at least I got a gift receipt.
That's one Sexy Cookie.
You won't have any trouble finding toys in Seoul.
On a related note, I saw more "Angry Birds" crap than I care to mention.
Why scrub your feet when you can visit Dr. Fish and let hundreds of tiny fish eat away at them while you drink tea?
South Korea is awesome.
The sequel to Kraze Burger is so much better than the original.
I can't wait for them to finish the third one, so I can get the box set on Blu-Ray.
In America, we have pizza restaurants. In South Korea, they have pizza malls.
I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes, so the idea of a sweet potato latte is synonymous with barf.
So many people in this amazing area.
Teenie Weenie.
If you're looking for sweat pants that you can unzip to reveal Super Mario's tongue, Seoul has you covered.
Waffle Lab makes some extremely delicious waffle treats. I wish I had a laboratory to make waffles in.
Had to stop in at a nearby Krispy Kreme donut shop. The chocolate crunch donut was excellent,
the glazed
was no different than anywhere else, and the green tea donut was surprisingly good.
The next day we headed to Jongno-gu to check out Changdeokgung Palace and found this smoking bear nearby.
Smokey is gonna be so pissed when he sees one of his own kind playing with fire.
A tank full o' cephalopods just sitting there on the sidewalk. Works for me.
This rooftop had a crown of antennae.
It appears we have found a rabbit from the future.
Exploring another random street.
Why can't my front door be this ornate?
Not sure what exactly, but there was something about the vegetation growing on the one side of this house that I loved.
Who needs to go see the Seoul Museum of Chicken Art when you have Re to do the chicken dance at the drop of a hat.
More of those wonderful rooftops.
They just don't make 'em like they used to.
Still exploring.
This may be the best public bench ever created.
Okay yeah... it's definitely the best public bench ever created.
Anybody hungry for a fresh stingray snack from a street vendor?
There's more madness from South Korea to see!
Click here to continue onward to page 2!
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Reader Comments
On the vending machines
[i]I know its insane just what all kinds of stuff they have in them. I've seen several that had packs and full cartons of cigarettes. I'm a smoker so I know first hand that over there in any little shop they have on the street you can get a pack of the best brand for just a dollar american currency. Totally Unreal[I
On Street Resteraunts
Hell of a way they can make potatoes eh RoG? I never got to eat anything like that but one of their most popular choices is Rat On a Stick though I can tell you that its just a clever name. Still for a beef on a stick which I know you're familliar with they are pretty tasty.
On the strange and bizzare toys and assorted novelties
It still amazes me what all they have over there. Its funny to see some of our most beloved and well despised celebraties on the box of some of the most insane shit they sell over there. Totaly amazing.
On Protesters
Yeah I witnessed first hand some of those protests and I chose to stay as far away as I could. Most of them are not the nicest bunch to say hi to especially if you're not from their country. The scary thing is if you get caught in a tussle with one of them even if you didnt start it you get thrown in jail and they dont have to even feed you.
On Street Merchants
Talk about going the extra mile for a sales pitch. If your eyes even wander close to one of the things they're selling they will go all out demonstrating what said object can do. They really pull no punches in trying to get you to buy their stuff. I guess everyone has to make a living somehow. Fortunately a lot of stuff there is cheap. The dollar really goes a long way.
On Seoul in General
Like I told you before its like being in another world over there and they definately do Christmas big. It's fortunate that you and Re decided to go this time of year because in the summertime it's nothing but a 3 month long monsoon season. Talk about rain 24/7. Anyway I loved the toys and wax figures that you all took. On a personal note I hope you enjoyed all the chicken and ramen that Seoul had plenty of to provide you two. Oh and I hope you steered clear of the kimchee.
Anyways thanks again for sharing these photos with us and bringing back memories for me personally.
That's it. The Mystery Action is inflicting said wonder on unsuspecting rubes.
Also I would totally go to that cat cafe and FUCKFAKE.
Also also I lost my shit at the photo booth creations, especially the one with Wonder Turd.
How hard was it to get around & whatnot when you couldn't read the signs or speak the language (I assume you couldn't, feel free to bitchslap some sense into me if I'm wrong XD)
I take exception to the comments about the superior christmas lights though. Nobody does it like we do here in the good old "U" "S" of "A" Yeah those are some impressive lights... put together buy large companies and such.
There was a guy (who sadly passed away a few years ago) that used to put more lights on his house! And this wasn't somebody with a lot of money or somebody in a big city either. This was just some guy from Cabin Creek, West Vriginia. Much like fireworks, Hill-billies and Rednecks have the market cornered with light displays. You've been in the city too long my friend.
Also, Milkus is the greatest drink known to man.
I think what your cousin was referring to was the kimchee that they cook over there. For those who don't know kimchee is kind of a spicy vegitable that they use with a lot of dishes when it's raw it has a hint of spice to the smell, however when it is cooked it smells terrible. My first night in Seoul when I stepped out of my hotel onto the streets I got a good wiff of what smelt like someone literally taking a shit accross the street. Turns out my friend told me it was the kimchee being cooked at the resteraunt nearby. I never wanted to try kimchee and I dont know mabey I'm being a bit harsh on the smell but it sure was harsh on my sense of smell. No way I was prepared for that.
Asian countries' obsession with cutesy poo is one of those things that I simultaneously do and do not want to know the story behind.
For reals tons of great pictures though. Love the architecture.
Like I told you before its like being in another world over there and they definately do Christmas big. It's fortunate that you and Re decided to go this time of year because in the summertime it's nothing but a 3 month long monsoon season. Talk about rain 24/7. Anyway I loved the toys and wax figures that you all took. On a personal note I hope you enjoyed all the chicken and ramen that Seoul had plenty of to provide you two. Oh and I hope you steered clear of the kimchee.
Anyways thanks again for sharing these photos with us and bringing back memories for me personally.
I take exception to the comments about the superior christmas lights though. Nobody does it like we do here in the good old "U" "S" of "A" Yeah those are some impressive lights... put together buy large companies and such.
Also, Milkus is the greatest drink known to man.
But I think I have an answer to the Chucky question - that looks like a mount for a security camera (becoming more and more popular these days, and I think I saw a few others in your shots of Seoul), so I'd guess that Chucky Halloween mask is there for one of two reasons: Either they want to hide the camera (or make it look cooler) OR they wanted to cover up the camera - "The man isn't monitoring our bar! Go bonkers!"
Now, I'm clicking over to check out Lotte World!