- South Korea
- (25)
-
North Seoul Tower (Namsan Tower to some) is one of Korea's most popular tourist destinations and with good reason. The views from the tower observatory are quite stunning; every direction you look shows you a different section of the Seoul metropolis, always contrasted by a mountainous backdrop.
When visiting, you can walk up Namsan Mountain, get a bus, or take a cable car. My recommendation is to get the cable car up and enjoy a leisurely stroll down the mountain on your return. A daytime trip will give you a better view of the surrounding mountains, but visit between 7pm and midnight to see the tower light up in glorious illumination. There are a handful of restaurants at the tower, including a burger bar and the expensive N Grill, which slowly revolves and offers romantic panoramic views of the city as you eat. Booking a table for the latter is a must.
Tickets for the tower itself range from 3,000 to 7000 won. The cable car itself costs 4,800 one-way or 6,000 for a return ticket.
www.nseoultower.co.kr/
+82-2-3455-9277
Google map: bit.ly/w7V7aI
A 10-15 minute walk (or a cheap taxi), take Subway Line 4 to Myeongdong Station and leave via exit 3. Take the wide road next to the convenience store and walk straight to the left of the Pacific Hotel. Keep going and you will soon find yourself at the cable car platform. Purchase a ticket on the 3rd floor of the building.
For those unfamiliar with Korean cuisine, ddeokbokki is a popular Korean snack of cylindrical rice cakes cooked in a spicy sauce. Traditionally street food - wonderful for warming up on a bitter Seoul night - there is one place you can visit in Seoul to try a real restaurant quality version; Ddeokbokki Town.
Located in Sindang-dong, Ddeokbokki Town is a long street with numerous restaurants dedicated to ddeokbokki. While most will provide you with a delicious meal, one restaurant is particularly worthy of a visit; the wonderfully named "I Love Sindang-dong." Dining at this restaurant is an easier affair than is typical for the foreigner in Korea, providing a full English language menu along with pictures of the individual dishes. You can choose from a variety of different options, including cheese-stuffed rice balls and the intimidatingly named "Tear Jerker." All the ingredients are brought out in a large pan to cook in front of you - each table having its own gas hob - so be ready to stir the mouth watering mix of rice cake, ramen, glass noodles, mushrooms, dumplings, 'odeng' (fish cake), egg, onions and more while it cooks. Then simply pick and choose which parts you like best, and tuck in!
A huge restaurant (the floor space was used by seven different restaurants up until 2002) "I Love Sindang-dong" gives you a fantastic chance to try some traditional Korean food well away from the more tourism-heavy areas of Seoul. There is often a wait for a table at weekends, though rarely longer than 5-10 minutes, and this really is a must-do for all visitors to the city.
www.ilovesindangdong.co.kr/ilove/index.htm
Simply leave Sindang station (lines 2 & 6) out of Exit 8, take the first left (just before the firestation), and walk straight for about 200 metres. There will be a large sign with Korean script marking the entrance right in front of you.
South Korea, Seoul, Jongno-gu, Jeokseon-dong, 29
+82 2-732-7300
Google map: bit.ly/zCsf8A
Ingwansan is a 338 metres tall mountain located in the heart of Seoul. A short walk away from the nearest subway station, a brief 15 minute hike will see you encountering Buddhist temples, citywide vistas and a shamanist shrine to boot.
Be sure to pick up some kimbap (김밥 in Korean script) from one of the many small restaurants nearby to devour as a snack upon reaching the summit. Made of white rice and various other ingredients, wrapped together in dried laver seaweed, a kimbap is the perfect reward after a short and sharp climb.
Oh, and don't be surprised if you're offered a soju pick-me-up by one of Korea's numerous elderly hikers!
From Dongnimmum Subway station (Line 3), leave through Exit 2 and take an immediate left. Follow the winding road and you will, after 2-3 minutes walking, come across some steps on the right handside. Climb the steps and you'll find yourself at Ingwansan.
Google map: bit.ly/ziF6hT
They pale in size compared to the mega-monoliths but the sheer number of variety in the ancient and weathered Dolmens in the area is incredible. You have to wander through fields and woods to find them all. You could even have a competition to see who finds all 442 recorded dolmens first!
www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/dolmen.html
Google map: bit.ly/vcLyIe
My best friend and I decided to invite our families and join us on the 4th year of my going to the Boryeong Mud Festival.
Everyone in our families can join but only our siblings did. Our parents said they were too old for such craziness like playing in the mud so they let us go on our own instead.
Guess what just happened, we had twice as fun as the previous years because we came with our sibs to Korea. It actually became more of a family activity since my family and my best friend's family also know each other since we were kids so it's like we were one big family who came to enjoyed the mud at this Korea festival.
I took my younger sisters to the mud bath and the mud slide because for me the slide is one famous activity that every mud festival goer should not miss.
Maps in Korea come in many languages but unfortunately they aren't usually bilingual. In countries that use the Roman alphabet this isn't usually a huge problem but with Korean (and other languages that use a different alphabet) this can cause some problems because the romanised Korean on most maps is frankly appalling and taxi drivers and the like will very often not understand you. Getting two maps, one in English and one in Korean however means you can navigate the English map and just point to the corresponding place on the Korean map, hopefully reducing the number of times you end up in the wrong place (although hopefully not completely eliminating this rite of passage for travellers.)
Tourist offices all over the world
Learning to read Korean can be accomplished in an astonishingly short time. It might look impenetrable but the written language is made up of jamo, the building blocks of the written language. There are 51 in total, 24 of these are the equivalent to letters of the Latin alphabet. 14 of these are consonants and 10 are vowels. The others are clusters of these. Sounds complicated but it really isn't. Once you get a handle on the basic sounds you can start to sound out words and you will be astonished to find out just how much English is disguised in Korean. Couple that with some simple vocabulary and your trip can be made a whole lot easier. It is said that a diligent student can learn to read Korean in 24 hours.
Google it and choose the best site for you but for some basic background on the written language check Wikipedia.
I have just returned from teaching English in Korea after two years and I needed to send back a number of boxes from all the stuff I had collected.
Best company found was RSJ International in UK. Everything delivered on time and same condition.
RSJ International Freight Services,
Unit 16, Londonderry Farm
Keynsham Road
Willsbridge, Bristol
U.K. BS30 6EL
Tel: +44 (0)117 932 1160
Fax: +44 (0)117 932 6572
www.rsj-international.co.uk
Email: Bob.Feltham@rsj-international.co.uk
I strongly recommend this unique festival. It is an annual festival that the Boryeong City is hosting every summer in Korea. There are 2-3 millions of visitors from all over the world to enjoy many interesting activities such as mud wrestling, mud massages, and mud king game etc.
Boryeong Mud is actually very popular for high-quality skincare product, so it's great opportunity to try Boryeong mud as well.
Festival Period: July 11~July 19. 2009
Place: Boryeong City, Daecheon Beach
Host: Boryeong-Si (Boryeong City)
Website: www.mudfestival.or.kr
Kim's combines all BBQ styles in one. Try Seashells or pork bacon or chicken on copper-wire mash placed over charcoal, or a heated metal-dome on which you place marinaded beef and more. The menu has nice pictures you can point at. The prices are average.
But the best dish is the wide, shallow, simmering pot filled with aged kimchi (pickled, spicy cabbage) with boiled bacon, mushrooms and tofu.
Mugunji-Sangyop-Jim is myy favourite Korean dish. (Won 18.000 for two). It's served with a huge array of side dishes for free. Rice (Bap) is Won 1000 extra.
Order a small bottle of Chang-Ha (a bit like Sake) only won 4000 perfect for washing the dish down.
It's near Jongno, the heart of Seoul. 10 min walk from Changyong Palace and the Science Museum.
Exit palace and turn left. Keep walking until the huge orange Dunkin Donut cafe. Cross the big road to the opposite side. You are at Family Mart. Take the tree lined street on the left of it. Kim's is the second building marked by many blue and red cube lanterns as well as a big seafood tank left of the entrance.
OR - Take subway line 4 (light-blue) to Hyehwa Station. Exit 4 opens to a busy shopping street. Walk to the end of that and take a sharp -hairpin- turn left. Can't miss it! Shouldn't miss it! :o)
(Ps. Golden Pond Guest House is 30 seconds away in a nearby small alley)
Korea is a nation of carnivores. The national dish is Galbi (marinaded beef or pork rib meat grilled on charcoal). Koreans are the world's largest importers/consumers of bacon -Samgyopsal (although the general Korean belief is that those are two different things.) We are basically talking about three-layered pork fat. The said thick slab of fat is grilled and cut into slices, dipped into salted sesame oil and wrapped into a lettuce leaf - great fun with chopsticks!
Vegans will have to make do on Bibimbap. It's steamed rice topped with boiled vegetables. Locals drench it in a thick, ketchup-like sweet, hot chili sauce. (Kochu-jang)
Fish eating vegetarians will have less problems. Plenty of Japanese Udon Noodles and California Rolls around for those on the budget. Plastic dishes are in the window.
But I'd recommend visiting a Raw Tuna House (Chamchi) for lunch and order a He-Dop-Bap which is a bowl of salad topped with a handful of raw tuna. You are supposed to add the small bowl of steamed rice and mix (and with the eternally present Kochu-jang as above) - I just put a bit of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil in the mix.
The best He-Dop-Bap lunch set (including soup and side dishes for 6000 won is found at a restaurant chain called Dokdo Chamchi (all over Seoul.) Wash it down with a nice hot cup of sake for the full effect! (5000 won).
If you really love Sashimi. Order an "Eat All You Can" tuna meal for 19.000 Won - they'll keep it comin'...
Jongno 3-Ga take exit 13 and walk towards Changdok Palace (it's a straight road between Jongno and the Changdok Palace entrance. It's the 3rd or 4th door after the cinema on the left). Recognize it by the Tuna pictures all over it's front sign.
Or walk from Changdok Palace - cross the road and keep walking straight on the right. 10 min later you'll get to a junction with a big cinema on either side opposite each other - you went a bit too far.
Backtrack a bit and see as above.
***Ask anyone Dokdo Chamchi?***
(Yogi=here) (Chogi=there)
Enjoy!
Sunday is a hell in Seoul! The 24.5 million inhabitants all seem to be on the streets at once. If you want peace and quiet, visit Hwagye-sa.
It's an active Buddhist Temple and a home to the International Zen Centre, located at the base of Bukan mountain short 30 min. subway/bus trip from the heart of Seoul.
Go on Sunday and get a free vegan 'Monk Lunch' between 11.30-12.30 on the ground floor of the main building
After lunch there is an intro to beginners at 12.30 upstairs at the Zen Center. Worth the 30 minutes cross-legged sitting on a cushion :o)
Then to streach out a little, take an easy hike up to the mountain spring. Entrance just before the Temple's - follow the small path on the left, curving towards the right around the hill, (don't go straight on) It's a lovely walk.
I can't think of a more peaceful way to spend a Sunday in Seoul.
Subway line 4 (light Blue) to Suyu Station, exit 3,
take No.02 small green bus and get off at Hwagye-sa (Temple), cross the road and walk up the hill for 5 minutes or take taxi (under $3) from Suyu Station exit 3.
Huge concrete building packed with market stalls selling fish.
Fresh stuff gets snapped up early (4am) in the morning by chefs, but whatever time you get there you can choose your catch and have restaurants in the same building cook it up for you.
Prices are marked so you won't get ripped off (although there's always a little room for haggling) and it's all very photogenic.
Subway Line 1- Noryangjin station (follow the map in the subway station when you arrive).
On January the 15th, or the nearest full moon on the lunar calendar. Thousands of people take a stroll up Hwawangsan and burn some very flammable reeds.
I'm not too sure why they do this, may be some, thing ridiculous to do with spirits. You could probably Google it if you really want to know. I'm happier in ignorance.
It's worth seeing, young and old flock from south Korea to do so.
The surrounding town is about as interesting as a mute standup, but it has a wonderful BBQ restaurant at the bottom of the mountain, owned by a Korean gent who spent many years in Boston and will provide free alcohol at the chance to brush up on his English.
Get a bus from Daegu to Changnyeong, takes about 45 mins. I think the bus is from Daegu's west terminal, can't really remember.
A taxi would cost around 45000 won.
Visit english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TR/TR_EN_5_1_3_1_1.jsp for bus timetables
Seoul Tower is one of my favourite attractions. On top of a massive hill, it gives you a very good view of Seoul as a whole and a good perspective of the city.
Near Chuncheon is the small town of Gangchon. I would recommend staying here as the accommodation is cheap and comfortable - just don't take the first offer you find! You can rent scooters or quad bikes and go charging about the hills and mountains.
Near Gangchon, there is a pretty mountain. At the top, try the dakjjim (a spicy chicken dish). You might have to wait a few minutes whilst they catch, kill and prepare the chicken!
This region is famous for the wonderful Korean dish Dakkalbi (a spicy chicken stew with vegetables and rice cakes) if you haven't tried it anywhere else, give it a go here.
You can get to Gangchon by bus from Chuncheon - take a bus from the bus station
Chuncheon, The City of Lakes, is a typical Korean city with a host of beautiful scenery surrounding it.
I enjoyed a visit to the park near Soyang lake, which is an artificial lake created by a large dam. You can catch a boat (be sure to have your alien card/passport details) and then take a short hike up to a temple.
There is a slightly hidden trail past the temple where you can walk up the mountain and find secluded hermitages and a seven-story stone pagoda waiting to be discovered.
Before you take the boat back, try the deep fried fish in one of the many restaurants - but watch out because the last boat leaves at 6:30!
You can get to Chuncheon from Seoul via a bus or train. You can catch the bus from Dong Seoul station and the train from Dongamak (I think).
Seoraksan is the most popular national park in South Korea. Sadly, this means that the peace and solitude most people seek when heading for parks and mountains is hard to find.
The initial hour or two on most trails consists of tarmac/brick roads, but eventually you will come to steep paths and the inevitable steel staircase.
I have been in autumn and found it very pleasant with wonderful weather and beautiful scenery. But, as I mentioned, there are so many people you may have to find yourself queuing to reach the peak!
If you go to Seoraksan, stay in one of the many hotels/motels in nearby Sokcho. There is also a pretty good beach here as well as a street with many fish restaurants. Try the sushi!
You can get to Sokcho from Seoul by bus - take a bus from either Dong Seoul or the Express bus terminals. There is no train route.
You can then get the bus to Seoraksan - it takes about 30-40 minutes depending on traffic.
No reservations required at this museum since March 2007.
The DMZ is the line of demarcation between North and South Korea on the 49th parallel. It is patrolled and managed by the South Korean and American forces on the South, with the North Koreans guarding the Northern side.
Tours are available with a number of travel companies, but I recommend arranging a trip with the US army travel corps at Yongsan. They run regular tours and their tours visit a number of sites not available to all operators. Prices include travel to and from the zone, lunch and all travel around the site, (which includes travel amongst an armed convoy at the DMZ).
The atmosphere at the DMZ is one of tension and palatable eeriness. Arriving as part of a convoy of buses, with armoured cars leading and tailing, you are taken to the central observation tower and to various sites of importance. A US Army spokesman explains their side of the story, which for me gave a personal insight into the propaganda of war, bearing in mind that the North will have its own version of events.
The highlight for me was the DMZ meeting hall, a UN-blue building which straddles the 49th parallel and has been the location for inter-Korean dialogue since the end of hostilities. North Korean guards, in tired looking uniforms, stare from their side of the line, with their South Korean counterparts assuming a more aggressive stance, (taken from the martial art of Tae Kwon Do), complete with US Army-issue Raybans.
A great full-day trip, and an essential one in my opinion. The reality of the situation, considering the two countries are technically still at war and the real and desperate poverty in the North, is worth reflecting on, as you arrive back in the modern metropolis of bustling Seoul.
Is this your business?