Slowly roasting yourself alive has never really appealed to me but having heard good things about the highly popular family saunas (Jjimjilbang) in South Korea I decided to give it a try on the Wednesday evening.
N.b. All the photos in this post were found on Google
Upon arrival you are given light cloth uniforms (blue for boys, pink for girls) which you get changed into then head for the general relaxation area where you’ll see both young and old lounging around on the wooden floor watching TV, playing games and some just having a nap. Off the main area there are various hot and cold rooms of varying temperatures, from the mild to the extreme, as I was soon to be made painfully aware.
Unwanted attention!
Starting of in a 30 degree room lined with reflective foil tiles it seemed fairly pleasant, just like a hot summers day, but this was just the warm up. After about 10 minutes I moved into a 60 degree brick built room shaped like a conical furnace and was immediately hit by the intense heat. Now I could see why they give you a small towel to mop your forehead with! The people around me seemed to be far more accustomed to this; some were lying down seemingly asleep while others were sitting around having a chat with their friends and families. After about 15 minutes I decided it was time to get out (before I passed out) and headed for the marble-lined cool room. When I was feeling a back to normal I had a wander around and explored some of the other rooms, one full of salt, another lined with sweet smelling pine tree logs and an “oxygen” room which I assume had higher O2 levels. It was then that I noticed a small door in the corner of the main area…
Photo by jasonunbound
Looking more like a dungeon than a sauna this room was dimly lit and I was well informed that it was kept somewhere between 80 to 90 deg C!! Figuring that I had to try it at least once I ventured cautiously inside. To say it was hot would be an understatement, it was suffocatingly burning hot. I instantly felt my heart rate increase and the beads of sweat began forming like some sort of strange unavoidable osmosis. The natives were clearly finding my feeble presence amusing, especially when I turned my towel into a sheep head. I’m rather glad I couldn’t understand what they were saying in this instance! 5 minutes of this torture was enough so I swiftly headed for the ice room which was a welcome relief!
After all this I felt surprisingly relaxed and refreshed which I’m sure is why many Koreans visit them frequently, some even treating them like a second home (they are open 247). Read more about them here which includes details of the best in Seoul.
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After a pretty intense beginning to my travels Wednesday was a little more relaxed - I ventured south again to the Seoul’s main tributary, the majestic Han River. As rivers go the Han is very broad at over 1km wide but only 514km long and was historically used as a trade route to China before the country was divided. Today river traffic is mostly limited to tour boats and to that end I took a 1 hour ferry round-trip which was pleasant but rather unremarkable for what could be seen along the river banks (mostly high rise apartments). It probably would have been better to go at night when you can see Seoul on in all its neon glory.
Along the rivers northern edge is a cycle path so for a nominal fee (3000 won / £1.50) I hired a bicycle (a tandem no less!) and spent another hour “speeding” along trying to avoid the Tour de France professional-looking types and generally stay upright at the same time as taking photos! It was a bit hard going as the wind was blowing a fair gale but coming back I had more of a chance to appreciate the ride and bask in being on the opposite side of the world from the stresses of my usual routine.
One of the buildings you can’t help but notice is the striking 63 City skyscraper (photo top, interior above), once the tallest building in Asia for a short time, it stands out because of its gold reflective glass windows. I’ll leave you to guess how many floors it has! Whilst the building is primarily office space there are a number of attractions for visitors including an aquarium, observation deck and IMAX cinema. The lobby has a stylish interior with cool lighting that gradually changes color and huge plasma screens embedded in the walls.
On the ground floor of 63 City there is a particularly good up-market food court (more expensive restaurants are higher up) where I enjoyed some tasty Bibimbap, a popular Korean meal which consists of a bowl of warm white rice topped with sautéed and seasoned vegetables, beef, a fried egg, and chili pepper. You stir the the ingredients together thoroughly just before eating. A delicious and nutritious meal which I will definitely try to learn to cook when I have time.
Also on the ground floor is the extensive Sea World aquarium with all sorts of exotic aquatic life, including these rather sad looking penguins. I always have mixed feelings about keeping animals in cages, especially when all they can do is wander round in circles, it’s a bit of a pitiful experience. At least the occupants here seemed to be well looked after and in good condition; the sea lions even appeared to enjoy putting on their little display.
After this I took a bus back to central Seoul and had korean pizza for dinner, which for those who are wondering is remarkably similar to “western” pizza but in this case had the addition of prawns!
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Lotte World, opened in 1989, is South Korea’s home grown answer to Disney Land and shares with it many of the same iconic themes to the degree that you have to wonder how they get away with it. The one big difference is that most of the theme park is housed indoors in an enormous enclosure making it the largest of its type in the world (ranked 7th overall worldwide for attendance). Whilst I can’t admit to being a huge fan of theme parks I do like some of the more extreme rides so on my first full day in Seoul I hopped on the subway and headed over to Jamsil to see what all the fuss was about.
First impressions: This place is off the scale for audacious design, it’s simply massive. With its own ice rink in the centre, monorail and “hot air” balloons travelling around the ceiling amidst the various themed sections and rides you can’t help but be impressed. My friend claims that the car park for the entire complex (including hotel and shopping mall) has over 50,000 spaces but I can’t help but think this is a little exaggerated!
The rides indoors are a bit of a mixed bag, most are quite enjoyable if a little tame for my tastes - the more extreme ones can be found in the outdoor “Magic Island” section of the park where favourites include Atlantis, Gyro Drop and the Gyro Swing, read on after the break for video’s 
Just as we were about to board the ride car of Atlantis, an Intamin AG Aqua Trax coaster (the only one of its type in the world), my friend casually noted that someone had been killed on the very same ride a couple of years ago really putting me at ease. I figured at a cost of $30m and being Swiss engineered it should probably be safe by now!
Photo by bweisner
Overall a fun day out, made even more amusing by the sickly couples here who go around wearing matching outfits (see top photo) and the comical double hand waves of the staff (see here and here) who must all be suffering from RSI by now!
Continue reading ‘Lotte World’
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On Sunday night a devastating fire destroyed the 610 year-old Namdaemun “Great South Gate” in Seoul, South Korea [video]. Luckily no one was hurt but it’s sad to hear that the blaze may be have been started on purpose. The loss is even more painful as gate was the countries no. 1 national treasure and one of the few to survive foreign invasions. The Cultural Heritage Administration has said that it will take at least three years to restore at an estimated cost of $21 million.
I feel somewhat lucky to have visited Namdaemun last September when I was in South Korea and took a number of photos of the magnificent structure with its colourful paintings on the underside. What struck me was its isolation, surrounded by the towering skyscrapers of modern Seoul making it even more of a landmark.
No doubt people will be pointing the finger of blame over the disaster but no amount of postulating is going to bring it back…
Update (12/02): Looks like an angry old man with a history of arson was responsible. “Chae”, 69, had already been convicted in 2006 of trying to set fire to Changgyeonggung Royal Palace after some sort of land compensation dispute. He is now in police custody.
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