Published by Swiss James on 09 Nov 2009 at 12:41 pm
South Korea’s got Seoul
It costs 1,500RMB (150 quid) to fly return from Shanghai to Seoul right now.
Good eh? I went on Friday.
Seoul is a lovely place, nestled in the mountains, on a Sunday afternoon it feels like a sleepy little village compared to Shanghai.
The nightlife is good though- all little independent bars tucked away down alleys where if they don’t have the tune you ask for, they’ll download it.
I used to live in Korea for 3 or 4 years- I forget how long exactly, this is back when I used to drink too much.
Now I’m a little older and more sensible I try not to go too crazy- in fact I have a strict rule: once the sun comes up, no more shots.
Originally I’d planned to go to the wedding of an old workmate. But it turned out to be far away, and I had a hangover that could fell a tree so I just stayed in the city and stared at the increasingly bizarre outfits of the Korean metrosexual.
The guy in the his’n’hers pink sweatshirt is the butchest looking man in the photo
It’s terrifying how camp the Korean guys look these days, terrifying. Don’t get me wrong, they pull it off and the street fashions are, well, streets ahead of Shanghai. But the levels of camp are off the scale- two examples, the guy below, Bae Yong Joon is one of the biggest stars in the country.
This image is taken from his role as spokesman (honestly, it is a man) for a cosmetics company.
and this (here on youtube) is an advert for a cellphone featuring another two popular stars. Aside from wearing outfits made entirely out of tinfoil, they come within about one Banana Daquiri away from making out at the end of the ad.
Oh and did I mention that the phone they’re advertising is called “Magic Hole“?
If you’ve never been, I really recommend a trip to Seoul- if only for the fact that walking around the place makes you feel like a manlier version of Wesley Snipes.
If you liked that, you might like...
why I get the sensitive feel between lines ? what happened to you James? LoL!
I’ve never been to Seoul!
Seoul return for 1,500 rmb?! sounds awesome, who did you fly with? Did you book on Ctrip?
Now you might know why I absolutely LOVED Seoul. Even if I’m not a big fan of Asian guys, I just have to admit that the guys are sooo much hotter there than here…
I love slim pants on dudes.
@Shopgirl – Not a big fan of Asian guys? What about if I put on some really tight pants?
I thought Metrosexuals just spent too much time on their hair. I’d call these dudes ‘Mirls’ – man-girls.
woai: I’d only be into you, no one else.
Jeff- I need a hug!
T- ah you’re missing out, it’s totally different to anywhere else I’ve been to in Asia, definitely worth a trip.
Shoppers- I think most girls would prefer a man that has model-smooth skin, clean hair and fingernails that were all a reasonable length. But didn’t you think that some of the guys in Seoul were just really over the top?
WoAi- I don’t think you can pull of the look in question, but feel free to try
Cankles- I call them Metrosexual 2.0
SHE- yep with China Southern via Ctrip. Out from Pudong, into Incheon, the flight times are pretty good too assuming you can take a half day on the Friday.
http://flights.english.ctrip.com/international/Showfarefirst.aspx?flighttype=D&dcity=SHA&acity=SEL&relddate=7&relrdate=10
아이 라이크 거리아!
Wo Xihuan Hanguo!
James – i will give you a big hug next time i see you! you have my words! :D
“아이 라이크 거리아!”
Me too Maxie- me too!
Jeff- promise?
Off to Korea tomorrow, GET IN!!!
Shopgirl, all of my trousers are very tight, but that’s more to do with my muscular legs than anything else..
They call them “the flower men” don’t they?
Flower men yes- the bloody great woofters.
I once called a Korean colleague a “flower man”, he threatened to do me an extreme physical disservice!
shopgirl likes wo ai – he he
I prefer the Chinese hair salon boys and the pretty Korean/Japanese to the average Chinese local. However, I was mesmerized until about 3:30 am last weekend by the rugby game showing at the beaver last weekend.
The longer I live in Asia, the more I desire a man who resembles Gaston from Beauty & the Beast.
I want to know how do you know that person is a man? Did you taste their lipstick to confirm?
A friend of mine said, the least attractive woman in Asia are Koreans. True or bullshit? I need your help guys!
James – promise!
Vesper- me and Dingle are in the Beaver all the time, if I spot someone drooling at the TV I shall demand to know if it’s you!
Miss Jane- oh it’s a man alright. Bae Young Joon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bae_Yong_Joon
http://cherryxblossoms.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/bae-yong-joon.jpg
And can I point out that it’s not a man dressed as a woman, it’s a man dressed as a man. Korean style.
GT- rubbish. Your friend was probably spouting the common claim that 110% of Korean women have had plastic surgery, and if they hadn’t then they’d set fire to passing cars with their natural looks. A significant minority of Korean women get work done, but in general they’re just very feminine and well put together.
I tell you what though- I wouldn’t imagine that the average foreign loverman does very well over there. Average wage for a Korean is probably pretty comparable to the average wage for an expat, and there’s a fair amount of stigma about dating foreigners.
JeffWho- you’re Chinese, what have you heard about the Koreans?
I like Korean women, but they’re a little overly made up for my taste.
I’m a fan of Taiwanese women.
James – well, what i heard about the Koreans is not important – i only believe what i’ve seen and experienced. i met a couple of Koreans when i was in india, they are very nice people, we had some real good times together.
T- well yeah, they do wear a lot of makeup
Jeff- fair enough, fair enough!
“A significant minority of Korean women get work done”
If you mean 49.99% I might let this comment slide. I’m very well informed on this.
“Very well informed” like a cosmetic surgeon working in Gangnam? Or like your buddy at college told you?
You’ve got to love Seoul, it’s the only place I’ve managed to find trousers that gave me a VPL
@Kevin 49.99% does sound like an exaggeration doesn’t it? You are saying 1 in 2 can afford expensive cosmetic surgery? Korea is a rich country. Well, Korea does have very high Human Development Index and it is among top 10 countries in the world which have BOTH very high HDI and large GDP. (many smaller European countries have very high HDI but smaller GDP than Korea)
Will: pictures or it didn’t happ- what am I saying?!
Jim: there are statistics knocking around that say 75% of women have had it done. But it’s 75% of single women between the ages of 18-25 who are on a dating site because they can’t find a man, not really a representative sample.
I’m sure Emma’s loving all of this economics chat- Emma, do you think that GDP gives an accurate representation of disposable income? Or are other factors at play?
Jim: clearly you’ve never lived in Korea. the macroeconomic stats are not much use if you don’t know anything about the culture.
PS – not knocking korean women for cosmetic surgery. if appearance is superficial then why make a fuss about changing it.
and in 50 yrs (hell, maybe 10) when everyone is using ‘enhancements’ for everything (longevity, smarts, appearance, etc…) that are not a threat to your health all this moralizing will be passe.