I also visited Buckchon Hanok Village shortly before it started raining cats and dogs. I’d never quite seen anything like it before or since and thought it was a really cool idea. There were plenty of padlocks to go ’round at Mount Namsan I never thought about writing on a padlock until I went to South KoreaĪround the tower were a fair few places where you could purchase padlocks, write a message on them and hang them up on message boards that were on display. Namsan (a fairly short mountain) and getting the cable car up. Next I visited the North Seoul Tower, which you can access after making your way up Mt. It is also connected with the National Folk Museum of Korea, which housed some very interesting sculptures. In the afternoons, they often offer a free English-speaking tour of the residence, which was quite a fun way to learn about its history. The palace was surrounded by large open spaces, trees and a big pond. Many of the buildings that comprise the palace are fairly empty, aside from a small shrine or in some cases, large dragon sculptures that decorated the ceilings. Today the palaces are adorned with intricate drawings, artwork, mandalas and Buddhas that stand as a testament to the craftsmanship and commitment of those who dedicated their lives to it. The palace buildings were later restored during the reign of King Gojon in the 18th century. So after heading back to the hostel and figuring out a map of the city, I visited the first stop on the tour bus route, which was the Gyeongbokgung palace.īuilt in 1395, it was the main royal residence of the Joseon dynasty and continued to serve as such until it was burned down in the Imjin War between 15. In Seoul, you can do a hop on, hop off tour bus which takes you to some of the main attractions. A city of Seoul Seoul is a spectacular city with plenty of grand buildings and palaces Seoul is an eclectic city, with plenty of shopping malls, temples, palaces, and parks. In my confused state, I promptly forgot all of it within seconds of her telling me and was too polite to ask her to repeat herself. She then gave me the lowdown on where I could find the best restaurants, bars and shops. I hungrily devoured everything but the Kimchi – which I just couldn’t get my head around at all. We then sat in a local restaurant where I tried Kimchi (spicy, fermented cabbage) and Bibimbap (mixed rice and meat topped with egg). I finally arrived at the Seoul Insiders Hostel run by a pair of friendly South Korean backpackers.Ī Finnish expat called Olivia kindly showed me the ropes in the city and took me to the most popular hangout spots in that part of Seoul. Luckily I was able to find someone to come to my rescue and they pointed me in the right direction. The hostel was a good ten minutes walk from the place the bus dropped me off and trying to decipher the hostels directions was like trying to decode Egyptian hieroglyphics. I guess I was after a taste of the unusual to quench the thirst of curiosity as I emerged from Seoul Incheon Airport hot, confused and flustered.Īlthough I was a little bit relieved to leave the persistent and curious gaze of China, I never knew what adventures were to lay ahead of me.Īfter asking the information desk how to get to my hostel, I finally found myself seated on a very comfortable and air-conditioned bus to my destination. Rather, it is the quaint, quiet, little beauty in the heart of the Orient. South Korea is not the tropical paradise of Thailand or the mayhem and madness of China.
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