Waiting on Sundown for Songtan Nights
Written: May 30 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Lots and lots of clubs and variety to check out
Cons: Pushy old women trying to get you to buy drinks
|
|
|
| jwcumming's Full Review: South Korea |
Now that I have told you where and how to shop and where and how to eat in Songtan, are you ready for the nightlife? You have food in your belly, you’re dressed to a T, and it is time to experience a nightlife that is deserving of every adjective between pathetic and thrilling. Before you say that doesn’t make any sense, let me explain. I am a DJ at one of the clubs downtown and see a lot of things that are just….well, let’s say crudely humorous yet completely entertaining.
The main drinks downtown are OB Lager (Korean Beer that is preserved with formaldehyde), and SoJu (basically potato moonshine) based drinks. SoJu is the national drink. This stuff tastes like Diesel fuel by itself but takes on the flavor of whatever it is mixed with. It is also has an unregulated alcohol content. You can drink three or four SoJu drinks and not feel anything, then drink one and get knocked on your butt. And you thought New Hampshire was Live Free or Die! The main drinks for SoJu are Cherry, Lemon, or Grape SoJu’s (mix the Kool-Aid Flavor with SoJu and 7Up); White Dog (SoJu, Yogurt, 7Up, and Vodka); Rice Wine; and Korean Wine. Each bar also has its own Novelty drinks.
Most of the bars here in Korea have what are called Juicy Girls. In some clubs they just sit with you or play pool with you; in others, they dance very scantily clad, put on various types of shows (you’ll never drink beer the same way again), but all are doing the job for a disgustingly low salary. They are contracted from Russia, Philippines, Malaysia, Nepal, and various places in Korea just to name a few. Some actually enjoy doing it, some are paying off debts that were incurred by themselves or their family. When you go into the clubs that have the dancing girls, you will notice some things. First off, if the girl is generously proportioned in the abdominal area, hips, or legs: she’s paying a debt. If she is Korean and is top heavy, they are fake or she has a mixed bloodline. If the dancer is wearing a one piece, she had a baby or has stretch marks. If she isn’t wearing a thong, it’s a female thing.
So, here is where the pathetic part comes in. Most guys get upset when a regular female patron asked them to spend 2500 WON on a beer. Yet, the drinks that these same guys are buying for the Juicy girls (who they have even less of a chance of going home with than the female patron) are anywhere from 6000 WON to 10000 WON. AND THESE GUYS BUY THEM! Oh, and most of the time, all the drink has in it is Orange Juice. Hence the term, Juicy Girl. Now don’t be fooled by thinking that the bars that don’t have dancing girls don’t have Juicies. They all do.
The really funny thing is what is called ticketing or Bar-Fining. This is where a male patron pays the club that a certain Juicy Girl works at $100/hr or $200/night (Sunday – Thursday) or $300/night (Friday – Saturday) to take her out. She is basically an escort. On top of this cost, you have to pay for everything for her that night as well. Every night, I see at least twenty bar-fines walking around downtown. Granted these girls only get two nights off a month. But…most of these girls have boyfriends already or are married.
Want to find out which ones have boyfriends/husbands/lovers? Sit up in the windows of the Dragon Club, Hurricane, Roxy, Golden Butterfly, or My House Up (Rodeo Club) between 1700 and 2000. This is the best view to watch what is called the Juicy Parade. This is where all the girls walk to work with their boyfriends/husbands/lovers and then about 2000 is when you see the customers show up. This parade is where most people’s nights start out. But when the sun goes down, the Strip takes on an almost Vegas-like aura.
One hot spot is Arragon Alley. This is the first alley on your left as you enter the Shinjang Shopping Plaza. This alley is named such for the red pavement that makes its street. Down this alley is EZRiders, a Harley Davidson themed bar, which is a good place to watch a Juicy Parade on Friday and Saturday because the Juicies are all coming from the hair parlor not far from the end. Across the street is Big Ten Club, which plays mostly classic rock. The best bars on this strip are Whiskey Go Go and Scandals. The only club on this alley that has dancing Juicies is the Crystal Club. You have to stop in the Boogie House. It will be on your right. Go in and ask for a Snake Shot. It costs 20000 WON, is a real poisonous snake in a bottle of SoJu that tastes like a biology experiment and you get a T-shirt for it. Oh, they take your picture too. Oh, and you have to change into the shirt right there. Male or female.
At the end of the Alley, take a right and follow the block of buildings. Don’t go in the building on the left, it’s a prostitution house. You will get arrested. One of my troops tried to buy a hooker for 1000 WON (that’s about 90 cents). They threw him out. Keep following this alley and you will come to Paradise Club and Hooters- Korea. Both are kind of dives, but they will make you appreciate the bars back up on the strip. Make sure you get your T-shirt from Hooters, too.
As you come out of Hooters, take a right. Then take another right. This is Young Chon alley. This alley has the nicest hotel in Songtan (Young Chon Hotel), a fantastic coffee shop below it, and two of the more popular bars in town. The Young Chon nightclub, right below the hotel of the same name, will be on your right and have a Russian Costumed Traditional Dance Show. Across the street is Juliana’s, another big Russian bar. Both bars have pretty good size dance floors.
Head up the hill and come back on the Strip. Take a left and walk until you cross the railroad tracks. In front of you will be Songtan Nights (formally Wide Wings). This is another Rock N’ Roll club that features live bands on a regular basis. Be sure to catch Friction if you can. They can really jam. Behind this club is a five-story building that houses the Zone on the top floor. The entrance is on the side, go up one flight of stairs and take the elevator to the fifth floor. This is another big Russian bar that has a huge dance floor, features live bands too, and two of the best pool tables in Songtan. The view is spectacular too.
After you leave there, go back down the strip. Most of the clubs are pretty much the same. The best ones on the Strip are the Dragon and My House. The Dragon is the last club before you come to before Arragon Alley again. This is one of the most popular clubs. The women who come to you to try and get you to buy drinks for the Juicies are very assertive here. There’s your warning. My House is across the street. The downstairs is Rock N’Roll and R & B. Upstairs is a Country Bar. The Upstairs has two novelty drinks. One is a Cowboy Special. It tastes like Orange Kool-Aid and is made with SoJu, Red Wine, Bacchus, Orange Juice, and 7Up. Comes in a 22oz mug for 4000WON. The other novelty drink is Stampede. This drink tastes like Grapefruit juice and the name appropriately describes its effects. It is made of Orange Juice, 7Up, Bourbon, Gin, Rum, and SoJu. It is a full shot of the first three liquors, and a lot of SoJu with a splash of O.J. and 7Up.
If you take the street across from Arragon Alley, you will find the U.N. Club on your right. This is a very popular spot also. It thrives on 80’s cheese metal, and hard rock,with some of the newer rock thrown in. The drinks for the girls are only 6000WON but it’s still orange juice. Oh, and they all have Korean boyfriends and husbands.
A new bar that is becoming increasingly popular is the Chicken Head. This is located on the hill to the right as you leave the Shinjang. Hashers (a social group that chases each other for beer; you’d have to do it to understand it) frequent this bar and provide some excellent entertainment. There is something about this bar that makes people take their clothes off and hang them off of the lamps, walls, and anything else they could. Oh, and at least one of the TVs has a pornographic video playing.
There is one thing that you can get at any bar down here in Songtan. It’s called an AMMO Bowl. This is named after the ordnance corps of the Air Force, which I happen to be a member of. They are infamous for taking liquors that don’t belong together and mixing them into some concoction. The clubs down here liked this theory and the community has embraced it. Basically, the bars take a huge bowl, fill it ¾ with ice. They then add SoJu, Beer, 7Up, and whatever other liquors they feel like until the bowl is full. They then throw about 20 straws in it and everyone in your group starts sucking away. I’ve seen people try to drink one by themselves. I don’t recommend this. You won’t make it to your hotel.
Other bars that are popular are the Batman, Golden Gate, Mirage, and Xanadu. They are all on the strip. The Phoenix has a live nude show and that is the only time it gets busy. It is on the same alley as U.N. Club, about 100 feet before it.
The bars close at 1am Sunday thru Thursday and at 3am on Friday and Saturday and on the eve of holidays and military day-offs. If you are hungry, read my next review. The restaurants will be closed by now, and it’s time to taste the lower end of the food spectrum. You’ll love yaki mandu, chicken on a stick, and Mrs. Kim burgers. Check it out. It will be posted soon.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jwcumming
|
|
Member: Jason Cumming
Location: Manchester, NH
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 2 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.