There are 7 slow cities in South Korea and 4 of them are in South Jeolla Province. These cities work hard at staying true to their culture and roots by doing things the hard way. They're small cities resisting globalization.
This weekend I took my second trip to this "slow city" in South Jeolla Province. I made the trip, which was about 70km from Gwangju. We made our way on a Sunday afternoon to this "slow city". We made our way to a local swimming hole. I call it a local swimming hole because it's actually very small and only deep in certain places.
The swimming hole is right near the Slow City tourism office. We arrived at about 4 o'clock and there were still plenty of people there. We found a spot on the rocky beach and jumped right in. The hole is actually part of a small river. The river is surrounded by trees on one side and a rocky beach on the other. It's a very beautiful and refreshing river surrounded by Korean mountains. The best thing is that it's not for tourists. It's just a local beach where you go, have a picnic, a few beers and some soju. There are a lot of families swimming and most people are very kind and interested in the strange foreigner. It's not uncommon to have them float up to you to try their English because they haven't seen many foreigners.
After an afternoon of swimming we drove about 30 minutes to one of my friend's parents house. It's a beautiful rural area full of rice paddies, vegetable fields, and COWS! It was my first time seeing Korean cows. The cows here are the Hanwoo breed. It's my first time seeing this kind of cattle and I'm from a small town where there are more cows than people. I was happy to see that farming here in Korea is very similar to back home. The farmers house is a little more messy than most and dirt isn't really that dirty. It's just like back home. They're also very friendly and very community oriented people.
Anyways, we arrived at the house to find that we would be eating beef for dinner. I was in bliss. In Korea, beef is extremely expensive so we don't eat it very often and we eat it in small amounts. However, we enjoyed copious amounts of grilled beef. We also had side dishes provided by Charles' mom.
After dinner, we went to Charles' home to wash up and relax. They had just built a new home and it was absolutely beautiful. It was a beautiful stone house with a completely wooden interior. It had a chandelier in the living room along with a HD big screen TV with quality I had yet to seen. There were 3 bedrooms and a Korean style sleeping room upstairs. They also have an older traditional Korean style house behind their new house and next to the barns where grandmother lives.
We spent the night playing punishment games and taking a walk along the river and beach. While on the beach, even though it was 12am, there were tons of people. There was a family fishing, friends drinking, couples walking, and even some sleeping in the pagodas. We had a beer and played basketball and some other sporty games. After a while we made our way home and settled down for the night in the big Korean room. There were 10 of us all sleeping on the floor. It was just like those shows on TV.
In the morning we had a traditional Korean breakfast consiting of rice, seawead soup, and a bunch of side dishes. It was fantastic. After lazing about for a while watching TV and chatting with the family we made our way back to Gwangju. On the drive home we saw some of the green tea fields that Boseong is famous for. It looked very pretty. The tea fields are grown on the steep side of a mountain in lines. It's the only break in the forests that cover all the mountains here.
I think that the next trip will have to be to Boseong to visit the green tea fields so I can spend a little more time admiring the sights. Boseong is also near the ocean so it can be a beach trip as well.
Overall, the trip was a success and I highly recommend this trip as a nice escape from the summer heat and a break from the crowded and salty beaches in the south.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
What to Pack for Korea
First off, let's talk about luggage requirements by the airlines. As of mid-2011, you are allowed only 1 50 pound checked bags on most airlines, excluding Korean Air and Asiana Air, which happen to be the most expensive airlines. You'll have to check witht he airlines for actual prices for an extra bag, but when I flew Delta, I had to pay $70 for my second checked bag. Just remember that most airlines don't have a weight requirement for your checked bag and you're also allowed to carry on a purse or a laptop bag. So, choose wisely what you will bring. So, now onto what you'll want to pack.
For the most part, you can buy almost everything here unless you are a larger size in anything. That includes: underwear, bras, pants, shorts, shirts, coats, shoes, etc.
Shoes:
For the ladies who have a shoe size over a size 8/8.5 you need to bring shoes because they won't sell your size. Even around that size is difficult. You'll need tennis shoes and a seperate pair reserved only for the gym if you workout. You'll also need some slippers/slip on flip-flops, public schools and some others you'll need these for indoor shoes. You'll also need some nice shoes and some everyday shoes. Some for summer and winter. (Korea has 4 seasons.)
Underwear:
Panties won't be that difficult to find unless you're a larger size. However, bras are very difficult to find. If you're a C or bigger, you're S.O.L.! So, bring enough for a whole year. And if you wash them in the washing machine, you'll need to bring extra because these machines are harsh.
Pants:
Size 6 and down should be ok for bottoms. 8 and up, you'll need to bring a year supply of bottoms. Don't forget shorts for summer, capris for fall and spring, and also shorts for working out in or sleeping in.
Shirts:
Koreans have a very small bone structure so fitted shirts are difficult to fit into. Also, don't be offended when you go to try on a shirt and they tell you no. A lot of the time it's because we have bigger boobs and they don't want us to stretch them out.
Coats:
As far as coats are concerned, you'll need a heavy winter coat and a lighter coat for the inbetween weather. A few sweatshirts or zip-ups wouldn't hurt either.
Other necessities:
Tampons: You can find some small boxes here now but they're not as readily available as they are in the states. So, I suggest you bring a giant box of your favorite brand. Koreans love pads!
Toothpaste: Korean water doesn't have flouride and you really shouldn't drink it. And their toothpaste isn't my favorite. I can tolerate 2080 but that's about it. I would suggest bringing a couple tubes of your favorite brand. I like Crest Extra Whiting Mint flavored.
Makeup: Bring double your makeup. Korean makeup tends to be more expensive and you don't really know the brands. If you don't have a preference then don't waste the space.
DEODERANT: STOCK UP!! They barely sell any here and it's tiny spray bottles and they're very expensive. So, you need almost a year supply of this stuff.
Shaving supplies: If you don't mind using men's razors and shaving cream don't worry about it. But Koreans aren't as hairy and they don't really have a lot for women. So bring extra razors and shaving cream.
Spices / Food: Korea doesn't really have many spices. So, if you cook you'll definately need them. You'll be able to get salt and pepper and maybe some tumeric and some other random things. But you'll need most everything else. Taco seasoning, mac&cheese, hidden valley ranch packets (Korea doesn't have ranch dressing), oatmeal, etc. You're parents, friends, or relatives can send this later for a care package.
Others:
You'll just need a travel size of showering supplies. And for basic needs to last until you go shopping. A towel just in case your apartment doesn't have one yet. Having a shower right away after all the travel is needed, especially to relax. If you have no towel, it makes for a cranky start to Korea. I suggest bringing pictures, not just for you to look at but also to show other people and also to make your home more homey. Some books to read and also some movies.
Laptop:
Laptop = life here in Korea. It's your way to stay connected to home. You can make skype calls to ease the homesickness, watch movies, facebook, etc. You will become sick of watching TV that you can't understand so you'll want to watch stuff on your computer. Just remember when you're watching movies that you can only reset your laptop to different DVD regions a certain amount of times. So, you'll want to download a program that will allow you to watch any region of DVD's. Mine is now stuck on American DVD's (region 1) where my friend's is stuck on Korean (region 3). I also use my laptop in my classroom every day.
If You Have Room:
Bring some fun games for your kids. A deck of playing cars, catch phrase, or some other games depending on the age you teach. Twister for little kids is great.
F.Y.I.
Koreans are always dressed up, it seems. Going out they dress up, going shopping they look nice, and even just walking around they look nice. So, pack more of you nice clothes vs. your crappy jeans and comphy t-shirt.
Just bring some money to buy some of the extra things that you didn't bring. You don't get paid to the end of the month. So, you need money to last the month for food, drinks, and those extra supplies! Just think about what you absolutely can't live without, and pack it!
For the most part, you can buy almost everything here unless you are a larger size in anything. That includes: underwear, bras, pants, shorts, shirts, coats, shoes, etc.
Shoes:
For the ladies who have a shoe size over a size 8/8.5 you need to bring shoes because they won't sell your size. Even around that size is difficult. You'll need tennis shoes and a seperate pair reserved only for the gym if you workout. You'll also need some slippers/slip on flip-flops, public schools and some others you'll need these for indoor shoes. You'll also need some nice shoes and some everyday shoes. Some for summer and winter. (Korea has 4 seasons.)
Underwear:
Panties won't be that difficult to find unless you're a larger size. However, bras are very difficult to find. If you're a C or bigger, you're S.O.L.! So, bring enough for a whole year. And if you wash them in the washing machine, you'll need to bring extra because these machines are harsh.
Pants:
Size 6 and down should be ok for bottoms. 8 and up, you'll need to bring a year supply of bottoms. Don't forget shorts for summer, capris for fall and spring, and also shorts for working out in or sleeping in.
Shirts:
Koreans have a very small bone structure so fitted shirts are difficult to fit into. Also, don't be offended when you go to try on a shirt and they tell you no. A lot of the time it's because we have bigger boobs and they don't want us to stretch them out.
Coats:
As far as coats are concerned, you'll need a heavy winter coat and a lighter coat for the inbetween weather. A few sweatshirts or zip-ups wouldn't hurt either.
Other necessities:
Tampons: You can find some small boxes here now but they're not as readily available as they are in the states. So, I suggest you bring a giant box of your favorite brand. Koreans love pads!
Toothpaste: Korean water doesn't have flouride and you really shouldn't drink it. And their toothpaste isn't my favorite. I can tolerate 2080 but that's about it. I would suggest bringing a couple tubes of your favorite brand. I like Crest Extra Whiting Mint flavored.
Makeup: Bring double your makeup. Korean makeup tends to be more expensive and you don't really know the brands. If you don't have a preference then don't waste the space.
DEODERANT: STOCK UP!! They barely sell any here and it's tiny spray bottles and they're very expensive. So, you need almost a year supply of this stuff.
Shaving supplies: If you don't mind using men's razors and shaving cream don't worry about it. But Koreans aren't as hairy and they don't really have a lot for women. So bring extra razors and shaving cream.
Spices / Food: Korea doesn't really have many spices. So, if you cook you'll definately need them. You'll be able to get salt and pepper and maybe some tumeric and some other random things. But you'll need most everything else. Taco seasoning, mac&cheese, hidden valley ranch packets (Korea doesn't have ranch dressing), oatmeal, etc. You're parents, friends, or relatives can send this later for a care package.
Others:
You'll just need a travel size of showering supplies. And for basic needs to last until you go shopping. A towel just in case your apartment doesn't have one yet. Having a shower right away after all the travel is needed, especially to relax. If you have no towel, it makes for a cranky start to Korea. I suggest bringing pictures, not just for you to look at but also to show other people and also to make your home more homey. Some books to read and also some movies.
Laptop:
Laptop = life here in Korea. It's your way to stay connected to home. You can make skype calls to ease the homesickness, watch movies, facebook, etc. You will become sick of watching TV that you can't understand so you'll want to watch stuff on your computer. Just remember when you're watching movies that you can only reset your laptop to different DVD regions a certain amount of times. So, you'll want to download a program that will allow you to watch any region of DVD's. Mine is now stuck on American DVD's (region 1) where my friend's is stuck on Korean (region 3). I also use my laptop in my classroom every day.
If You Have Room:
Bring some fun games for your kids. A deck of playing cars, catch phrase, or some other games depending on the age you teach. Twister for little kids is great.
F.Y.I.
Koreans are always dressed up, it seems. Going out they dress up, going shopping they look nice, and even just walking around they look nice. So, pack more of you nice clothes vs. your crappy jeans and comphy t-shirt.
Just bring some money to buy some of the extra things that you didn't bring. You don't get paid to the end of the month. So, you need money to last the month for food, drinks, and those extra supplies! Just think about what you absolutely can't live without, and pack it!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Boryeong Mud Festival 2011
Every year, Boryeong, South Korea puts on one of Korea's greatest festivals, known as Mud Festival! This year it was held July 15th - 24th. Even though this is my second year in Korea, it was my first Mud Festival. Our English/Korean study group decided to make a big trip out of it.
We met early Saturday morning just outside U-Square and took three cars up to Boryeong. The drive was only 2 hours and uneventful. We were jittery in anticipation for what was to come. First, we stopped off at our pension, which was just outside the city. Mostly everything is booked up in the city and overpriced during this event. Since we had drivers, it wasn't much of a hassle to stay 15 minutes outside the city.
The pension was decent. It had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, and the most important thing of all, an airconditioner!!! The fifteen of us dropped off our things, quickly changed and got right back in the car to make the most of Mud Fest 2011!!
It was really nice driving to Boryeong because there are no direct bus routes there but parking was a little difficult. So, we were dropped off and started the afternoon off with a beer and bubbles!! Admission to the mud park was 5,000 won and you could come and go as much as you wanted as long as you had your wristband on. There were two giant mud slides, a few mud wrestling pits, an obstacle course, a mud jail, tug of war, and some other things. The down side to everything was that the lines were extremely long and it was full of rude foreigners. There were beligerent drunks everywhere and they would cut in line, not leave when the time was up, and just be genuine ass-holes. However, after I had a few beers, I didn't care as much anymore.
We spent the day playing in the mud, running the the 7-11 to get beer, because it wasn't allowed in the mud park, and playing in the ocean. There was music and competitions going on all the while on the stage on the beach. There were also a lot of tents set up with food, souvineres, and mud products. There was also a station where you could pay money to get paited with different colored mud.
The park closed at 6pm and then we played a little more in the water and then headed out to the pension. After we were all showered and shiny, we cooked BBQ and played drinking games. We had a blast. Then we head out once again for the beach where there was music and fireworks. We also supplemented the fun with extra drinking games and relay races on the beach. Afterwards, we went back to the pension for more drinking games. At about 2am we decided we needed to dance. So, we went back down to the beach and went to a club. The club wasn't much, the drinks were expensive, and the people weren't cute. So, the boys left and the 3 of us girls stayed behind. We hung out with a group of Koreans and drank at the beach until 7:30. We grabbed a taxi and caught 2 hours of sleep.
The next morning we woke up, ate delicious ramen, got ready and went back to the beach. We decided to just spend it at the beach and not do the mud park. But there were mud sinks scattered all over the beach so you could still get muddy without going into the park. We played with the mud, played games in the water, did mud pictures, and just had an enjoyable afternoon. We took a 3,000 won shower at the beach and went to luch. We had grilled shellfish and BBQ. We polished off a bottle of vodka and a few bottles of soju. Then we went to the theme park and did the Nori-Zone ride. I was wearing a short skirt, not the best idea for this ride, and Jane was wearing a strapless jumper. So, during the ride, I flashed my hot pink underwear to everyone who was in the whole park and Jane flashed her bra because her shirt fell down. We were quite the duo.
At about 9:30 we decided to head back to Gwangju. I caught about 30 minutes of sleep in the car. After arriving in Gwangju, we proceded to drink soju and beer until about 4:30am. But, somehow, I found the willpower to make it to work the next day and teach all of my classes effectively!
The trip was very exciting, fun, and totally worth it. The only downsides were the crowds of drunks, everything was expensive, and I ended up getting 2nd degree sunburns! I spent about 200,000 won for Saturday and Sunday. But, I think it was worth it and will probably go back again next year. Except next year I want to try camping. Then I won't have to worry about driving home and can come and go as I please.
Boryeong Mud Festival = 8/10 and a Korean must do!!
We met early Saturday morning just outside U-Square and took three cars up to Boryeong. The drive was only 2 hours and uneventful. We were jittery in anticipation for what was to come. First, we stopped off at our pension, which was just outside the city. Mostly everything is booked up in the city and overpriced during this event. Since we had drivers, it wasn't much of a hassle to stay 15 minutes outside the city. The pension was decent. It had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, and the most important thing of all, an airconditioner!!! The fifteen of us dropped off our things, quickly changed and got right back in the car to make the most of Mud Fest 2011!!
We spent the day playing in the mud, running the the 7-11 to get beer, because it wasn't allowed in the mud park, and playing in the ocean. There was music and competitions going on all the while on the stage on the beach. There were also a lot of tents set up with food, souvineres, and mud products. There was also a station where you could pay money to get paited with different colored mud.
The park closed at 6pm and then we played a little more in the water and then headed out to the pension. After we were all showered and shiny, we cooked BBQ and played drinking games. We had a blast. Then we head out once again for the beach where there was music and fireworks. We also supplemented the fun with extra drinking games and relay races on the beach. Afterwards, we went back to the pension for more drinking games. At about 2am we decided we needed to dance. So, we went back down to the beach and went to a club. The club wasn't much, the drinks were expensive, and the people weren't cute. So, the boys left and the 3 of us girls stayed behind. We hung out with a group of Koreans and drank at the beach until 7:30. We grabbed a taxi and caught 2 hours of sleep.
The next morning we woke up, ate delicious ramen, got ready and went back to the beach. We decided to just spend it at the beach and not do the mud park. But there were mud sinks scattered all over the beach so you could still get muddy without going into the park. We played with the mud, played games in the water, did mud pictures, and just had an enjoyable afternoon. We took a 3,000 won shower at the beach and went to luch. We had grilled shellfish and BBQ. We polished off a bottle of vodka and a few bottles of soju. Then we went to the theme park and did the Nori-Zone ride. I was wearing a short skirt, not the best idea for this ride, and Jane was wearing a strapless jumper. So, during the ride, I flashed my hot pink underwear to everyone who was in the whole park and Jane flashed her bra because her shirt fell down. We were quite the duo.
At about 9:30 we decided to head back to Gwangju. I caught about 30 minutes of sleep in the car. After arriving in Gwangju, we proceded to drink soju and beer until about 4:30am. But, somehow, I found the willpower to make it to work the next day and teach all of my classes effectively!
The trip was very exciting, fun, and totally worth it. The only downsides were the crowds of drunks, everything was expensive, and I ended up getting 2nd degree sunburns! I spent about 200,000 won for Saturday and Sunday. But, I think it was worth it and will probably go back again next year. Except next year I want to try camping. Then I won't have to worry about driving home and can come and go as I please.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Letter From My Student
June 20th, 2011
Rose, age 9
So, I hope that all the other teachers or parents out there can have their moment like mine. That spark that validates your career and makes everything worth it.
Rose, age 9
Dear 쉐이나 teacher!!This was a letter from my 9 year old student Rose. She knows the basics of basics in English. Just from hello to when is your birthday. So, this letter is a huge accomplishment and magnificent. She told me she worked for two hours on this letter for me and asked her parents and teachers for help. She said she really wanted to make me happy. When I received this letter I almost cried. I've never felt so appreciated or loved my job more than at that moment. It's so funny how you can hate those little rascals 90% of the time but then they do something amazing that makes it worth it plus more.
Hello, teacher! How are you diong? I am rose! How tired you may be nowadays!! I think you must be very tired because of the students who are rude and bad in their behaviours. So, I write this letter to make you comfortable. Though I am not enough in everything now, I would like to learn all the subjects hard as possible. And I want to speak English with you longer than now. Till the day, cheer up for you and me!! Fighting!! Be careful for your health and stay healthy all the time, teacher I truly love you!!!
So, I hope that all the other teachers or parents out there can have their moment like mine. That spark that validates your career and makes everything worth it.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Surprising Children
I'd have to say that the Koreans I teach are the most uncreative children in the world. And this has everything to do with how they are raised. Their taught in school to memorize everything and not to think for themselves. They also go to school from morning until late in the evening, which leaves little time to play or enjoy themselves. Then, they also have to do their homework.
I think this is extremely detramental to their development. I don't know how many times I asked a question where they had to give me their opinion and they ask me what they should say. They're not used to thinking for themselves and have a hard time with problem solving if there isn't a specific formula for it.
How will they be able to function in society? Or will they just become mindless office drones?! But, the point I'm trying to make is every once in a while one will suprise you with a little deep thinking. It's extremely suprising that one of my 9 year olds (10 year old Korean) was able to come up with this and actually convey it perfectly in English.
I would be surprised getting this from and English speaking child but from a Korean is even more surprising. I guess I'll keep my eyes open for the next profound event I will witness from my students.
I think this is extremely detramental to their development. I don't know how many times I asked a question where they had to give me their opinion and they ask me what they should say. They're not used to thinking for themselves and have a hard time with problem solving if there isn't a specific formula for it.
How will they be able to function in society? Or will they just become mindless office drones?! But, the point I'm trying to make is every once in a while one will suprise you with a little deep thinking. It's extremely suprising that one of my 9 year olds (10 year old Korean) was able to come up with this and actually convey it perfectly in English.
"We lived in time. We meet other people with time. We can be late because of time. Anyway, who made time? When did time start? Twelve o'clock? One o'clock? A.M.? P.M.? I think somebody made it for people. Thank you for making time."
I would be surprised getting this from and English speaking child but from a Korean is even more surprising. I guess I'll keep my eyes open for the next profound event I will witness from my students.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Random Bliss
This past weekend was Memorial weekend in Korea. It's only a week behind ours in the US. So, I decided to live it up over the weekend. Well, it's not that different than normal besides the extra day. But what made this weekend memorable were the people I spent it with.
Friday night, I did the usual. Hung out with the usual crowd, went to the same places, and basically had a usual night. Saturday started out as ladies night and ended with everyone. This was the begining of the special weekend and confidence boost. Lately I have felt that life was getting too routine for me, boring, and just kinda blah. However, after Saturday, I feelt great. It was just a typical night. Got ready with the girls, went downtown, hung out and then went to Bubble Bar. Laura and I decided to buy a bottle of Absolute vodka for ourselves to celebrate out awesomeness and to save some money. We were just chillin by the bar, drinking, and dancing. Then a guy comes up to me to tell me how great I was. He said that out of everyone there, I stood out. He said that he could see how much fun I was and how great of a personality I had just by watching me. He said that he couldn't stop looking at my smile and listening to my laugh. (semi-gag) But, at that momement that's what I really needed to hear.
It's so weird how some random man, at a random time could flip my mood and give me the emotional boost that I had needed and craved. So, I finished the night happily and satisfied.
Sunday, because of the emotional boost, I decided to be brave and go out on a date alone. This is only my second real date. I only met him once before a long time ago so I really couldn't remember him but I said, "What the heck!" It ended up being a really nice date. We had a lot to talk about and had a lot of fun. Afterwards, I went and met up with my friends and had an epic night. I woke up with lime green window marker all over my body with lots of love messages written from my friends. The marker I bought because it glowed with the lights in the bar. Then we just got carried away writing all over everyone. Even random Korean guys walking down the street wanted it. They even went and bought a black permanant marker so that I could write on them and sign it!! Ha ha ha! I'm so famous!
Now, I'm back at work and I don't feel that usual sluggishness of going back to the usual druggery. I feel happy and refreshed physically and emotionally. And it's all thanks to that random Korean man. So, to him, I'd like to say a big thank you. And even though you made me feel great, no you can't have my number. ;-)
Friday night, I did the usual. Hung out with the usual crowd, went to the same places, and basically had a usual night. Saturday started out as ladies night and ended with everyone. This was the begining of the special weekend and confidence boost. Lately I have felt that life was getting too routine for me, boring, and just kinda blah. However, after Saturday, I feelt great. It was just a typical night. Got ready with the girls, went downtown, hung out and then went to Bubble Bar. Laura and I decided to buy a bottle of Absolute vodka for ourselves to celebrate out awesomeness and to save some money. We were just chillin by the bar, drinking, and dancing. Then a guy comes up to me to tell me how great I was. He said that out of everyone there, I stood out. He said that he could see how much fun I was and how great of a personality I had just by watching me. He said that he couldn't stop looking at my smile and listening to my laugh. (semi-gag) But, at that momement that's what I really needed to hear.
It's so weird how some random man, at a random time could flip my mood and give me the emotional boost that I had needed and craved. So, I finished the night happily and satisfied.
Sunday, because of the emotional boost, I decided to be brave and go out on a date alone. This is only my second real date. I only met him once before a long time ago so I really couldn't remember him but I said, "What the heck!" It ended up being a really nice date. We had a lot to talk about and had a lot of fun. Afterwards, I went and met up with my friends and had an epic night. I woke up with lime green window marker all over my body with lots of love messages written from my friends. The marker I bought because it glowed with the lights in the bar. Then we just got carried away writing all over everyone. Even random Korean guys walking down the street wanted it. They even went and bought a black permanant marker so that I could write on them and sign it!! Ha ha ha! I'm so famous!
Now, I'm back at work and I don't feel that usual sluggishness of going back to the usual druggery. I feel happy and refreshed physically and emotionally. And it's all thanks to that random Korean man. So, to him, I'd like to say a big thank you. And even though you made me feel great, no you can't have my number. ;-)
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Hot Spots in Gwangju
So, after living here for 1.5 years I've pretty much mapped out all the hot spots in Gwangju for nightlife. You can usually find 4-5 hoff's (Korean bars) in one block. So, you will never be lacking in the beer department. But, if you have a craving other than a laid-back beer and want some fun and excitement I have the spots for you.
In the Chundae Humoon area (back gate) there is the foreign bar called Tequilas. It serves up some of the best Mexican food, and the only Mexican food in Gwangju. It's a great place to go and you will always find some foreigners there. There is also the new bar called MC Bar that has been having some musical gigs recently. You'll always get a notice on facebook of some of the local Gwangju bands playing there and it's usually a blast.
If you're in the Chumdan area I would suggest Ice Bar, Solute's, and Game Bar. These aren't necissarily foreigner bars but they are the most popular among the foriegners who live in that area. You will usually find a group of foreigners out every Wednesday nights there. They will start out at Ice Bar with a few "ice" beers. You're beer is served in a cup actually made of ice. When you're finished with it you get to throw the ice at a target for a chance to win a prize. I highly recommend this place. Next, is game bar. It's just down the road form Ice Bar. It's just a bar that has a bunch of games you can play, darts, mini pool, black jack, and some other games. The next place is actually a live hoff (aka kareoke) called Salute's. The owner is extremely kind and speaks English fairly well. He also has two good looking sons who work there!!
The best of the best places to go out, however are downtown. There are numerous foreign bars. There is German Bar and Speakeasy. They are like the small hometown bars that we have back home. A little dark and dingy. Soul Train is another bar that's a little dark but it's a small step up from German and Speaks. The bartenders are all Korean but they speak English ok. There is a pool table there and also darts. Then there is Mix Bar, which is run by DJ Smak. It's more of a modern bar with techno music. Another place like Mix is the pink panty bar (T^2). It's a more modern bar that also plays more club music. They also always have the Victoria Secret Fashion Show playing on big projection screens. And they have cute waiters. I recommend going with some friends because you do sit down at a table. My favorite bar in Gwangju is Bubble Bar. It's owned by JC and has the best bartenders ever, Kiwon and May. The bar is always packed on Friday and Saturday nights. There are great drinks, great friends, and a lot of dancing.
There are also 2 dance clubs in the downtown area, Volume and Houze. Volume has more of a techno flavor to it with green laser lights everywhere. It's a lot of fun. Everyone wears sunglasses and blows whistles. There is also a really fun bartender there who's name is B.I.L.Y., Because I Love You. Houze has more hip-hop/techno music. While people dress more sporty at Volume, the boys at Houz are usually seen wearing a blazer jacket or dressed up nicer. Houze also seems to have a younger crowd but they're both very similar.
If you're new to Gwangju, I suggest going out to Speakeasy, German Bar, or Soul Train first. These are the bars you tend to go to earlier to chat and drink. You can meet some friends and find out where everyone will be going. Those are more the places to meet up. Then you will travel on to the next bar and will most likely end up at Bubble Bar somewhere around 1-2am.
Enjoy your party adventures and make sure you know your address so you can tell the taxi where to drop you off!!
P.S. Try not to pass out in the taxi. Because if you do, they will bring you to the police station where you will have to call someone to get you or wait out your intoxication!! Just a little friendly advice!
In the Chundae Humoon area (back gate) there is the foreign bar called Tequilas. It serves up some of the best Mexican food, and the only Mexican food in Gwangju. It's a great place to go and you will always find some foreigners there. There is also the new bar called MC Bar that has been having some musical gigs recently. You'll always get a notice on facebook of some of the local Gwangju bands playing there and it's usually a blast.
If you're in the Chumdan area I would suggest Ice Bar, Solute's, and Game Bar. These aren't necissarily foreigner bars but they are the most popular among the foriegners who live in that area. You will usually find a group of foreigners out every Wednesday nights there. They will start out at Ice Bar with a few "ice" beers. You're beer is served in a cup actually made of ice. When you're finished with it you get to throw the ice at a target for a chance to win a prize. I highly recommend this place. Next, is game bar. It's just down the road form Ice Bar. It's just a bar that has a bunch of games you can play, darts, mini pool, black jack, and some other games. The next place is actually a live hoff (aka kareoke) called Salute's. The owner is extremely kind and speaks English fairly well. He also has two good looking sons who work there!!
The best of the best places to go out, however are downtown. There are numerous foreign bars. There is German Bar and Speakeasy. They are like the small hometown bars that we have back home. A little dark and dingy. Soul Train is another bar that's a little dark but it's a small step up from German and Speaks. The bartenders are all Korean but they speak English ok. There is a pool table there and also darts. Then there is Mix Bar, which is run by DJ Smak. It's more of a modern bar with techno music. Another place like Mix is the pink panty bar (T^2). It's a more modern bar that also plays more club music. They also always have the Victoria Secret Fashion Show playing on big projection screens. And they have cute waiters. I recommend going with some friends because you do sit down at a table. My favorite bar in Gwangju is Bubble Bar. It's owned by JC and has the best bartenders ever, Kiwon and May. The bar is always packed on Friday and Saturday nights. There are great drinks, great friends, and a lot of dancing.
There are also 2 dance clubs in the downtown area, Volume and Houze. Volume has more of a techno flavor to it with green laser lights everywhere. It's a lot of fun. Everyone wears sunglasses and blows whistles. There is also a really fun bartender there who's name is B.I.L.Y., Because I Love You. Houze has more hip-hop/techno music. While people dress more sporty at Volume, the boys at Houz are usually seen wearing a blazer jacket or dressed up nicer. Houze also seems to have a younger crowd but they're both very similar.
If you're new to Gwangju, I suggest going out to Speakeasy, German Bar, or Soul Train first. These are the bars you tend to go to earlier to chat and drink. You can meet some friends and find out where everyone will be going. Those are more the places to meet up. Then you will travel on to the next bar and will most likely end up at Bubble Bar somewhere around 1-2am.
Enjoy your party adventures and make sure you know your address so you can tell the taxi where to drop you off!!
P.S. Try not to pass out in the taxi. Because if you do, they will bring you to the police station where you will have to call someone to get you or wait out your intoxication!! Just a little friendly advice!
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