ms_minerva | Entries tagged with south korea

The past days have been crazy! I finally activated my 24-hr Discover Seoul Pass. My card cost $30, and the total cost of all of the attractions I visited with it was $76!! So if you visit Seoul, you should definitely pick up one of these passes!

Day 1

I started at noon on Thursday and went to Hanboknam to try on a fancy hanbok. I got to wander around in it for two hours! I visited Gyeongbokgung Palace and took a bunch of pretty photos.

Tip: If you’re wearing a hanbok, you get into the palaces and shrines for free!

After Gyeongbokgung, I returned the hanbok and then headed to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, but as the cashier was scanning my card I discovered that people under 24 get in for free, so I didn’t need my Discover Seoul Pass! I decided to put off visiting the museum for Saturday when my pass had already expired and to visit more attractions. I walked to Changdeokgung Palace and Changyeonggung Palace as the sun began to set—beautiful! From there I walked down to Jongmyo Shrine, but it was already closed. Admission is only 1000 won (less than $1), so I decided that I could save it for Saturday as well.

I took the subway from Jongmyo to Namsangol Hanok Village. I had some stone pot bibimbap for dinner at a little restaurant tucked among the shops there (6500won).

I wanted to cap off my night by visiting the observatory at N Seoul Tower, but I didn’t know how to get there; I just knew that it was at the top of the Namsan mountain. I couldn’t get my phone onto wifi, but I looked at my map and realized that none of the trains went there. I knew some tour buses did, but it was too late for me to join one of those. I looked at my map, and then looked up to the tower on the mountain. As long as I walked in the direction of the tower I would eventually reach it, right?

It turned out that I was right, but it took FOREVER. At least I can cross impulsive mountain-hiking off of my bucket list now.

I got back to the hostel exhausted after getting lost on my way down from the mountain and ending up all the way at Myeongdong Station. I got ready for bed and a good night’s sleep.

Day 2

I woke up at 8 and ate breakfast at my hostel, and then headed out. I had until noon before my pass would expire. First, I took the subway to Dongdaemun History and Culture Park and used my Discover Seoul Pass to get a wristband for Seoul City Tour Double-Decker Tour Bus Traditional Culture Course, a hop-on-hop-off bus. I took it to Euljiro 1-ga and visited Deoksugung Palace, just in time for the changing of the guards! From there I walked to the Koreana Hotel and used my Discover Seoul Pass to get a Seoul City Tour Bus Panorama Course ticket just as my pass was about to expire. Now it was past noon but I already had my bus tickets! I spent the rest of the afternoon riding both buses around the city, wind blowing on the rooftop as I took lots of amazing photos.

At night I rode the Hanggang River Ferry. I booked the ticket for about $15 online. It was very beautiful. We were in a heated cafe area surrounded by large glass windows, and two musicians played jazz renditions of Christmas carols on keyboard and flute. Lovely!

Day 3

My Discover Seoul Pass included a 24-hour bike rental that could be activated at any time. I used that on my last day to bike to Jongmyo Shrine and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

This has been a really wonderful trip. I didn’t know what to expect when I got here, and I hadn’t even originally planned on coming to Korea. The starts and my grandma’s unused airline miles aligned to bring me here, though. I love Seoul! It’s such a beautiful city framed by mountains. The food is delicious and affordable, the history and culture are amazing, and I had so much fun shopping here! It’s also very easy to navigate via public transportation, unlike some cities *cough* Tokyo *cough* I don’t know where my future will take me yet, but I could see myself living here.

Now I’m sitting in the airport just chilling and mooching off their WiFi. My flight is in ten hours, and I have a whole bench to sleep on!

Today I joined a tour to the DMZ, the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea. Our stops were Dorasan Station, the Third Tunnel, Dora Observatory, and Imjingak. I originally booked a longer tour that focused on the JSA (Joint Security Area), but it was cancelled for “political reasons.” My tour guide told me that this tour focuses more on military strategy and wouldn’t be as interesting to me, so I guess everything worked out.

When our bus pulled into the zone, soldiers boarded and looked at all of our passports. We were all cleared, so we were able to continue on our tour.

Dorasan Station: Important people (i.e. politicians, Olympic athletes) can take a train from here to Pyongyang and vice versa. I got some stamps on my plane ticket as souvenirs!

Third Tunnel: Infiltration tunnel the North Koreans tried digging after armistice so that they could invade Seoul. South Korea has found four of these tunnels so far, and there are probably more. The tunnel has been turned into a train roller coaster (very Korean) and doesn’t allow photo-taking (not very Korean at all). We had to wear helmets so our heads wouldn’t get injured from banging on the rocky roof of the tunnel (it happened to me a lot!). We took the roller coaster deep underground and then walked until we reached a point blocked off by the military, 170m away from the border. That’s the closest you’re allowed to get from South Korea.

Dora Observatory: You can look at North Korea through binoculars. I was able to see buildings in the closest city. They looked small but orderly. The city that’s easiest for outsiders to see probably isn’t representative of the inland, though.

Imjingak: We had lunch here and could then explore. Since I was the only solo traveler in our group the restaurant gave me my own set of refillable appetizers! I finished first out of everyone and then went out on my own. First, I checked out Mangbaeddan, a monument where North Korean refugees living in the South go during Korean Thanksgiving to honor the ancestors they left behind. They can’t cross the border to visit their family’s graves. Next, I visited Freedom Bridge. After the Korean War, prisoners crossed the bridge to either the North or the South. They could never return after choosing their side. A fence now blocks the bridge from connecting to North Korea. People tie ribbons and banners onto it with notes expressing their wishes for a reunified Korea. There was also a bullet hole-ridden train that once connected Gaesong (northern city) and Imjingak but was destroyed during the Korean War. It’s a monument now.

Overall, I really enjoyed this tour and 100% recommend visiting the DMZ if you’re in Korea. It’s only an hour away from Seoul (scary to think about what would happen during a war), so it’s definitely accessible, especially if you join a tour group!

Since my last post, I have:

Visited a bunch of traditional markets and done some awesome thrift and bargain shopping! (pants for $2, corduroy dress for $1, brand new vintage-style dresses for $6 each). I found the super cheap stuff in bargain boxes and piles near Dongdaemun Station. The dresses were in the underground shopping center at Myeongdong. They had lots of amazing deals! I also did some significantly more expensive shopping for my family at the TonyMoly outlet. The good thing about spending so much is that you don’t have to pay the sales tax if you show your passport.

Gone on tour! I visited the Gangchon Rail Bike Park, Nami Island, Petite France, and the Garden of Morning Calm. To be honest, if you’re a short-term tourist I wouldn’t recommend visiting these places. They’re kitschy and fun and don’t have any cultural significance—they’re just for Korean locals looking to have a fun day trip and take cute photos. During my tour I met a group of Filipino-Hawaiian college students on vacation in Seoul for their first independent international trip. I had a lot of fun talking with them about Filipino-American culture and language politics and I gave them tips about traveling around the world. I’m not a baby traveler anymore: I’ve transitioned from caterpillar to larva. Someday I’ll be a butterfly and take flight everywhere! We planned to meet up again at the Myeongdong night market.

Met new people! In addition to the students, I’ve gotten to spend time with my roommates and other interesting people at my hostel. I met Chinese women here for face surgery; apparently it’s cheaper here than in China and there are visas specifically for this. I met strangers who gave me ominous wisdom. Most of the guests at my hostel are from other Asian countries, with a handful from Russia and Europe. I’m the only American.

Tomorrow I’m going to visit the DMZ and learn more about North Korea. I have a couple of acquaintances who have actually crossed the border and toured there, but I have no interest in doing that. Not only is it potentially dangerous, but the tour is incredibly manufactured so you get no real glimpses at what life is actually like for the average citizen. Hopefully tomorrow will shed more light on the situation overall. Until next time!

"You're getting older. You need to face your destiny."

My 3-week winter break started yesterday, and I flew out as soon as possible. I arrived in the city this morning and will be here for one week. I originally wasn’t planning on making this trip (as with Japan) because Korean plane tickets from the Philippines tend to be expensive, but my grandma gave me all of her accumulated airline miles since she can't travel anymore. They were enough to buy round trip tickets for Japan and Korea! I’m incredibly grateful to her.

Our story so far: It is VERY cold. I’m originally from a cold place, but maybe my tolerance level has lowered after living in the desert and then the tropics. The coat my aunt lent me wasn’t thick enough to keep me warm, so my first mission was to hunt down a thrift shop to get an outer coat for the one I already have (I didn’t want to buy a complete winter coat that I would only use this week—I already have a good one back in the States). I dropped my suitcase off at my hostel and then took the subway up to Changdong, where there was a Salvation Army store near the station. I found a heavy gray trench coat for 10,000 won (about 10USD), which is great because I’ve always wanted a coat like it! My mission tomorrow is to find a good pair of gloves and maybe a hat as well. After shopping I took the subway all the way down to the National Museum of Korea and spent the rest of the day there. Permanent exhibitions are free admission. I had a lot of fun learning about Korean history.

Discover Seoul: I bought a 24-hr Discover Seoul Card. So far I’ve used it as my subway pass and to take the AREX train from the airport, but I haven’t activated the countdown clock for visiting the attractions it includes. I knew I would be tired today and that I would get lost a lot, so I’m holding off for a few days. When I'm ready I will try my best to game the system and visit as many sites as possible.

Hostel with shower-toilets??: My hostel is pretty nice—it has fast WiFi and free breakfast, and I only have two roommates. 10USD/night. The bathrooms are really weird, though—they’re all single use and have a shower head in the same little room as the sink and toilet? So whenever someone showers everything gets soaked?? I mean, I guess it’s space-efficient...

Also, I learned that electrical outlets in Korea are European style and always 2-prong. My converter is a 3-prong so I had to scramble to find another converter as all of my batteries were dying. 7-11 is a lifesaver! They also have great snacks like the ones in Japan.

I’m not sure if I should post every day or if I should just do a recap at the end of the week. I’ll figure it out as I go!