24 May 2022
Other side of the tower
Walking through Itaewon
Eleven years ago I came to Korea for the first time, went to Itaewon, ate taco bell. That was a mistake.
Today I went to Itaewon, and ate nothing. It is all bars and clubs, and Russians. Lots of Russian tourists wandering around, normally with babies and a huge husband yelling, carrying lots of shopping.
I guess they could be Ukrainian refugees, but I doubt it! So are Russians allowed to enter Korea at the moment? Lets find out. The K-Eta page which is the tourism visa that is not a visa thing I had to get, lists Russians OK to enter for tourism. The Ukraine is not on the list. So there you go. Korea loves Putin.
Itaewon used to be for US troops as there was a base nearby, right in the middle of Seoul. I think the base is gone, but the street is still where all the bars and nightclubs for foreigners are. It has what is advertised as an international food street, but its nothing but bars and clubs and lounges and etc.
Actual normal food places that did not have a highball 8 drink minimum or whatever were few and far between, so since I also did not want to get up in the club or down on the floor, I retreated back to Myeongdong.
Oh yeah, tomorrow, new city, Suwon.
The view back towards the Seoul tower from here is quite nice. I caught the subway but had I not already done too much feet related activities today, I would have walked over the hill.
The main street is not where the action is, it is all the little streets up the hill.
None the less, here is the main street. I stood in traffic that drives on the wrong side of the road to take this shot, risky.
Time to head back up some alleyways and see whats going down at 6pm on a Tuesday night.
Not much was going on, not even at the strangely named 'dead mans fingers'.
I could have had my dinner at eggslut, however its just an expensive burger joint. I am assuming the place is named after the woman on the poster.
Back in Myeongdong and clearly I have selected the wrong hotel. This one has robots at the check in desk.
And as is often the case, last photo of the day is my dinner, it is cubes of beef under the egg, rice, salad, pickled things. Very good, but a lot.