favorite gyms....

[Lackadaize]

I am attempting to find a job teaching english in SK. I am an avid climber, so my choice of location actually hinges fairly heavily on where the best rock gyms may be. I will certainly go on day trips to climb outdoors over the weekends, but I'd like to have a place to climb during the week. I know that I want to be in either seoul or busan. First off, I'm not sure which one, because Busan seems like a nicer atmosphere for me in general but the rock gyms don't seem to be that great(just based on the pictures I've seen on this site and from general feedback). Seoul seems to be uber-smoggy but the gyms look amazing, and there seem to be many to choose from. I wanted to know everyone's thoughts on what the best gyms in either city are and, if anyone feels up to it, which city is better for nature lovers in general. I don't feel that I have to describe myself all that much. I love the city, but I'm definitely a naturalist. I trust that if you are all climbers and I'm a climber, you probably have a good idea where I'm coming from. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[skinsk]

Seoul and Busan have a lot of gyms-- some better than others (and some may not look so hot, but you vibe with them. . . and you have so much fun, you forget how much your neighborhood gym "sucks"!) but it depends where in the city you live. . . because if the great gym is an hour or more away in one of these cities. . . or if the hours don't work with your schedule. . .

Some other cities have pretty rad gyms, like Cheongju has Tagy, and Daegu (also huge) has urban cragging and some amazing gyms. . .

my3cents

[avenue]

Quick random nuggets:

I will tell you that living in Seoul I REALLY miss being near water, so Busan would be awesome if you're a water-phile. But I will also say that Seoul has a ton of gyms--there's a gym in every part of the city (you should note, however, that the gyms here are nearly all bouldering gyms and they are really small. I was shocked when I walked into my neighborhood gym for the first time. It was a total craphole compared to the gyms I was used to back home. However, as I came to realize, that particular gym was pretty standard. So just be prepared.

In terms of air-quality, the big difference I notice living in Seoul is visibility when I'm on a mountain looking back down over the city. It's very hazy. But I haven't noticed much difference in terms breathing or anything.

I'm only really familiar with my area of the city, but there's TONS of hiking and mountain adventures to be had near Suyu, Nowon, Dobongsan, Sanggye, Danggogae (all northern stations on subway lines 4 and 7). So if you decided on Seoul, you might try to stay in the northern part. But any other folks living south of the river know of good nature-y spots?? Also living in Seoul, we have perhaps the best, most efficient, and fastest means of transportation to anywhere else in the country. The country itself isn't that big, so you can cover serious ground in 5 hours. I've done several weekend trips to different places, and they've all been great experiences. Public transportation here is AWESOME!!

Mandalynn lives in Busan, so you might PM here to get the skinny on the gym situation down there. Let me know if I can answer any other questions--about the city or prospective neighborhoods or hagwons, etc.

nicole :)