Item number 57

I crossed another thing off my list last week-end. Number 57 on the list was to stay in hostel. I'd always imagined that my hostel experience would have been in some exotic area- maybe Australia or New Zealand or even Thailand. Looking back on when I wrote this to-do item on my list, I would have never expected it would have been accomplished in Seoul, Korea.

Travelling to Seoul with two 22 year old males was quite the experience- staying in a hostel was quite another. We were headed to Hongdae, Seoul Korea. A trendy and young area of Seoul with plenty of clubs, people and things to do. The boys decided in advance on a hostel stay- lodging for a rock bottom price!

I was slightly apprehensive as I had never even stayed in something like this. I was used to the hotel life, a room with one bed, own bathroom and living space. Even in Europe I did it in style. My initial thoughts on a hostel were of concern. Who would be sleeping there? How many people? What about bathroom etiquette, food, noise? Each passing thought brought on another- until I to force myself to quit the bantering in my head.

We arrived at Hongdae Guesthouse promptly at 10:00 p.m. The guys had no trouble at all introducing themselves to the owner; and getting acquainted with the layout. We were shown to our quarters by the lovely owner, Mary. A quirky and humorous woman, she bustled about ensuring our accommodations were satisfactory. We were given the code, and ushered inside.

One bathroom, one computer, a half kitchen and two bunk beds. A upstairs loft housed three mattresses on the floor. The three of us trudged upstairs, unpacking a few belongings and setting up for the night. For a mere 20, 000 won we were housed, showered and treated to toast, coffee and orange juice in the morning.

The guests were travellers coming and going from all over Asia. Some had been there a week- and a few were just passing the night. The hardest part was the universal washroom- with a stranger right outside the door tapping away on the computer's keyboard. Privacy in a hostel doesn't quite exist!

The bottom line is that hostels are the cheapest way to go. I'm not sure I would do it again- unless of course it was in some exotic location like Costa Rica or Bali. But at least, I've crossed another item off the list!