we checked out itaewon last weekend in mike’s avid search for deodorant mentioned below. the main strips were as described to us: lots of international stores, restaurants and people. we got to eat thai food (the first non-korean food we had since we’ve been here). i especially thought it was funny how blatant the clubs are in itaewon about who they are trying to attract… not only are the signs in english, many of them say “foreigners club” just to ensure that you get the right idea.
we got bored pretty quick and starting walking into the neighborhoods adjacent to the main streets and found a pleasant surprise: a series of maze-like residential streets.
i say streets and not alleys even though some were only wide enough for one person to pass because they seemed to be the original streets on which peoples houses were built.
here we found the enclaves of not just foreigners but immigrants who are settling in korea. neighborhoods of chinese, muslims and other immigrant groups. we even found the mosque and lots of halal restaurants.
want to explore more of this area another time. :)
-s
