Fun in Seoul

There is plenty to do in Seoul and recently I spent a weekend hopping around the downtown area to check out the sights on a rainy but entertaining day - proving it is an all-weather city.
Awakening to grey skies, I enjoyed a sweet pastry breakfast and coffee, then headed the bus from Cheongju to Seoul with a friend and her nephew. Arriving at the Seoul bus terminal we hitched a subway to Itaewon and the Namsan area and a then a bus to the base of N Tower.

Despite the rain there were still plenty of people making the hike up the hill to the tower and upon arrival stumbled into a boy-band show, complete with screaming fans in see-through ponchos. Before entering the elevator up the tower, we and the other visitors were treated to a psychedelic light show and then herded onto the lift in droves.
The ceiling of the elevator includes a cinematic show giving the feeling of floating through space. Once at the top it became evident how high we actually were, not from the spectacular view but from the fact we were up in the clouds. This did make the views of the city a little disappointing as we could only see half way as what is normal. But we could still see the expanse of the traditional village and Itaewon through the business district and Hongdae.
In a way being up in the clouds was a special magic of its own and there was plenty of fun playing with the binoculars and sending a postcard from Seoul's highest post office. What is also fun about the tower is the windows have locations from around the world printed on them with the distance they are from where you are standing - 9,500 kms from home it tells me.

Back on the bus and a cab into Itaewon - the foreigner district - for lunch. We picked Johnny Dumpling, one of the more famous mandu places in Seoul. It was a typically small place but the food was amazing. We had two orders of soup and half fried, half steamed, pork and seafood dumplings. It was fantastic with the flavours of both steam and the fry pan being something I had not tried before but quickly became my new favourite thing.

Back out into the rain and another cab for the trip through downtown and to one of Seoul's most popular and well-known attractions the National Folk Museum. First stop was the cafe for a cup of coffee before catching the afternoon performance. These are put on each Saturday and change each week so there is always something different when visitors attend.
The one we caught was put on and choreographed by Ahn Gwiho who is the leader of the Chum Yi-Eum Dance Troupe. This performance gave asampling of different style of Korean dance from wonderfully colourful fan dances to classic forms and the humorous scholar's dance. The whole performance was deeply mesmerizing and was designed to give a sampling of the different styles of dance from around Korea. From classical and more contemporary works I think you would be hard pressed to find a better cross-section of traditional dance. Twirling hanbok to beautiful peonies all combined to really make this show something special.
The museum itself offers insight into the many directions Korea has taken over the centuries and can easily chew through a couple of hours of walking time. But what is most fascinating is the grounds around the museum. The building itself has a six-story temple stacked on top of it, recreated in the 1960s to resemble parts of existing buildings from around the country.

As with many things in Korea some of these no longer exist or have been rebuilt during its tumultuous history. The grounds also feature art and buildings brought in from around the country relevant to its history. A wander around here offers insight into current architecture based on the old-style homes present throughout.
Next was off to Chungcheongno for a showing of Nanta. Now Nanta is without a doubt Korea's most successful stage show, having showed in 43 countries more than 25,000 times since it opened in 1997 and currently plays three full-time locations around Seoul. So it's a must-see when in Korea and a point of pride.
Nanta, also appeared globally under the English name Cookin', is difficult describe but it is certainly one of the most entrtaining things I have ever seen in my life. Using every kitchen utensil imaginable and real food, the crew bang through an hour and a half of music, comedy and fun in this hilarious stage show. It follows a basic plot about a kitchen staff having just one hour to prepare an entire wedding feast. Everything from skillets to the bulgogi itself becomes musical and audience interaction is encouraged. There's plenty of laughs and heaps of fun with this show and I have definitely recommended it to many of my friends. After the show it was dinner time at the restaurant down stairs and we enjoyed a huge pot of extra spicy beef rib - straight off the bone. It was one of the best dishes I have eaten in Korea and also one of the hottest.
Saying goodbye to my campanions I headed on the subway to Itaewon once again to Bar Americano - a hot spot for foreigners which often features live music and reasonably priced drinks. I caught a performance from a number of acoustic musicians and a friend of mine Skizzo - a native Hawaiian who raps in Korean and beat boxes - check him out here; http://www.youtube.com/qklilx