Korean Ryan Gets Naked

(I've ditched the "Korean Ryan" tags, but I think I'll resurrect them for this post).

I've been to Jim-jill-baangs before, but I've never slept in one before.

My trip to Seoul was pretty simple. No complicated haggling. No rushing to do things. I was just there to relax and show the new guy around.

The crazyiness started on the train to Seoul. A self-proclaimed "extrovert" started a conversation with us. Right off the bat, he began giving us relationship advice. He had been married for 13 years, and he told us how to keep a marriage together. He showed us the book he was reading on different personality types in relationships. And then he told us that he was on the way to Seoul to visit his girlfriend (which I'm sure helped the relationship with his wife somehow).

We went directly from the train station to Kyobo book store to meet my friend Rachel. Rachel moved to Seoul about a month and a half ago, and this was the first time I had seen her since the move. I used to work with her and got to know her pretty well in our 6 months together at Swaton. I didn't really realize how much I missed her until I actually saw her, and now that we've gone our seperate ways again, I already feel like planning another trip to Seoul. She's one of the most interesting, sincere, and kind Korean people that I've met. I'm really happy to know her. She alone will always make me think fondly of Korea.

From the book store (and after some Korean tea that smelled like spinich), we headed to Namdaemoon Market. This is, supposedly, the biggest market in Korea. I was pretty unimpressed, though. There was a lot of the same kind of stuff--the same kind of stuff you can buy anywere in Korea. I did get a good deal on some shirts, but it wasn't anything special.

What was special was the dinner we had afterward. We went to this upscale Indian restaurant in Insadong, the traditional area of Seoul. It was by a wide margin the best food I've had since I've been in Korea. It made the fact that the bill for the three of us was nearly $100 okay.

After dinner we planned to go to Itaewon. I didn't really want to go. Itaewon is the foreigner district in Seoul. It's populated mostly by soldiers and hookers. It's the only place in Korea that I feel unsafe walking down the street.

Rachel helped us find a place to stay, and then had to head home. Our good-bye was a little tense: I really wanted to hug her good-bye or show her some affection Western-style. She's a good friend, and if we were in the US, a hug would be entirely appropriate and probably expected. But I've never seen friends hug here, only parents hugging kids. I don't think it would be appropriate--as much as I really, really wanted to.

Dan and I had a few beers before we headed back to our place. While we sat in the bar, my impression of Itaewon was solidified. A woman who tried to rope us into coming into a strip club walked up and down the street in front of the bar and tried to rope in other guys. A Korean man grabbed a soldier's butt, and when the soldier laughed, he tried to grab the front side too (to which the soldier didn't take very kindly). Two westerners got into a pretend fight that was mostly posturing for about ten minutes and then hugged and became friends. And everyone was, of course, drunk and looking for a girl to go home with. Itaewon might be the most western part of Korea, but it's all the bad things about western culture with none of the good things. It's alcoholism and casual sex and exploitation and racism packed into one tight little 5 block area.

And that's where we stayed the night: in a Jim-jill-baang in Itaewon. I didn't even know you could stay over at the saunas: I had noticed the sleeping areas, but I thought they were for napping, not for staying the whole night.

The sleep I got wasn't great. The sleep area is a two teered row of little cubes. Inside the cubes is a hard heated floor and a wooden pillow. It's supposed to be good for your back, but it's hard to sleep like that. Luckily, there's plenty else in the saunas to relax you.

This morning, I got up and took a shower, then relaxed in a hot tub for a while. The place also has massage parlors, hair dressing, and all sorts of stuff just to relax. It's all communal and most of the stuff is co-ed, only the naked parts are segregated. I did take advantage of the restaurant for my breakfast, and then came up to the computer rooms (on the fifth floor of the complex) to write this. One great thing about jim-jill-baangs is that they're only 10,000 won (about $10) for as long as you want to stay. The uncomfortable bed was worth the price offset.

I still have another day in Seoul before heading home, but I think the best is over. Pictures coming soon.

R