Welcome to the land of fast internet, league of legends, and K-Pop.
In Seoul, the best transportation option is the T-Money card, which can be bought at any convenience store, airport, or train station. It can be used for public transportation, taxi, and store purchases. Getting into Seoul from the airport is very easy. The fastest way is the AREX airport railroad express train. It takes 45 minutes and drops you off directly in the middle of the South Korean capital. Tickets are cheap and can be bought in advance for a discount on Klook.
Yut Nori
The traditional Korean game is Yut Nori and it became a fan favorite of ours. It's a fairly new game only dating back to 57 BC...
We had the opportunity to learn and play this game with our family friends and can say we have never played anything quite like it. Its a game that pits family members and spouses against each other in a heated extravaganza. There is stick tossing, a game board, and pieces moving from the start to the finish line. Lets just say a few arguments can arise from what is considered a legal toss or not. The game does not take super long unless a few well timed tactical maneuvers take place and we were always up for another round.If you would like to try playing or learn more let us know!
Seoul
Seoul is twice the size of New York City and is surrounded by an amazing mountain range. It represents a clash between the mountains, the old traditional houses, and the more modern city skyline.
Staying in central Seoul in the Euljiro district, we were in a prime location to see a lot of the famous sights, but first we were meeting some good family friends for an amazing lunch at a vegetarian Buddhist Korean restaurant called Sanchon! Lunch was served in a cozy traditional home in the Insa-dong neighborhood. This was the first of many delicious Korean meals we’ve tried along the way. What we learned about the local cuisine is that it almost always includes a wide variety of side dishes and the main course. Among these side dishes was of course kimchi!
After lunch we explored the Insa-dong shops and cafes on our way north towards the Changdeokgung Palace. The palace has immense gardens, which sets it apart from the rest of the Seoul structures. My favorite part of the palace was the way it had different rooms for each season to maximize the sun and temperature within the living spaces.
Just north of the palace is the Bukchon Hanok Village with its traditional Korean houses. We enjoyed a spectacular view of the city with the older houses in the foreground and the newer city in the background.
We ended the day by visiting the amazing street markets of Gwangjang! While there, we tried our first taste of Korean street food including kimchi dumplings, vegetable pancakes, and a homemade noodle soup! For desert we had out first patbingsu - a delicious desert with beans and shaved ice.
Seoul has many vantage points from which you could see the city. We chose two: the North Seoul Tower by day and a mountain lookout by night. Interestingly, the North Seoul Tower offered a romantic escape to couples who left thousands of locks on the fences around the perimeter of the tower.
And by night a spectacular scenic lookout north of the city in the mountains.
An absolute must-see for us was the Gangnam Station which was home the large K-Pop recording studios and the iconic location and namesake to “Gangnam Style.”
DMZ
The next day we took a bus to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) located just 50 kilometers north of the city. It was a great learning experience as we got to learn more about the Korean War and its long-lasting impacts. The stories of the families separated by the division of North and South Korea are sad. We can only hope for their peace and end of suffering.
Busan
Busan is the Miami of South Korea, located right on the southeast corner of the country. Street markets are what Busan is known for. We had a great time exploring the clothing markets, food markets, and the world-famous fish markets.
The original fish markets used to be right on the street, but a few years ago a giant indoor market was created with floors of fish, crustaceans, and other seafood options. It was a wild experience to see so much variety in sea life. We ended up wandering down a bit before deciding to try some shrimp.
As I watched the lady pick out the shrimps, at first I thought we were getting them to cooked, but I soon learned it was going to be my first live shrimp tasting. With a side of cocktail sauce, I gave the shrimp a bite and it was surprisingly very good!
We capped off Busan with a view to kill at the Park Hyatt Busan lounge. The view at night overlooks the Busan Gwangan Bridge. Taking in the view we tried our third and most fascinating dessert yet the watermelon cotton candy patbingsu!
Gwangju
Gwangju is one of the largest cities in South Korea and is home to a rich history. The events of May 1980 placed this city in the center of the democratic movement. College students revolted against the government. A memorial for those who died fighting for democracy can be found at the May 18th National Cemetery which offers a sobering look at the Gwangju massacre.
The city felt like a home-away-from home with the hospitality and warm welcome from our family friends. We got to experience Gwangju like locals by going to the movies, getting fancy spa treatments, visiting an eye doctor and a dentist (massive thanks to our close friend who fixed my tooth that I chipped a few weeks prior). We also enjoyed a karaoke night celebrating our family friends 20th wedding anniversary!
Surrounding Gwangju are lots of parks and many amazing places, including:
The green tea fields were etched on the side of the steep hill that we had a chance to climb. We enjoyed a spectacular vista after climbing all the way to the top. We capped the hike with a perfect green tea ice cream and green tea latte.
At the Jeungsimsa Buddhist temple we learned about the four Buddhist heavenly kings who guarded those who entered the premises. To gain the right to enter, it is proper to bow to all four kings individually and then bow to them all. A peaceful and serene escape in the wood.
The bamboo forest was a favorite of ours, winding back and forth like a maze, an easy way to get lost as our friend mentioned that he had previously accomplished. After a light hike through the forest we went for a bike ride. But not a peddle bicycle but motorbike. With the wind in our hair we breezed the small town of Damywang.
Back in Gwangju, we went up the Mudeungsan mountains for a view of the city. A comfortable chair lift took us to the top, but we were not quite to the lookout. It was time for the cross-peak roller coaster trek. We stepped into our seats and off we went, trying not to look down at the 700-foot drop as we crossed mountain to mountain. We arrived with a view of Gwangju in the setting sun. A highlight for me was the soccer stadium that hosted the semifinals for the 2002 World Cup.
To round out our immersion into the Korean culture, we got to learn and play a traditional musical instrument - gayageum. I tried my best but Julia was a natural, playing the original 12-string guitar dating back to the 6th century.
The crème de la crème was our visit to Jeonju where we had our own photoshoot in traditional Korean dress while exploring a historic town. We danced and shot the day away.
Gwangju loves its food. Throughout our stay we learned all about the many amazing Korean dishes and the fact that there are over thousands of variations of kimchi. To learn a little more about Korean food, check out the film “Little Forest”.
Thank you to our amazing family friends for sharing your home and showing us a little more of your beautiful country!
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