All Around Seoul: Everland

♫♪ Everland! Everland!♫♪  

OMG! The sound of Everland theme song kept haunting me many days after our trip there. And it's playing in my head as I write this post. Sounds crazy? Believe me, if somebody claims that they've been to Everland but cannot quote this tune, perhaps that somebody has never been there ;-) 

Note: There's a visitor discount coupon available for Everland tickets. Check out the nearest Tourist Information Centre. 

All Around Seoul: Gyeongbokgung, N Seoul Tower, Teddy Bear Museum

The day was set for more Korean escapades. 

First stop, back to the Joseon Dynasty glory days at the Gyeongbok Palace (Gyeongbokgung). Located in Jongno-gu, it's the largest among other palaces such as the Changgyeonggung or the Changdeokgung. The admission fee was 3,000 won. The palace is closed on Tuesdays.  

Recalling that day, the "palace feeling" had started to seep through the atmosphere as we stepped off the train into the Gyeongbokgung station. The design of the hallway towards the exit and the decorations placed alongside the wall indicated that we've arrived at the correct destination. 

All Around Seoul: Nami Island

Background: Nami Island (Namiseom) is the filming location of the ever popular Winter Sonata. I knew about the drama, though I wasn't really a fan. During the airtime I thought I watched the episodes here and there...and then later I just checked out how the ending went. Well, sad dramas aren't really at the top of my list. Still, it'd be really crappy if I don't know anything about the storyline and characters. What kind of a kdrama fan would I be? ;-) 

All Around Seoul: Itaewon, Lotte World, Banpo Bridge

I have to admit...some of the places we chose to visit in Seoul were based on selected kdrama scenes. But seriously there's nothing wrong with that! These locations provided mesmerising background to thousands of photos taken :D I'll try my best to cover several of those destinations in this post, and elaborate the rest in other posts. 

Itaewon is the home to the US military base and also known for shopping, bars and nightlife. It's sort of an international spot as we could see many people from different countries converge in this single location. Once upon a time Itaewon was where the Seoul Hard Rock Cafe was. Now, the HRC has been replaced by a clothing shop.  

Seoul, South Korea

Background: The Korean peninsula borders China and Russia in the north, faces China in the west across the Yellow Sea (West Sea to Koreans) and Japan to the east and south across Sea of Japan (East Sea to Koreans). The peninsula is divided roughly in half, separating North and South Korea.* 

Seoul (pronounced Seo-ul by the locals) is the capital and largest city of South Korea. It consists of 25 urban districts (gu) that centers around the Han River (Hangang). The population is over 10 million, way bigger than Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta. About a quarter of the country's population live in Seoul, and the number grows to around 35% if the nearby suburbs are included.* The population density is almost twice as concentrated as New York.**