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Travels both intrepid and trepidatious, around the world and around the block |
Is Korea Ready for Prime Time Tourism?by Kelly Monaghan
Korea has been making a play for American tourism in recent years. The fiftieth anniversary of the Korean Armistice occasioned a push for nostalgia tours for those who get misty-eyed at the thought of the Chosun Reservoir and Pork Chop Hill. More recently, the Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO) has been encouraging Americans to visit their relatives stationed with the armed forces in Korea. A brief trip to Korea, however, has led me to believe that U.S. travel agents should think twice before recommending Korea as the perfect next stop for sophisticated travelers bored with London and Rome. I was one of those returning G.I.s (I was stationed in Korea during the Vietnam era), so it seemed fitting that I travel in class. I fired off faxes to three luxury hotels -- the Prince and Kum-Ho in Taegu and the Kolon in Kyongju -- giving my arrival dates and requesting rate information. Not a single one responded. So I fell back on my trusty Lonely Planet guidebook and booked into the Hilltop Tourist Hotel in Taegu, which I picked because it seemed closest to my old Army base. I assumed that, given the presence of the word "tourist" in the name, the Hilltop would meet certain international standards of hostelry, among which was an English-speaking staff. The hotel was dumpy by American standards, but anyone who has traveled a bit might have expected that. Far more surprising was the fact that no one on the staff spoke more than a word or two of English. Thank heaven my son speaks excellent Japanese, as there was someone at the front desk who spoke somewhat schematic Japanese. At about $90 a night for my party of three the place seemed reasonably priced until I saw the drab halls, cigarette-burned carpeting, tiny lobby, and overpriced coffee shop (which did have the virtue of offering such Western fare as orange juice, bacon and eggs at outrageous prices). Later, an old Taegu hand told me that so-called tourist hotels catered to a Japanese clientele and were therefore appropriately overpriced. How then to explain the poor Japanese language ability of the staff? It must be said that in spite of the communications difficulties the staff attempted to be helpful, although there was a certain tendency to claim that the place to which I was asking directions or the service that I required did not exist. I soon figured out that they simply had no idea what I was talking about and apparently decided that insisting on the non-existence of the unintelligible was the safest course of action. Things picked up considerably once I decided to travel on the cheap. Not only did my expenses drop considerably, but the quality of the lodgings improved by leaps and bounds. KNTO puts out an excellent little booklet with the rather awkward title Economical Hotel & Inn 154, referring to the number of establishments listed. The listings are arranged by province and each one contains a thumbnail map of the location, which will come in handy when asking directions or climbing into a taxi. The booklet's free and can be ordered by writing KNTO at 2 Executive Drive, Suite 750, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, or by calling (201) 585-0909. Our first stop was Mok Hwa Jang, a yogwan (or traditional Korean inn) near Kyongju, Korea's ancient imperial capital. "Traditional" may not be the best description, however, since the three story building is brand new and the garish neon made me wonder if I was checking into a "love hotel." But the corner room was spotlessly clean, if on the small side, and the entire establishment showed every sign of being run with a firm hand. Like all the rooms we stayed in in Korea, this one featured a small antechamber in which guests were expected to remove their shoes. To the right was a spotlessly clean bath room. It appeared to be a single prefabricated plastic unit, designed to get wet all over. Like the Japanese, the Koreans prefer to soap up, rub down, and then take a leisurely soak in a piping hot, deep tub. The room itself was carpetless, the floor a shiny lacquered affair mimicking the traditional ondol floor, composed of layers of paper and heated from below during the winter. Futon-style bedding was brought in and we slept on the floor. No one spoke English but it didn't seem to matter. Dinner was bulgogi pizza ordered from a shop around the corner. Bulgogi is the justly famous Korean marinated and barbecued beef, and bulgogi pizza, while doing justice to neither cuisine, is worth a try. For breakfast, we tried the yogwan's own restaurant. I tried, and failed, to explain that we would like a Korean style breakfast, so we opted for bibimbap, a melange of rice, a fried egg, and a variety of vegetables, spiced with hot bean paste. At about $6 a head, it made for an excellent, if rather odd breakfast. The $31 bill for the night for three of us at the yogwan was even better. Back in Taegu, my eye was caught by the listing for the Baek An Villa in Economical Hotel & Inn 154. Under "Features," it read, "Typical Western-style accommodations with Volkswagen in the yard." How could I resist? The map made it look close to the Taegu airport, from which we would be departing the next day. Actually, the hotel is out in the boonies, near the Tonghwasa Temple complex and close to (so I am told) some lovely hiking trails. Sure enough, there was a Volkswagen in the yard, a white bug with Arizona plates. There was even the rear end of a Volkswagen protruding, Hard Rock Cafe-like, from the facade. The owner's son, it appears, is a car fanatic and was running out of places to put his toys. The reception we received couldn't have been warmer. Once again, no English was spoken and my son put his Japanese to good use. The owner was summoned. She was raised in Japan and welcomed the opportunity to use the language. Before long, we were being bundled into her car and taken to Tonghwasa for a quickie tour of this newish temple complex. Back at the hotel, a sushi platter was sent up to our room, a much more spacious version of the one at Mok Hwa Jang. This one even had a bed, table and chairs, and a view of green hills from the window. Dinner at the hotel restaurant was a bizarre affair. We sat at a picture window looking out across the courtyard, past the Volkswagen, at a large outdoor video screen on which a German orchestra played the Strauss waltzes wafting from the indoor speakers. Weird. The cuisine seemed to be Asian food reinterpreted for what someone suspected to be the Western palate. It was disappointing. The room charge was $50, more than the booklet predicted, but worth every penny. I'd go back to Baek An in a shot. The only other misstep we made during our stay was to take the advice of a government sponsored tourist brochure for a restaurant in Kyongju. The Keou Koo Jang, described as a "famous" local eatery, turned out to be a dreaded "tourist" restaurant in the sprawling, modern resort area east of the city. It's a large room that nonetheless manages to seemed cramped, with decor that a member of the Chinese politburo might describe as "homey." In keeping with the tradition of "tourist" establishments, no one spoke English, although the menu was translated. The bulgogi was lackluster. At $43 the bill was high by Korean standards. We had a far better meal for about $5 in a stall at the Kyongju market. And in conclusion . . .Admittedly, my visit to Korea was brief and the sample (of hotels) was small. What's more, I was in Taegu and environs, hardly a hotbed of tourist traffic. Presumably, hotels in Seoul are more used to dealing with foreign visitors; my guess is they would respond to faxes and have people on the staff who speak good English. The point is simply this: For the more adventurous traveler, for whom not being able to communicate is an enjoyable adventure rather than an unacceptable annoyance, Korea offers many attractions. While city folk, like city folk anywhere, can sometimes be abrupt, the people you are likely to meet outside the major population areas are invariably friendly and helpful in spite of the language barrier. Independent travelers (the Lonely Planet crowd) who don't insist on Western standards in their accommodations and who are not afraid of walking into a restaurant in which they can't read the menu will find Korea to be a real bargain. The countryside is lush and largely unspoiled, dotted with some truly beautiful temples and shrines. Korea's national parks, so I hear, contain some of Asia's most spectacular scenery. For people like this, my recommendation is, by all means, go! From a travel agent's perspective, however, recommending a more upscale hotel (the kind that might actually pay a commission) is problematical. Based on my admittedly limited experience, I would be very hesitant to recommend to a client any hotel outside those in Seoul operated by a major chain. One bright spot in Korea's tourism infrastructure (from both the travel agent's and the visitor's perspective), is Asiana Airlines. I found their service to be attentive and gracious, the food not bad at all, and, most important, their coach seating to be spacious and comfortable. Their toll-free reservations number is 800-227-4262. Several consolidators offer Asiana tickets, including routes to Japan via Seoul, at very attractive prices.
Note: Information was accurate as of June, 1997. This article copyright 1997 by Kelly Monaghan. Didn't find what you were looking for? Try a Google search.
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