Every traveller would do well to exercise some due diligence because what you see online isn’t always what you get.
Some accommodations can be downright scary, as one Singaporean TikToker studying in Seoul found out in not one but two places he rented in the city.
@weeyangkachopra
He ended up in two basement flats, which reminded some commenters of “Parasite” the 2020 Academy Award-winning Korean film.
Weeyangkachopra’s experiences weren’t quite as bad as the family in the movie, but still.
The first place he booked via Airbnb was “pretty cheap and had good reviews.”
But it was a “Ban Ji Ha” or a semi-basement unit with very little sunlight and windows opening directly onto the road.
“I can literally TOUCH the car parked outside,” he said.
Moreover, he had no ventilation and the laundry took “FOREVER” to dry.
But the worst problem was the “SWARMS of DRAINFLIES” that entered the flat through pipes, which occurs during warm weather.
Having had enough, he then moved to another flat he also booked via Airbnb, which he thought would not be in the basement as its pictures had floor-to-ceiling windows.
The reality was that it was below street level, and the “balcony” was actually a dank, smelly pit that had a ladder leading up to the street.
And it was located in a low-lying area in the city, and when Seoul experienced its heaviest rain in over a hundred years, he was naturally concerned that the new accommodation would get flooded.
“I was really scared,” he wrote.
When he asked his host what to do, she was also at a loss and simply told him to monitor the situation.
The TikToker ended up checking on the water level on the street all night long.
“I survived the night but I will never live in this kind of apartment again, and neither should you,” he added.
He wrote that people who are looking to rent a place in Seoul should make sure it’s located not in the “#%$!& basement.”
Netizens made comparisons to Parasite and its famous flooded basement scene.
Other commenters said they thought such basement apartments had already been banned.
And when commenters told him he should have just stayed in a hotel, he replied that this would not have been feasible, as he was there to study.
/TISG
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