Lingo in Transit

One of top things on my list of places to go to on my first return trip to South Korea since leaving in 2023 was Suwon. My old hometown. My stomping and sliding grounds in winter. The place I had chosen as my home away from home for a year based on a google image search.

I got onto one of the red coach buses (inter-town buses) from the centre of Seoul and in under a hour, I was in Suwon. I’d taken this bus many many many times when I was living there. Obviously not enough, as I got off the bus 1 stop too late from where I wanted to get of. By getting off 1 stop too late, I was almost back at my apartment in Suwon (maybe an unconscious error). So I had to walk abit more than anticipated. Luckily, it was through streets I had walked before so I knew where to go. Going through the backstreets here transports you to the original authentic South Korea away from the high rise apartments. I like seeing all the signs hanging off the buildings in bright colours or neon at night, quietly screaming to be looked at but are also sort of cute. Just look at them.

Soon, I arrived at the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. I love it not only because of it’s historical importance but because it’s so grand and there’s so much space. And so quintessentially Korean. The pink rhododendron, the highly pruned and neat garden and Korean pine trees.

I walked the wall and thought that I would find a nice cafe to have a coffee mid morning overlooking the fortress. That’s when it was evident that I had been away from South Korea for too long. A cafe open mid morning? You’re dreaming. After realising my rookie error, I had to veer off the path of the fortress and into the back streets in search for the odd cafe that would be open. As luck had it, I found one and enjoy my mediocre coffee with milk (another sign that I’ve been away for a long time).

After my morning at the fortress, I took the bus a short ride to the newest shopping mall in Suwon, Starfield Suwon. If the name rings a bell, you are not mistaken. There is a Starfield Coex Mall in Gangnam famous for the open library that features…..almost everywhere. So in the Suwon Starfield Mall, there is a similar open library. Great for photos but not much for library activities. I had lunch and a walk around the mall. The most intriguing find was a large Daiso and a Traders Wholesale Club in the basement level.

I now have enough socks to last the next few years.