This is an impromptu post. Originally I had some review ready to go up about a restaurant I think you’re going to love, but after reading Shelley’s post on Travel Stained I had to scrap that. She wrote about how to survive a super-hot, super-humid Seoul Summer. Man, I’m trying! I am. You would think after the years of living here I would have this down, right? No, I don’t.
I am in the midst of this sweltering humid sticky mess of a Seoul Summer and I am so far from surviving that I sped read through Shelley’s tips like a man living on borrowed time. And don’t get me wrong. Shelley’s tips for the average Summer day are all rock solid. She’s got her bases covered, but as I went through them one by one…
Number One: Shade.
Ordinarily this would be a no-brainer and welcome advice, but in this weather? The only shade that helps comes delivered from a sassy drag queen because at least that will make me laugh while suffering.
Number Two & Three: Bingsu & Naengmyun
Yes, I love it. It’s yummy. Yet it does nothing for what feels like my insides being slow cooked. This also goes for the cold soups (naengmyun) ice cream, malts, and shakes. I’m at the point where I am actively crunching on ice cubes. Maybe I’ll freeze some alcohol and make ice cubes that will get me black out drunk to escape the weather? Ideas!
Number Four: Hot spicy Food
This one is a straight up traditional Korean idea of fighting fire with fire iyeol chiyeol (이열치열). It definitely sounds backwards, like eating ice cream on a cold winters night. The thing is I tearfully discovered that while fighting fire with fire may actually work with fighting forest fires it certainly doesn’t with beating the heat. I was left with the severe burning sensation of hot peppers scorching my throat, mouth, and tongue to match the enveloping humidity. And the real horror didn’t set in until it was time for a bowel movement…
Number Five: Take a beach break
This one I like. I agree wholeheartedly. Imagine white sandy beaches stretching on for miles, empty and inviting. Clear blue seas with cool summer breezes blowing in. That all sounded so peachy! Unfortunately my beach experiences end up looking like the pic above.
The thing is I have the answer to all my Seoul Summer humidity problems. The question is if my inner frugal Scrooge McDuck can survive the heat or melt under the intensity allowing me to buy that air-con from Hi-Mart.
I had a great laugh reading this post! If I’m going to do something like this, I’ll definitely put Bingsu on top of the list. For me the best thing to do during summer is to leave Seoul. I’m glad I left Seoul before the heat waves.
Leaving is looking like the best option!
HAHAHAHA I’m seriously laughing out loud over here! I agree with you entirely. There’s no ‘beating’ the scorching summers in Korea, you simply accept the misery for 3 months and deal with as best you can. For me, that means staying in my air conditioned apartment as much as possible without any guilt of missing out. I live in Daegu, so the summer is loads worse than Seoul, and I have yet to “beat it”. Resigning ourselves and giving into it is truly the best approach haha.
Laughing is the only thing keeping me going and the hope that I’m sweating out nasty toxins!
I’ve got another one for you (the one that I employ almost every single summer while living in Korea) is LEAVE KOREA! Yup, humidity is too much and if you can’t enjoy it, then bounce elsewhere like super dry Montana. The downside of dry places in the summer is the high fire danger and inevitably there are about 10+ fires burning in the surrounding areas. While the air quality is not great, humidity is not killing me haha I guess its hard to win in the summer…
This is one I love to do. I’m so close to booking a ticket…
At home, I strip down to my undies, and the air con gets switched on and off all day. I actually carry a parasol on occasional days where the sunshine pokes through. I carry a hand-held fan and a bottle of water whenever I use the subway. I think enduring the sweltering, humid subway platforms and then entering air conditioned trains has contributed to my ongoing cold.
I seriously think heading to the less popular beaches on the weekends is the way to go. I love your mention about a bowel movement, lol
I used to rag on people with parasols but now I’m like pass me that bad mother! i don’t care if I look like a refugee from pygmallion!
Hahahah this is a good one man! I remember I was dying around this time last year in Daegu. While summer can be brutally humid in the Boston area, I had never experience something like Korea before. It’s a sweatfest. Good luck in August sir!
I’m hoping that by August I can forgo the aircon and just rely on my fans. We shall see!
Totally agree with everything you’ve said man. The humidity is driving me crazy here.
When its this bad out shade is not a huge help. And you can’t continuously eat Naengmyeon and ice-cream, sounds like you got that down thought with your ice chunks.
The hot spicy soup is just really good for your health, not as much as a cool yourself down thing. You sweat out a bunch of crap you don’t even know exists. +not always just spicy on the hottest day they like doing the Samgyetang, the chicken, ginseng, soup, it’s also very good to prevent you from getting sick. Though I’d rather stick with something not hot and refreshing.
Good luck toughing it out for the next couple months, then we’ll be into cooler weather.
I haven noticed that all the sweating has practically sweated out the cold i had! That’s something at least.
I wrote a post of a similar nature about two years ago ( https://wanderlustified.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/surviving-korea-in-the-summer/ ) during the summer when my apartment had no air conditioning. It was a tough year. Lots of cold showers and cold food.
A dehumidifier saved my life and helped my clothes stop getting moldy (most of the time). I got a small one on GMarket for a pretty decent price~ check it out and save yourself.
I’ve been living for cold showers! As many times as I can in a day. It helps so much sigh.
hahaha! You’re hilarious! Seoul’s humidity is just too much even for me who’s used to Philippine weather. But I’m proud to say, my boys and I braved this humidity last Saturday to go around Cheongwadae, yahoo!!!! Poor boys, they were sweating sooo much even when they do nothing but just stand. Oh well, this too well pass. Cheers!
Now that my washer/dryer is broke my aircon money is going to the repairman! My misery continues lol!