Ahhhhhh the smell of fresh cut grass, the sun tapping on my face as it pokes through the trees, the musk of a moist sand bunker, birds chirping in the trees. Unfortunately these are all things you won't get during screen golf, but I wouldn't be surprised if they introduced these soon. Screen golf has almost every other feature you can think of, all the way down to a rotating platform to mirror the slope of terrain. Screen Golf was started in 2001 by Golfzone and has grown to include more than 6,000 locations. While golf simulators can be found around the world, South Korea opens some 7 of every 10 new simulation room. With regular golf being about 2x-3x more expensive than in the States, at 200-300m won for a membership or 250,000 won for an 18 hole round, screen golf provides a convenient and affordable alternative at about 15,000-40,000won (depending on time). Its ubiquity places them in convenient locations all over Seoul, and games can be played in as short as 1hr. However,...

The Han River is, IMHO, the most beautiful outdoor area in Seoul. To be sure, Seoul can boast many gorgeous parks and lush mountains, but for me, the Han reigns supreme. Perhaps because I spent the good majority of my last 26 years on San Diego's beaches, I appreciate the sound of running water. Also as I watch the sunset over the Han I can pretend I'm watching the sunset over the Pacific. (What the hell am I doing in Korea?) We took the bus to Express Bus Terminal Station (line 2) (고속터미널역) and walked north until we hit the river. From there we walked west along the river for about 20 minutes and found some beat up looking bikes and rented 1 single for 3,000₩ /hr and 1 tandem for 6,000₩ /hr. Be sure to ride some around, check the air in the tires, and choose the best one. Also I couldn't fit my moderately lengthed legs on the rear seat (I'm 5"10', or for those of you who have been in Korea too long, 177cm"). The first tandem I chose was really a lemon and ...