Visiting the Chiropractor in Seoul: a review of Create Wellness Chiropractic Sports Medicine Center in Itaewon

   

Create Wellness has coupons on their website.

     Finding a good chiropractor in Seoul can be stressful. If the doctor hasn't had good training they could seriously injure your body. Luckily, I was relieved when I discovered that Dr. James Lee at Create Wellness in Itaewon studied at Palmer College which is well known in the U.S. as the Harvard of Chiropractor Schools. Dr. Lee has quite a sense of humor and enjoyed fixing up my back, maybe even a little more than I did.
     When I walked into the office I was quite nervous to go to a foreign chiropractor. Especially, because chiropractors are traditionally associated with Western medicine and most Asians are very skeptical about their practices. My English students warned me about going to the chiropractor and told me that I should visit an acupuncture doctor instead. However, with my severe and cronic neck pain I knew that the chiripractor was exactly what I needed. Dr. Lee did a great job with my adjustment and I was very pleased with his care.
     Unfortunately, Korean insurance does not cover Chiropractic care. The fee's at are quite high at Create Wellness are about 50,000 won per adjustment unless you get a 10-12 pack of adjustments which lowers the prices about 30%. However, the price worth it because you can trust them to do their job well. Visit the Korea4Expats website about Create Wellness Chiropractic Center for directions in Korean for an easy taxi ride to the office. The location in Itaewon is very easy to find from the station or by cab.



If you have any questions or comments about "Visiting the Chiropractor in Seoul: a review of Create Wellness Chiropractic Sports Medicine Center in Itaewon" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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What's Happening in January 2012: Overnight Ski Trips in Korea

Winter in Korea is packed with action. Join one of the many groups heading up to the mountains to go snowboarding.

Winter is here and lets hope its not as cold as last year!  Here is a comprehensive list of whats going on this month around Korea.  Be sure to check back for updates throughout the month! I hope everyone enjoys The New Year!

December 10-11 Overnight Ski Trip to Vivaldi: The newly founded Korea Ski and Snowboard Club is setting up skiing trips in Korea all winter! I first found them on Facebook a couple months ago. Call them at 010- 4079- 1820 to reserve your spot and find out how to make a payment and visit their official page: http://koreaskiclub.co.nr/

January 20-24 Jeju Tour Lunar New Year For 4 days (SUBMARINE,horseback,hallasan): Join one of my favorite groups in Korea Seoul Hiking Group coordinated by Warren Seung Il Kim (who is amazing!!) This Jeju Tour will start by taking the fastest ferry over to the Island. Visit the event page here to reserve your spot and ring in the New Year!


January Winter Festivals in Korea: The Korea Tourism Org has  mapped out plenty of winter festivals in Korea. There are tons of light shows and places to celebrate the holiday season. Among the most popular are the New Years Sun Rise Festivals.  If you can't make it of the city just head up to Namsan Mountain like I did to watch the sun rise on New Years Day in Korea.    To learn more visit the Korea Tourism Org.


January 28-29 Taebaek Snow Festival:   There are several groups taking tours such as Adventure Korea. Go Caving at Yongyeon Cave and hiking with the group while taking in the beautiful views of the mountains.

January 30-31 Overnight Ski trip to Muju resort: Join the Seoul International Women's Association on a snowboarding trip in Korea! They have discounts available for those that attend: 30% Discount for Ski lift pass and 50% discount for Ski rental. To learn more about the event visit their event page here.



If you have any questions or comments about "What's Happening in January 2012: Overnight Ski Trips in Korea" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

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Kim Jong-il died in the future

Video Courtesy of www.ifokalliance.com. Check out the last 5 seconds of the video to get the joke!

All Hail Kim Jong Il, a photo by giladr on Flickr.

  "I live in Korea, have silver hair, glasses, and I'm mean" my Korean students would always say. This was a typical reenactment of a student pretending to be Kim Jon-il while practicing English descriptions in a Level 1 English class. Fortunately, they will be using the past tense in their new role plays as the death of Kim Jong-il official as of December 19th 2011. He reportedly died two days earlier on December 17th according to Reuters.
      Wait a minute, it's currently Sunday the 18th in America! After a long and confusing conversation with family members over the date of the death I reminded them that Korea is 16 hours ahead of California and technically, is living in the future. I know this very well because when I flew back from Seoul to San Diego I literally had two Fridays. Thus when the news was announced in Korea on Monday morning on December 19th it was Sunday December 18th in America.
    I think it's important to note that Kim Jong-il was known as being a player and he did go down in style at the age of 69! If you aren't familiar with what those two number mean let me enlighten you. A classic definition is provided on Wikipedia nothing that 69 is the also known by its French name soixante-neuf (69), is a group of sex positions in which two people align themselves so that, and I'll stop there!
     Sayonara Kim Jong-il you definitely will not be missed! Fellow video bloggers at Eat Your Kimchi stated that life is going on as normal in Korea as he South Korean National Security Council/National Assembly are currently discussing the matter.

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Is that Seoul's modern architecture or September 11th?

Seoul's older apartments thrown up after The Korean War are nothing in comparison to "The Cloud's" modern look. Screen                                        shot courtesy of www.gizmodo.com.

Typical Seoul apartment buildings have no style.

   Architects at MVRDV posted on their website stating our company "regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud projects evokes regarding 9/11." Unfortunately, the companies newest project in Seoul "The Cloud" apartment buildings have been a scrutinized topic all over Facebook for the past week.
    In my personal opinion, I love what the architects have done; at least the building is not another rendition of the horrible apartment buildings thrown up in the 1950's after the Korean War.  Whenever someone witnesses the rows of lackluster apartment buildings in Seoul or anywhere else in Korea they are shocked. The older buildings have absolutely no exterior appeal and were built simply to maximize space and house people after the war.
    One of the first websites to publish an article about the buildings in relation to 9/11 was www.gizmodo.com. Author Andrew Liszewski wrote that the only thing the buildings remind him of is September 11th. To be frank, I also thought the same thing but I think it was mostly due to the title of the article I read. Maybe if the article had been titled "The Cloud is set to be completed in 2015" I would have had a completely different viewpoint of the buildings.
    Answer a simple survey below as to whether or not you think the building looks like its floating in the clouds or looks like a rendition of 9/11.





If you have any questions or comments about "Is that Seoul's modern architecture or September 11th?" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com. 

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Guest Post: A Holiday Photo Essay of Christmas in Seoul

This post showcases the holidays in Seoul and was created by Chris Backe. Chris is one of the most well-known bloggers in Korea. Check out his website at http://www.chrisinsouthkorea.com

Pronounce it 'low-tay'. A number of areas around Seoul get gussied up for the holidays, and the downtown area is one of the best. Christmas in Seoul has plenty of the commercial messages, along with a few of the religious messages. This is a country with about 25% Christians, so it's present, but not overbearing. You're more likely to see Santa with his reindeer than crosses.



Seen outside the Lotte Duty Free Store in downtown Seoul - take a look inside for thousands of tiny lights.


Lotte Young Plaza all dressed up for the holidays.


Don't ask me why, but the fountain just looks better in black-and-white.


A very dolled-up reindeer - something tells me that's not Rudolph. While the Myeong-dong area has plenty of pretty lights, they're scattered around downtown Seoul as well. The City Hall Plaza has a several-story tall Christmas tree and a few other things to keep the holiday spirit alive.

If you have any questions or comments about "Guest Post: A Holiday Photo Essay of Christmas in Seoul" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

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Reverse Culture Shock back in California

Thank you to Chris Backe for publishing my guest post on his website www.chrisinsouthkorea.com Chris is one of the most well known bloggers in South Korea and is still living and working in Korea.

CISK note: this guest post about reverse culture shock comes from Marie Webb, the blogger behind goneseoulsearching.com. Check out her blog for more insights on travel and life in Korea, even as she’s left the country.

Being back in California hasn’t been easy. For the first 2 weeks I was literally fearful of everywhere I went because of feeling so socially awkward. I remember bowing down to people saying hello and goodbye and the first thing blurted out from my mouth was “I just got back from living in Korea for a year” as to defend my strange behaviors.

  The first things that crossed my mind were definitely unsettling upon entering the crowded San Francisco Airport for a connecting flight. “Wow everyone is dressed in sweatpants and a fair amount of people are extremely over weight,” I thought to myself. Upon finally arriving at home in San Diego the first thing on my mind was jumping right into the ocean. But of course there was some freak incident with a great white shark sighting and the beach was closed for 2 days. Then came a trip to the local grocery store CVS, and driving to Los Angeles to visit my boyfriend. Walking through the dim halls of a CVS felt completely surreal to me. Everything seemed strange and empty like the store was going out of business or an apocalypse was about to happen and a few last people were wandering around picking up things for survival. Driving from San Diego to Los Angeles for 4 ½ hours nearly killed me as I thought about traveling from Seoul to Busan in just 3 hours while kicking back and taking a nap on KTX.
    My exciting trips to Daiso were over and I missed them greatly. Daiso was one of my favorite places to shop in Korea because the new 4 story building in Jongo, Seoul was lit up more than any of the surrounding stores and its white storefront and massive clear windows made it seem like walking up to heavens gates. Kimbap was constantly on my mind every time I saw someone bite into a sandwich at lunch. There are days I dream of walking down the street and spending $2.50 on a piece of seaweed wrapped rice stuffed with egg and pickled radish. I missed my 10 minute walks to and from work where I got to take in some of the foulest smells and scenes that Korea had to offer. Now in California, my friend asked me for a ride to her car which was parked 10 minutes away from my house because of a lack of parking spots. If she only knew the joy of walking….
  Being back in California hasn’t been easy. For the first 2 weeks I was literally fearful of everywhere I went because of feeling so socially awkward. I remember bowing down to people saying hello and goodbye and the first thing blurted out from my mouth was “I just got back from living in Korea for a year” as to defend my strange behaviors. Not being the center of attention was also a strange feeling. My blonde hair and freckles really stood out in Korea and I had gotten used to people constantly staring at me. In California people treated me like every other blonde girl and I felt unappreciated and almost lonely because no one was interested in me.
 Although returning to America hasn’t been the easiest adjustment, there are a few new advantages in life. When I started my M.Ed. TESOL program at The University of San Diego I felt most comfortable mingling with several foreign Chinese students in my program. In the past, I would never have felt comfortable talking about Asian culture but now my conversations are dominated by my experiences in Korea. In addition, I have realized there is a huge Korean culture in San Diego and Los Angeles that I never identified myself with prior to living abroad. I felt a new connection to a group that I normally would have steered away from. In short, my sociocultural perspectives expanded enormously. Originally, I felt no association with any particular culture because of my family upbringing. Now, anything Korean felt like home to me in a strange world that was not my own.
   Now in my 4^th month back home I have finally started to feel settled. Things like driving 30 minutes every day have become more comfortable and I’m no longer afraid to go grocery shopping. Life in Korea is still on my mind and sometimes I wonder whether or not my decision to leave and pursue a higher level degree was the correct one. As far as my career in ESL goes, receiving a Master’s in TESOL is the next step, but my students in Korea are always on my mind. Luckily I have found Facebook and e-mail to be a great source of connection with my old students at YBM. They have allowed me to develop into the teacher that I am today and for that I will always be grateful. For now, the only thing that I can do is focus on completing my degree. Blogging about Korea will serve as a way for me to keep in touch with a reality that now seems like a faraway dream. I miss you Korea and I’m sure I will see you again very soon.

Marie Webb is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in TESOL, literacy, and culture at the University of San Diego. She enjoys blogging about life in Korea on her website www.goneseoulsearching.com. 
© Chris Backe – 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
This post was originally published on, Chris in South Korea.

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Progressive ESL Teachers: teaching without classrooms

Photo courtesy of Remain L.A.

 Over the past 4 months I have had the opportunity to study several of the great contributors to education. Among them is the well known Paulo Freire who criticized traditional teaching methods such as the banking method which focus on teacher centered education. Back in Korea while I was teaching ESL, my classrooms were beautiful and the YBM facilities were well kept. A flat screen TV was usually available at any time and our rooms had modern glass walls that connected us to the outside world.  I could never have imagined teaching without such a well equipped classroom. That is, not until I read an article about teachers in Guatemala bringing their classrooms to wherever the students were located.

In the article titled, "In Guatemala: School is where the children are" I learned about teachers that were providing education for young children at their parents mercados and merchant stands during the day. Without any access to education, these children were usually found working alongside their parents trying to make enough money for daily necessities. Inspired by the ideas of Paulo Freire, a program was created to teach these children how to read and write bringing them hopes of succeeding in their growing society. The program did so all while getting support from the parents of the children.

The article which supports humanitarian education in a poor Central American Country is not far from home as such educational opportunities are happening right here in the United States. A blog Remain L.A. wrote about an ESL teacher in Los Angeles that holds ESL classes in a Home Depot parking lot. English Teacher Finds an Unexpected Classroom shows the struggle of immigrant workers in the United States fighting for literacy. When teacher Virginia Trujillo's high school English class was cut, she found herself teaching English as a Second Language to immigrant workers at Home Depot to help persuade the L.A. school district for further funding. Her fight for funding was successful, but she will always remain teaching outside of the classroom in MacArthur Park for those that want to join her class.

Education is the first step in the fight to end poverty. The next time one of my white board markers runs out of ink while teaching a class, I'll have nothing to complain about.

If you have any questions or comments about "Progressive ESL Teachers: teaching without classrooms" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Free Korean Classes Winter 2012

Free Korean Classes are easy to find, but high quality ones with properly trained teachers are not.

Free Korean classes, with a 10,000 won registration fee are pretty cheap!

 The Itaewon Global Center is offering free Korean Classes for the Winter 2012. Finding free Korean classes can be a pain. When a friend and I went to The Korean Foundation Cultural Center to take free Korean classes the women were extremely rude. We wanted to take a level test which wasn't being offered at the time we arrived because we read the website wrong. I understand that it was our fault that we arrived at the wrong time, but I don't understand why the women said "Can you even speak any Korean? You want to take Korean classes?" Long story short, I never went back.

Itaewon Global Center charges a 10,000 won registration fee for their classes; a small price to pay for 10 weeks of Korean lessons. I e-mailed them about the fees and they got right back to me within a day.

Absolute Beginner registration: starts Monday December 12^th at 9am and runs until classes are full (there will be Pre-testing will be done on December 5^th – 7^th for those are unsure whether they should register for the Absolute Beginner level or the next level up which is Lower Beginner)

• Registration for all other levels: starts Wednesday December 14^th at 9am and runs until classes are full (there is no pre-testing for these levels, level tests for these classes will be conducted when registering) 

 Find more information about their classes here. 

If you have any questions or comments about "Free Korean Classes Winter 2012" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Hanging out at Hank's Book Cafe

Hank's Book Cafe in Seoul offers a cozy place to buy a new book, relax, and drink some coffee. Among one of my favorite English bookstores in all of Seoul, Hank's is right across the street from Gyeongbokgung Palace and the owner Hank himself offers great conversation. All of his books are printed in English and he specializes in books about Korea.

Hank giving my boyfriend Paul a free postcard.

   On an icy winter afternoon stopping by Hank’s Book Cafe in downtown Seoul is a perfect way to relax. The owner Hank is usually there to greet you and is a great source for learning about Korea. Not to mention, he is one of the sweetest Korean men I have ever met.  I loved talking with him about Korea and his publishing company located in Irvine, CA.  Hank was also very proud to tell me that his son attends Columbia University in New York City and was excited to show off the latest edition of Seoul Selection. The reason why I love Hank’s Book Café is because Hank is so genuine. When it comes down to buying any English books in Korea, Hank has the best selections. Kyobo Bookstore 교보문고 and Young Poon YP Books영풍문고 are great because of their enormous English sections; but Hank’s Book Cafe has comfort and great customer service that you won’t get in the big Korean chains. Hank will even make you coffee himself.

   Each time I have popped into Hank’s, he has helped me pick out great books. My first selection was Korean language book titled Yes! You can Learn Korean Language Structure in Just 40 Minutes. I didn’t actually learn in 40 minutes, but after about an hour I could easily read and write Korean Hangul. The next book I purchased was written by a woman who traveled to Korea with her boyfriend’s band and documented her time living in Seoul for 3 months. The book titled Meeting Mr. Kim: Or How I Went to Korea and Learned to Love Kimchi gives a great overview of places to visit in Seoul and how a first time traveler to Korea might experience culture shock and adoration simultaneously. 

   Hank’s Book Café has the best location of any of the downtown bookstores; located right across the street from Gyeongbokgung Palace. Just Exit Gwangwamun Subway Station Exit 2 Line No. 5 and walk toward the palace. Cross the street as you walk toward the palace and then turn right. Cross the street again at the corner and you will see a sign pointing down; Hank’s is underground. After relaxing at Hank’s, take a right when you exit and head up the street toward Samcheongdong for a nice meal and some shopping. 

Hank's Book Cafe is one of my favorite book stores in Seoul.

If you have any questions or comments about "Hanging out at Hank's Book Cafe" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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3rd place in the Spring 2011 Korea Taste Blogging Contest

3rd place prize for Korea Taste Spring 2011 blogging contest.

   Hi readers! I just want to thank everyone that voted for me in the Spring 2011 Korea Taste blogging contest! I was really bad about not checking my seoulfoodgirl e-mail and I found out that I won 3rd place in the contest several months afterwards!

Korea Taste Spring 2011 blogging contest.

Thank you so much if you voted for me, I really enjoyed writing about Korean food and I hope to compete in upcoming contests! Since I am now back in California getting my Master in Education for TESOL I will have the opportunity to write about more Korean food restaurants around San Diego and Los Angeles. Korean food in Los Angeles is among the best because of its high population of Korean residents. They even have their own district known as Koreatown.  There are also many Korean restaurants in San Diego found off Convoy St.

Above is a picture of my award letter and prize! The beautiful mother of pearl plate is a great remembrance of  my time spent in Korea! If you are going to participate in a blogging contest please let me know and I will make a post on my blog to help promote you!


안녕히 가세요!

 -Marie

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Homemade Halloween costumes: Bethany Hamilton costume, shark costume, hippy costume

Making your own Bethany Hamilton/shark victim costume is easier than it seems. Be a Seoul Surfer for Halloween!

You can also do a less scary version by tucking your arm in your shirt.

After a few thousand searches for "3 blind mice costumes" which was on my Halloween in Korea post in 2010, I've decided to publish another post about homemade Halloween costumes. This year I celebrated Halloween in Los Angeles and made two Halloween costumes. 

Trace your hand for a perfect fake bloody arm for the shark.

The second costume I made was for Bethany Hamilton. Bethany, if you are reading this you are amazing! I grew up surfing in San Diego, California and you are an inspiration. To make a Bethany Hamilton costume or a shark victim costume you will need to find an old surfboard. I had an abandoned one laying around. To cut the shark bite into the surfboard you need to find old gardening shears. I found that jabbing them into the board made cool shark-like indents. Next you need to make a mangled arm. I made a full-sized arm that went into my boyfriend’s shark costume’s mouth which he bought online. I also made a small “nub” for my arm which was bitten off. First trace your arm on cardboard. Cut out the arm shape, and then apply cardboard and paper to make it 3 dimensional. Once it looks like a real arm you must cover it with paper mache. To make paper mache just use a bunch of glue mixed with water and dip the newspaper into the liquid before covering the cardboard arm. After it dries, you may paint the arm and “nub” with acrylic paint and use watercolors to make a dripping blood effect!

Next paper mache the hand.

The Bethany Hamilton/Shark costume is great for couples. The boyfriend can be the shark and the girlfriend can be the victim. Since Korea loves couples outfits, you will fit right in while stealing the show. My costume won 1^st place for the scariest costume contest at a Halloween party we attended in Los Angeles! This year Seoul Surfer came out and touched the hearts of everyone. Many people didn’t know that I was trying to be Bethany Hamilton and just referred to me as the Soul Surfer girl.

Good luck with your costume! If you replicate one of these please send me pictures and I will post them!

Paint the arm and nub with acrylic paint.

Cut a shark bit into a surfboard using giant sheers.

Other members at the costume party.

Take old white shirts and paint a peace sign!

The first night my boyfriend and I went out in a homemade hippy costume. If you want to keep your Halloween very cheap this is an easy option. I took two old white t-shirts and painted giant peace signs on the front using acrylic paint. You can use any colors you want, but I found that smearing neon pink, yellow, and blue together made the best effect. Then find an old vest that you have and throw it on over the shirt. Take any fabric and wrap it around your head covering the middle of your forehead. And finally find some weird jewelry lying around and throw it all on. If you have white pants or linen pants they will also add to the “hippy effect.” Seoul will love your hippy costume when you complete it by raising your hand and giving a big piece sign. 

  If you have any questions or comments about "Homemade Halloween costumes: Bethany Hamilton costume, shark costume, hippy costume" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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The Seoul Subway Song has changed but will always be remembered thanks to 마익흘

Michael Aronson won the 10 magazine contest with his hit video.

   Michael 마익흘 Aronson is the latest You Tube sensation with over 2,458,660 hits on his music videos. Some of his videos are parody's based on famous songs such as Hanson's "MMMBop" and creating some of his own unique raps incorporating famous places and activities in Korea.

   The Korean subway song above is one of my personal favorites! Days before I left Korea, they had changed the subway song on Line 1 in Jongno. So watching this video brings back good memories of riding the Seoul subway system. I'm sure many Koreans and expats alike will appreciate this video to keep the old subway song alive.

   The Korea Joongang Daily says that Aronson created the videos to submit in a contest for promoting Korea through 10 magazine. Aronson won first place out of 42 entries submitted to the contest and his You Tube videos have spread across Korea and are a favorite among the expat community in Korea.

   The well known subway tune in Aronson's hit video The Korean Subway Song has sadly been replaced.  Seoul Sounds has a clip of the New ‘fanfare’ announcement that is currently being used on all Seoul Metro subway lines (Lines 1,2,3,4). 

    Another one of Aronson's hits is in the clip below. His parody on Hanson's "MMBop" will make you die of laughter if you are familiar with the Korean treat Kimbap. In Korean, bap means rice and so there are many dishes that end in "bap" which is perfect for Michael Aronson's song. If you have left Korea already like myself, his songs are a great way to stay in tough with your Korean side!

If you have any questions or comments about "The Seoul Subway Song has changed but will always be remembered thanks to 마익흘 " please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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Take the Wine Train in Korea for the journey, not the wine

Two women on the Korean wine train enjoy playing games on board the train headed from Seoul to Koreans only winery in Yeongdong.

   Wine Korea offers an amazing cultural tour of the Korean countryside through wine. Hop on the Wine Train for an all day adventure with your friends or lover. Whether or not you are setting out on a romantic date or a booze train, guests of all backgrounds will truly enjoy their day being immersed into Korean culture.
    My man Paulo flew in from Los Angeles during the coldest Korean winter in history to join me on the tour. We arrived at Seoul Station on a Saturday morning in January completely exhausted because of the early departure. The train boards its passengers at 8:55am. You may choose between 2 cars on board: Red/White Wine Passenger Car: KRW 85,000 or Ginseng/Medicinal Herb Passenger Car: KRW 80,000. We went for the more expensive car the Red/White car which seemed to be more VIP in overall nature of the tour. The 5,000 won increase in comparison to the Ginseng car is a small price to pay when you see the comfortable interior of the train.

    So what are you going to do on a 12 hour wine train tour? 

A strange platter of Western food on board the train.

First you will enjoy a fun and wine filled journey to Yeongdong. The DJ/host in your train will provide a variety of games for entertainment during the train ride. Several of the games involved popping balloons, using smiley face stickers to attach your table members and the Korean version of rock,paper,scissors. Prizes are awarded for the game winners. The games were fun, however they were all conducted in Korean. Nothing was in English the entire trip, which resulted in a lot of laughing, staring and use of the word waygooken (foreigner). I actually recommend going without a foreigner group because the experience of dancing, drunk, adjumas (old women) was so enjoyable! Most of the wine was unbearable, so we stuck to the white wine which was kind of like a bitter version of Chardonnay.

The all you can drink wine doesn't have the best quality.

Once you get to Yeongdong and have a good buzz, you will board a short bus ride to Wine Korea for lunch. The food is a buffet set up of average Korean/fusion food. Overall, I would give the lunch rating a C. Pasta, Korean food, salad and cake are not my favorite combinations.You can have access to giant barrels of wine and drink as much as you want before re-boarding the bus for your next stop.
    After lunch there are a few stops at several cultural attractions. I really enjoyed this portion of the tour and my man Paulo loved learning how to play traditional Korean music. This took place at the Nangye Educational Center for Korean Classical Music Instruments. We heard professionals play music first and then all guests were provided with their own drums and were given a 30 minute music lesson.

Learning how to play Korean drums was awesome.

  From the educational center we walked across the street to see a colossus drum and spend time in a small museum. There were also bows and arrows for those to shoot that were less interested in the museum.
The next stop takes you to an amazing underground tunnel which serves as an old wine cellar for Wine Korea. Because all of the signs were in Korean and the guides only spoke Korean, I was unable to learn the exact details of the tunnel.

A group enjoying the wine foot bath.

Finally, you will get the chance to sit back and relax as you stick your feet into boiling hot baths of wine water. The water was too hot for me and took a while to ease into! You will also make wine soap during this portion of the tour. This all takes black back at the Wine Korea location where it will end with a tour of the private wine cellar and gift shop.
Don't worry the party isn't over yet. You will head back to Seoul playing plenty of games and relaxing as a sweet Korean guy plays music on his guitar and sings to you. During this time, my train was getting wild with the DJ and all of the adjumas and adjoosis (old women and men) were out of their seats dancing.

By the end of the tour my car had plenty of wine for the day as they danced wildly on the train!

A peek inside of the Korea wine cellar cave.

The tour takes 12 hours round trip from Seoul Station and is well worth the price for transportation, all you can drink wine, and food throughout the entire day. Play the foreigner card, and you will probably end up with a free bottle of wine to take home with you at the end of the day!  Depending on the weather and time of year the Wine Train has different versions of its tours. It may subsitute the music and underground tunnel portions of 4 and 5 above for a stop at the Geumsan Ginseng Town.
Foreigners do not have to pay in advance, but they must call Tel: 02-3149-3333 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) to book their tickets! Use the Korea Tourism Org's Website for more help in booking your trip!

 

Graphics on the outside of one of the Wine Train cars.

Excited passengers on the Korea Wine Train!

Outside of the winery on a snowy day. 

Inside the soap making room. My group failed so I won't show our soap!

A massive Korean drum outside of the music center.

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  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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