Seoul Subway Challenge – Exploring Line 2

A few weeks ago we accepted Waegook Tom’s challenge to explore the city of Seoul via subway. Aside from exploring parts of the city that we normally wouldn’t visit, I think the aim of this challenge was also to try and cover quite a bit of ground… We were given the great responsibility of exploring one of the most extensive subway lines in the city – Line 2. Game faces on!

Well, Sam and I managed to get distracted by things like Indian curries, Chicago deep dish pizza, and Mexican tacos along the way (hey, we like to eat!) so we made it to a grand total of 3 stops! Wowzahs. But in between all the feasting on foreign food, we did manage to explore some pretty interesting areas. Here they are in vlog form:

Sindorim —> Guro —> Gocheok-dong

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We got off at Sindorim and decided to explore Sam’s former neighbourhood on foot. From Sindorim Station we made our way over to Guro and Gocheok-dong. We walked along the Anyang River, strolled through the busy markets, and then Sam tried to retrace his steps back to his old rooftop shack (yes, he lived in a shack during his first year of teaching!) only to discover that fancy high rise apartments now stood over the place he had once called home. Some things in the area remained the same, like the seedy back streets with their strip clubs, brothels, and a large jail nearby (where did they send him?!)…while other parts had improved and now boasted cute cafes and waffle houses.

Ewha Womans University

Ewha Womans University was my favourite stop along the challenge. This is by far the most beautiful university campus I have ever visited, and it almost had me longing for my university days – I say almost because then I think of travelling instead and that nostalgia rapidly fades away. The focal point of the university is the ‘Campus Valley’, which I can best describe as an architectural work of genius! If you are in Seoul, you need to see it for yourself.

Hongdae

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Hongdae is known for its artsy feel and crazy nightlife, however, we opted for something much tamer…like cats! That’s right, we visited a cat cafe! As you may already know, I am definitely a dog lover (remember Bau Haus?), but the felines in this particular place were very cute. Inside we were met by long-haired cats and bald cats (scary!), white fluffy ones, and others that resembled lean leopard like creatures. The way to these cats’ hearts? Chicken and tuna. I have a feeling this won’t be our last visit there…Prrrrrrrrrrrr!

Want to see what the rest of the Korea blogging team got up to? Check out the list below:

Line 1: World Flavor
Line 3: World Walk About
Line 4: Mapping Words
Line 5: Far Sickness
Line 6: Chincha
Line 7: Waegook Tom
Line 8: The Wanderlust Project
Line 9: My Korea Quest