Okay first off let me start this by saying that I am being completely subjective to Geoje Island - this place is a foreigners paradise so a typical night here includes lots of alcohol, lots of foreign people and lots of foreigner bars and clubs. However, this type of luxury does come at a price with the average amount for drinks being between 8000-10 000 won per cocktail and a beer ranging between 5000-8000 won.
Keep in mind though that there are TEFL teachers who I met during Orientation who are based in countryside locations in South Korea. They consider a good night out to be getting some soju and beers from the convenient store and drinking it while socializing on the paddy fields. At least wherever you are, you can rest assured knowing that other foreigners will be located there too for the simple fact that most if not all public schools have foreign English teachers and private English academies are very popular here too. Facebook groups are also great for meeting other foreigners (confession: I met nearly all my friends this way). I seriously wouldn't worry too much if I was located in the countryside, you will still meet cool people and Korea has tons of long weekends (besides your vacation leave) so there will be plenty of opportunities to travel to these vibrant touristy areas and have some of the best nights of your life.
Getting back to Geoje island - they call this place a miniature Itaewon (If you don't know where Itaewon is, it is located in Seoul and attracts a swarm of foreigners). There are various shipyards on the island and with shipyards comes lots of foreign engineers. However, it also results with most things being priced based on an engineers salary especially in the foreigners area Okpo. While the more Korean areas on the island such as Gohyeon still has goods and services offered at a more reasonable price.
For a good night out, you are going to go to no other place than Okpo - you can start the night out with a bar/pub crawl which is my friends and my favourite thing to do (warning: This will hurt your pocket a little so be prepared and take it in your stride) we usually do this once a week on a Friday or Saturday and it doesn't break the bank. Our popular hangout would be Garage it has a dart board and a beer pong table, the friendliest bar tenders and good pop music (also the best brunch! served all day) so whats not to love? We would then make our way over to Shelter, this place has the best mango mojito's I've ever tasted served in miniature jugs along with the coolest bar tender who will make you a burrito if you ask for it. No menu, just ask and he will make you a burrito (a pretty damn good burrito too). Did I mention that you also get a teacher discount here? Well you do, so make it known when you are paying that you are a teacher and flash that smile.
Another favourite is Hello Stranger which has an indie, classy yet rugged look to it - making you feel as though you are in a high end bar in Argentina. This place is near the boardwalk and also has DJ nights occasionally which is A LOT of fun. A recent hangout would have to be Blues House, from the outside you would not expect what's inside. Located on the second level of a building this will remind you of a big cigar lounge with fancy comforting leather couches, a pool table and cool games to play such as Jenga (LOVE this game drunk). There are so many other bars located all around Okpo, you just need to do some exploring but no matter where you end up make sure to leave and end your night off at Gentlemen's club (Please note that this place only picks up after midnight if you go there any earlier you will find an empty dance floor). Gentlemen's has it all - the smoke machines, the neon lights, the pool tables you can climb on top of and dance on and ofcourse the latest tunes.
Finish the night off with a kebab from the kebab man's truck which is usually located just before the taxi rank (we seriously call him the kebab man and his kebabs could quite possibly be the best thing I have ever tasted) and you are all good to go! I get extremely upset and frustrated when I see the kebab man throughout the night when I am bar hopping only for him to miraculously just disappear when it is home time. This is because contrary to popular belief the kebab man will not still be out by 4am but you might still be able to catch him up until 2am. If all else fails go to Mc Donalds which is up the road, on the opposite side of Lotte Mart, let's face it no matter where you are in the world a Mcdonalds meal when you are drunk is always the best.
(Please note that Okpo does have a few sketchy bars - I would stay clear from the ones that say "Foreigners only" as these are usually dodgey places that have huge mark ups on drinks).
Tayla
xxx
