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Hello TL!
I'm never written a blog before but figured this might be a good time to start since I will be experiencing a very exciting event in my life soon.
A bit about myself...
I am 24 years old and currently live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I'm your typical 'office working' employee and I've wanted to travel to South Korea for the past few years...looks like my wish is finally come true!
Why South Korea? If you aren't involved with SC in any form then you probably wouldn't think about travelling to SK (well, at least for folks in my city). I've played SC since I was in grade 6 but only knew about the competive scene for a hand full of years now (thanks to NukeTheStars!) and from that point I've always been interested in traveling to SK.
Like most people who have played SC, I feel it has brought lots of joy (and rage quit anger) to my life over the years by letting me meet new people, watch exciting pro matches, and let me exercise my brain when it probably would've turned to mush. The specific item that originally sparked my interest to watch more pro SC was hearing about the work ethics the SC:BW pros had. Playing a game for 10+ hours a day sounded awesome but it was the passion that each pro showed which was very intriguing. I was always told...
"If you want to be good at something, practice at least an hour or two every day!"
...well, if I want to get good at something I must spend one or two hours every day practicing but if someone wants to get REALLY good they will spend 10+ hours practicing. I've implimented this ideology into my work and it has paid dividends! 
So that's why I became more interested in SC which made me look at South Korea to see what other things they do differently. From my research, SK looks very beautiful and appears to be rich in culture/history. I spoke with a close friend of mine 3 years ago asking if he would ever go. He said "Yeah, sure!" but I don't think either of us thought we would ACTUALLY go...few years later, we are jumping on a flight and heading over to SK!
Hopefully there's some room for us Canadian boys!
Why am I writing this blog?
1) I'm excited for my trip!
2) I would like any tips/tricks and learn about some places to go
Here's what the schedule currently looks like...
August 9 to 10
- Try not to get lost in airports
- Eat, sleep, hope there's no crying babies on the flights
- Land in South Korea (5:50pm), find hotel in Seoul, eat, sleep, realize I'm far from home
August 11 + 12
- Look around city
- Try to fit in (I'm tall, skinny, blond hair...my buddy is slightly shortly, bigger, curly blond hair...we will NOT blend in!)
- Hopefully something SC related
August 13
- Tour UNESCO sites
August 14
- Look around city
- Hopefully a SC related activity
August 15
- DMZ tour (YEEEEESSSSS)
August 16
- Museum + Han River Cruise tour
August 17
- Look around city
- SC stuff (hopefully)
August 18 - August 22
- Fly to Jeju in the morning
- Rent car and drive everywhere
- Fly home
- Be sad that I'm going home
- Be happy that I'm going home
Are there any really cool places me and my friend should go to while in Seoul or Jeju? Where's the korean BBQ at?!?! Is it really hard to see live SC matches? Any tips/tricks?
Thanks!
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You're of drinking age, it should be super fun ^^
You can find Korean BBQ places walking down most streets of Seoul, they're pretty easy to spot. If in doubt, the cities with unis are always good.
GSL is pretty easy to find especially with their guide, I've never gone to see OSL/SPL though :3
Make sure you go early though, if you wanna meet the players. Go 2 hours or so early. ^^
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On July 30 2012 10:36 mizU wrote:
You're of drinking age, it should be super fun ^^
You can find Korean BBQ places walking down most streets of Seoul, they're pretty easy to spot. If in doubt, the cities with unis are always good.
GSL is pretty easy to find especially with their guide, I've never gone to see OSL/SPL though :3
Make sure you go early though, if you wanna meet the players. Go 2 hours or so early. ^^
There is a guide for OSL/SPL, but I can't find the darn thing right now. It didn't seem too bad, but I haven't been within a couple thousand miles of the place.
Although Rekrul ( http://www.teamliquid.net/blog/Rekrul ) has some interesting guides and accounts on partying (and to a certain degree life) in Korea. THey may not be wholesome, or conducive to the culture as a whole but thye were an interesting read, and may have some utility.
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Awesome! Thanks!
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Got a few good tips from Rekrul's stuff. Anyone else?
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It's been extremely hot and humid the past few weeks in Seoul, supposedly the hottest it's ever been for a long time. Also hasn't rained in a few weeks but that might be a good thing. It's going to be a bitch walking around during the day though.
Yeosu Expo and Busan might be worth going but seeing as you guys are only going to be here for about two weeks, might not have enough time. I personally haven't been to many places outside of Seoul but there's definitely more to Korea than just Seoul so try to get out of the city as well.
As for Seoul, here are a few places you can visit:
1. Gwanghwamun Plaza, Gyeongbok Palace
2. Bukcheon Hanok Village (Traditional Korean Houses)
3. Namsan Tower (can get a good view of Seoul from here, think Seattle space needle)
4. Seoul Color Park / Yeoido Park (riverside park with a nice view of northern Seoul)
5. Hongdae/Shinchon (lots of shops, cafes, restaurants, this is where many universities/colleges in Seoul are so it's a popular hangout place for college students)
As for shopping streets and areas:
1. Myeongdong (major shopping district with many tourists)
2. Shinsa Garosu Road (boutiques, trendy shops, cafes)
3. Apgujeong Rodeo Street (designer shops, boutiques, cafes, similar to Garosu-gil but more upscale, frequented by Korean celebrities)
4. Coex Mall (Samseong Station, indoor/underground shopping mall)
5. Gangnam Station (lot's of shops, restaurants, cafes here, popular hangout place for those in their 20s/30s)
If you're into clubbing, popular clubs that I know/heard of are:
1. Club Answer (Chungdam area, where the richest people in Korea live. They play house here and it's one of the upper scale clubs)
2. Club Ellui (near Answer, play house as well and it's bigger as well)
3. Club Eden (Shin-nonhyeon inside Ritz Carlton Seoul, I think this is where the slightly older crowd/rich people go, strict dress code)
4. Octagon (I don't know too much about this place)
5. Noise Basement (one in Hongdae and Gangnam, they play hip hop here, often times very crowded, stuffy/hot, 70 percent guys, and ton of smoking going on as well - I don't really recommend unless you're into hip hop over electronica)
6. Harlem (same as noise basement, located in Gangnam)
If you download an app called "Club Mix" I heard you can get into places like Answer or Ellui for free which is normally 30,000 WON to get in.
Here are some useful sites:
http://www.seouleats.com/
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto
Let me know if you have any other questions about Korea. I hope you have a great time here!
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I dont see gangnan in your itinerary bro.
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Awweeeesommme! Thanks a ton!
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EPT
