Korean for Dummies (36 page)

This chapter gives you a brief overview of the accommodation options
;
some hints on proper etiquette
;
and expressions you need to reserve a room, check in, check out, and deal with any other issues in between.

Sorting Out the Accommodation Options

Just like anywhere else around the world, you can find the usual Western franchise hotels in Korea, mainly around the metropolitan areas like Seoul, Daegu, Daejeon, Busan (formerly spelled Pusan), and Gwangju. These hotels provide the usual, predictable amenities and services. If you are traveling on a fairly generous budget and are wary of trying new things, these places will be perfect for you. You can expect the staff to be fluent in English, and even if you’re short on your Korean, that probably won’t be a big problem at these places.

If you’re willing to travel the less-beaten path and are looking for some more adventure, however, you can find numerous accommodation options, and

they’re usually more affordable than Western franchise hotels.

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Traditional hotels

If you are used to sleeping on a soft surface, you may be in for a surprise: The traditional sleeping arrangement in Korea doesn’t include a
chimdae
(
chimdae;
bed). Instead, you find a
yo
(
yo;
a thick, heavy folding mattress) and
ibul
(
ee-bool;
blanket) in the
jangnong
(
jangnong;
closet) of your
bang
(
bang;
room). Spread the
yo
out on the floor, and use the
ibul
to keep yourself warm. This arrangement may sound uncomfortable, but it is softer than you think and actually better for your back than sleeping on a bed. The heat from the
ondol
(
on-dol;
heated floor) will keep you warm through a chilly winter night.

You won’t find any sheets, but don’t worry
;
the
yo
and
ibul
are covered with fitted sheets (think duvet covers). If the hotel is well maintained, houseclean-ing washes the covers after each guest.

When you wake up in the morning, you should make your bed or, more precisely, fold your bed. Fold the
yo
and
ibul
as you found them, and put them back in the closet or stack them in the corner of the room. This act is called
ibuleul gaeda
(
ee-bul-eul gae-da;
to fold the blanket), and proper etiquette is to take care of your bed yourself as soon as you wake up. The hotel staff won’t be surprised if you don’t, but if you do, you will be remembered as the well-mannered foreigner.

Motels

Next down the line after the hotel is the
yeogwan
(
yuh-gwan;
motel). These establishments are equivalent to motels in the United States and tend to be cheaper than hotels. You get what you pay for, so don’t expect too much from these places.

Each room will have a separate
hwajangsil
(
hwajang-shil;
restroom), and you may or may not get a
chimdae
(
chimdae;
bed). But you’ll find a clean and affordable place with a friendly staff.

You can find
yeogwandeul
(
yuh-gwan-deul;
motels) are everywhere, usually near a
gichayeok
(
gee-cha-yuhk;
train station) or
beoseu jeongnyujang
(
beo-sseu-jung-nyoo-jang;
bus stop). Just look for a bright-red neon sign bearing the word
yeogwan
(
yuh-gwan
) or a symbol. The

symbol means that the

establishment has an
oncheon
(
on-chun;
hot spring). Interestingly, tons of
yeogwan
claim they have access to a natural hot spring that pumps out medicinal water.

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You don’t use an
s
after yeogwan like you would to change
motel
into
motels.

You should call it
yeogwandeul
when you are talking to someone about many motels. But usually even if there are more than one, Koreans usually use yeogwan instead of yeogwandeul.

Korean motels and B&Bs

Other options are
yeoinsuk
(
yuh-in-sook;
Korean motel) and
minbak
(
minbak;
bed-and breakfast), which are homier and more informal than hotels and motels. Because these places tend to be small, you have the opportunity to interact with the staff members and other guests.

A
yeoinsuk
is a cheaper and smaller version of a
yeogwan
, and a
min-bak
is similar to a bed-and-breakfast. Both types of establishments tend to be family run and may be open only during the holiday seasons. In both places, you share a bathroom with other guests and sleep on a
yo
(
yo;
folding mattress) with an
ibul
(
ee-bool;
blanket).

Establishments in this category vary in terms of service and cleanliness.

Some places include breakfast
;
others may charge you extra. You should call ahead and ask before you check in.

Hostels

Just like anywhere else you travel, you can find
yuseuhoseutel
(
yoo-sseu-hoseutel;
youth hostel) in Korea. Youth hostels usually are more affordable than the other options. You share a room with other guests and have one or two communal showers and restrooms per floor.

A
yuseuhoseutel
may or may not have a cafeteria or a kitchen for meals.

Saunas and public baths

If you’ve been staying out till the wee hours of the morning and need a place to crash, or if you’re stranded far from your hotel late at night, check out the ubiquitous
jjimjilbang
(
jjimjil-bang;
large saunas). A
jjim-bang
can be considered as
mogyoktang
(
mo-gyok-tang;
public bath) that has several communal rooms (hot rooms, ice rooms, fire rooms, etc.) and an open area with heated 19_037188-ch13.qxp 6/24/08 11:13 PM Page 218

floors where you can sleep or watch a TV. The public baths usually include pools of hot and cold water and individual showers.

jjimjilbang
(
jjimjil-bang
) are not your normal accommodation options.

They’re designed for people to take naps after a hot bath, but it’s not uncommon for customers to stay overnight, since the owners of
jjimjilbang
do not keep tabs on you. Lodgings of this type are open 24 hours a day. If you want to try out one of them (I recommend that you visit at least one of these establishments), just buy a ticket, take a shower, change into the provided T-shirt and shorts, and visit the different communal rooms. When you find a spot with a thin mattress, you can sleep on them and no one will disturb you. A
jjimjilbang
costs much less than a normal motel would cost, and you don’t have to check in or check out.

Always take a shower before you soak in the hot water. If you are familiar with the Japanese bathing style, you already know what to expect.

Finding Accommodations

Word of mouth is usually the best source of information you can get for a
yeogwan
(
yuh-gwan;
motel),
yeoinsuk
(
yuh-in-sook;
Korean motel), or
minbak
(
min-bak;
bed-and-breakfast). Ask around for recommendations before you start calling random places out of the
jeonhwabeonhobu
(
juhn-hwa-bun-ho-boo;
phone book). Also, narrow down your choices before you start roaming the streets so that you have a place to start.

The follow list gives you some descriptive words that you can use to ask your fellow travelers or friendly passers-by:

kkaekkeutan
(
kkaekkeu-tan;
clean)

ssan
(
ssan;
cheap)

joeun
(
jo-eun;
nice)

gakkaun
(
ga-kka-oon;
nearby)

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Talkin’ the Talk

Dan is a college student who is backpacking through
Gyeongsangdo

(
gyoung-sang-do;
the southeastern region of Korea). He just

arrived in a new town and needs a place to stay. He wants to stay

in a
min-bak
(
min-bak;
bed-and-breakfast), but he doesn’t know where to start looking, so he decides to ask Su-Jeong at the tourist

information kiosk. Please note that Dan and Su-Jeong are speaking

formal polite form of Korean because this is the first time they met.

Dan:

annyeonghasimnikka. geuncheoe kkaekkeutan min-

bagi itseumnikka?

an-nyoung-ha-shim-ni-kka. geun-chuh-ae kkaekkeu-

tan min-ba-gee ee-sseum-ni-kka?

Hello. Could you tell me where I can find a clean minbak nearby?

Su-Jeong:

ye, gichayeok geuncheoe kkaekkeutago ssan min-

bagi itseumnida

ye, gee-cha-yuhk geun-chuh-ae kkaekkeu-ta-go ssan

min-ba-gee ee-sseum-ni-da.

Yes, you can find a clean and cheap minbak near the

train station.

Dan:

gichayeogi eodie itseumnikka?

gee-cha-yuh gee uh-dee-ae ee-sseum-ni-kka?

Where is the train station?

Su-Jeong:

jeojjogeuro baek miteo gamyeon oreunjjoge itseum-

nida. minbakjibeun gichayeok hago eunhaeng saie

itseumnida.

juh-jjo-geu-ro baek mee-tuh ga-myun o-reun-jjo-gae

ee-sseum-ni-da. min-bak-jib-eun gee-cha-yuhk-ha-go

eunhaeng-sa-ee-ae ee-sseum-ni-da.

The train station is on the right, a hundred meters

from here to that direction. The minbak will be

between the train station and the bank.

Dan:

a ye, gomapseumnida.

a ye, go-map-sseumni-da.

Oh, okay, thank you.

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Words to Know

ap

ap

Infront

eunhaeng

eunhaeng

Bank

gichayeok

gee-cha-yuhk

Train station

ijjok

ee-jjok

Over here

jeojjok

juh-jjok

Over there

jjimjilbang

jjimjil-bang

Large sauna

kkaekkeutan

kkaekkeu-tan

Clean

minbak

min-bak

Bed and breakfast

oenjjok

wenjjok

Left

oreunjjok

o-reun-jjok

Right

sai

sa-ee

Between

ssan

ssan

Cheap

yeogwan

yuh-gwan

Motel

yeop

yuhp

Next to

Making Reservations

Now that you have an idea of where you want to stay, you should call ahead to make a reservation and ask some questions. If you are not planning to travel to the crowded coasts or popular mountains during holiday seasons, you probably won’t have a problem finding accommodations. Nevertheless, you want to call ahead and figure out the rates and services offered.

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These phrases can help you check on room availability and rates:

bangeul yeyakharyeogo haneundeyo.
(
bangeul yae-yak-ha-ryuh-go haneun-dae-yo;
I want to reserve a room.)

binbang iseoyo?
(
binbang ee-ssuh-yo;
Do you have vacancies?)
harutbame eolmaeyo?
(
ha-rut-ba-mae ul-ma-ae-yo;
How much is it for one night?)

sinnyongkadeu badayo?
(
shin-nyong-ka-deu ba-da-yo;
Do you take credit cards?)

yeohaengja supyo badayo?
(
yuh-haeng-ja soo-pyo ba-da-yo;
Do you take traveler’s checks?)

Tell the clerk how long you plan to stay and the size of your party:

(number) bak iseul geoeyo.
([number]
bak ee-sseul guh-ae-yo;
I will be staying for (number) night([s]).)

For example:
sambak eseul geoyeyo.
(
sam-bak ee-sseul guh-ae-yo;
I will be staying for 3 nights.)

(number) myeong iseoyo.
([number]
myoung ee-ssuh-yo;
There are (number) people.)

For example:
dumyeong iseoyo.
(
doo-myoung ee-ssuh-yo;
There are two people.). Please see Chapter 2 for more information on numbers.

Talkin’ the Talk

Dan walked to a nearby
gongjungjeonhwa
(
gongjung-juhn-hwa;
public telephone, phone booth) to call ABC Hotel.

Clerk:

annyeonghasimnikka, ABC hotel imnida.

an-nyoung-ha-shim-ni-kka, ABC ho-tel im-ni-da.

Hello, this is Hotel ABC.

Dan:

yeoboseyo. bang yeyakharyeogo haneundeyo. bin-

bang iseoyo?

yuh-bo-sae-yo. bang yae-yak-ha-ryuh-go ha-neun-

dae-yo. binbang ee-ssuh-yo?

Hello. I want to reserve a room. Do you have any

vacancies?

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Clerk:

ye, binbang itseumnida. myeot bunisimnikka?

ye, binbang ee-sseum-ni-da. myuh boon-ee-shim-

ni-kka?