Visiting Seoul - South Korea

Getting to Seoul by myself was a great experience but tiring and stressful. I had booked my flights months in advance. My schedule was Philly-New York by bus and then taking the train to the JFK airport. NY-Seattle, Seattle-China, and finally China-South Korea by plane. I got this long trip because it was the cheapest I could find.

You need to have in mind that China is not an easy country to enter. They ask for all kinds of visas. For me to get to Terminal B from Terminal A I had to go through security check again and I was guarded all the time. This was only because I had not time to go and ask for a temporary visa to change terminals. 

Once I got to Seoul, everything was easy. They just asked for my passport and immigration only took few seconds. They gave me a paper that said the date I got in and that I could only stay 90 days in their country. Seoul is an impressive city. It doesn´t look like anything I´ve seen in the United States. All the houses, stores, or restaurants feel packed on the streets. Sometimes the only space you have to walk is in the middle of the streets but it is only to tell you that you are on the other side of the world.

I spent 10 days in this city and I want to share my experience with you by showing the places I got to visit and enjoy. The currency in South Korea is called won. One dollar is equivalent to 1111.20 won.

Choco Residence

I didn´t stay in a five stars hotel because I was traveling alone and I didn´t need much. I booked a room in a guest house located in one of the most popular areas of Seoul, Hongdae. I paid around $20 per night. The room had WiFi, a TV, my own bathroom, and a closet. I was comfortable in this room and the man that ran the place was very nice, although he could barely speak English so the communication was hard. The place also had a common kitchen, a washing machine, and a dryer. The only problem I found was that I had to take my shoes off and put them in a locker, then put slippers on and finally walk to my room. This was annoying because if I had forgotten something I had to do the whole process again.

Room at Choco Residence

Artbox Store

This store was one of my favorites. If you are a fan like me of pens, crayons, art crafts, notebooks, or weird stuff, you will definitely love this store. I encourage you to visit it if you ever go to Seoul.

Artbox store

Kakao Friend Store

Kakao app is the most famous way of communication in South Korea. I might say it is as famous as Whatsapp in this part of the World. The same way we have our emojis, they do. This store is all based on that app and it is worth it to get in and check it out.

Lotte World Adventure

Lotte World Adventure is an amusement park that in my point of view, tries to simulate Walt Disney World but fails enormously. I don´t know if it was because I wasn´t feeling well that day but the park seemed boring for someone of my age, 26 at that time. I have been to Disney before and I didn´t feel the same way. Not everything is negative, I found some rides interesting and innovative like the roller coaster that you can ride with virtual reality goggles.

Cheonggyecheon

This is kind of a park in the middle of the city. It is a modern public recreation space in downtown that counts with 6.8 miles. It is open 24 hours and offers a space to share with friends, family or just to sit relax, and read a book. It opened in 2005 and I highly recommend you to visit it!

COEX Mall

This mall is Asia's largest underground shopping mall. It is a big mall, yes, but the principal reason that took me there was the Starfield Library. This is is an open public space where anyone can freely come to sit down, take a break, and immerse themselves in books along with others. This library took my breath away, I love books and I felt like in paradise. It is definitely a mandatory stop if you visit Seoul.

Insa-dong

Looking for gifts to take home? Insa-dong is the perfect place to find them. This is a street with plenty of stores to buy whatever you´re looking for. I will just tell you if a Korean-like person approaches you asking if you speak English and if you would like to go with them to see part of their culture, say no. This is a strategy to ask you for money and I was a victim. Yes, I have a story to tell after that but, in my opinion, since I was alone, I felt vulnerable and scared.

Bukchon Hanok Village

Close to Insa-dong, you can find the Bukchon Hanok Village. This is an area where there still are houses with an antique Korean style. Beware that people still live in these houses and they were protesting about tourists when I went in May 2018. An interesting fact about this place is that I saw many girls and women wearing the Hanbok, the traditional dress. You can easily rent these dresses for an amount of time and then explore the city looking like a traditional Korean. I didn´t want to walk around so I just paid for a photography session that cost me around $35.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

This palace according to Wikipedia, "was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. Built in 1395, it is located in northern Seoul, South Korea. The largest of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon dynasty, Gyeongbokgung served as the home of Kings of the Joseon dynasty, the Kings' households, as well as the government of Joseon." The price to get in is only 3000 won and you can stay as long as you want. It is worth it to walk around the whole space. While I was there they had a free show.

Deoksugung Palace

According to Wikipedia, "Deoksugung palace is a walled compound of palaces in Seoul that was inhabited by members of Korea's royal family during the Joseon monarchy until the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910. It is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty." It is located across from City Hall. The entrance price is only 1000 won and my recommendation is to pay close attention to details on the ceilings.

City Hall, Seoul, South Korea.

Gwangjang Market

This is a market where you can find typical food from South Korea. For me, it was impressive because I hadn't eaten any of those foods. I also tried for the first time the "Makgeolli," a raw rice wine. I didn´t like it and it almost made me throw up but at least I can say that I tried it.

Eating Korean Pancakes

Transportation 

The system of the subway in South Korea is amazingly efficient. You can get wherever you want by taking the subway. They have names in English and Korean. The payment way is to acquire a subway card and put money on it. You will scan your card at the entrance of the station and then scan it later at the station where you get off. 

Two interesting facts about the subway system is that some stations are connected underground and you can find stores of any kind. I actually bought shirts half the price at Insa-dong. Another fact is the walls that exist between the subway and the platform. These walls have doors that are named  (1-1,1-2 and so on) and open when the train gets to the station and opens it.

I learned a lot about South Korean culture with this trip and it made me love more my culture because it is not easy to change, even for few days what you are used to doing or eating. I would definitely recommend visiting South Korea because it is a unique experience.