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.**

How's the weather: Korea has 4 distinct seasons. Springtime from April to June (~17.6 to  26.9°C) are pleasant months and should be the best time to visit should you want to catch the cherry blossoms in action. Summers around June till August are hot and humid (~22.1 to 29.5 °C). Autumns in September to November are cool and dry (~11.5 to 19.7 °C) and winters from December to March can be really cold (-6.1 to 1.6 °C).**

How to get there: Incheon International Airport (ICN) is the gateway into South Korea. Previous to the launch of Incheon, the main airport was the Gimpo Airport (GMP). Gimpo currently functions as the hub for South Korea domestic flights. There are also international airports at Busan and Jeju. Alternatively there are ferry services for those coming in from China and Japan.  

Where to stay: A budget traveler like myself would opt for hostels and guesthouses. We stayed at the Carpe Diem guesthouse that provides accommodation for women travelers. With the recent Hi Seoul programme and Visit South Korea 2010-2012 campaign, there are arrays of affordable accommodations to choose from. Otherwise visitors may prefer hotels (try requesting for Korean style instead of the normal Western style) or perhaps hanok (Korean traditional house). 

How to get around: Personally, I would highly recommend taking the Seoul Metro subway as the main mode of transportation. It is simple, convenient and takes you everywhere within the Seoul Metropolitan. Imagine 9 major lines with more than 20 stations in each line! Taking buses or taxis are usually painful as you get stuck in horrendous traffic jams (perhaps that's why they allow watching tv in cars...since you're stuck anyway). I can vouch for the traffic as I'd been on a tour bus back when I first came here in 2002.  

Should you go for the subway, do get the T-money instead of purchasing single/return journey tickets. T-money is some sort of a charge card that stores your money value in it (like Touch 'N Go in Malaysia). You can use it for train, bus, taxi rides and even buy stuffs at the Family Mart convenience store. The card costs 3000 won, but if you fancy the one that can be attached to mobile phones then its 6000 won. There are many designs to choose from. Cuteness seems to be the theme in the nation <^_^>v 

Furthermore, with T-money the fare is further discounted by 100 won. So, you only get charged 900 won (instead of 1000 won) for the minimum standard rate. There's only additional rates if you go way beyond the city. Using it for about 10 days, this is so worth the money.

What to say: Everybody speaks little else but Hangeul/Korean here, but it seems that there's a growing number of Koreans being fluent in English, Mandarin and Japanese. 

Since we went on a self-planned tour with no tour guides, there's the challenge in communicating with the locals. As the norm with the locals, some were friendly while some were not. Being on our own for the whole 10 days, we got used to the language and managed to engage in basic conversation when buying or haggling. It pays to learn how to count in Korean and understand their currency system. Otherwise you'd be asking Eolmaeyo? (How much?) and have no idea what the reply was :P 

Other than that, understanding the grammar structure and honorifics could take some time getting used to. But since I've been watching some kdramas, I thought I could guess what was being said. However, do be careful in replying as you might use the informal tense and this is considered as rudeness, a major no-no.

The Hangeul alphabets are fun to learn too, if you're up for it. It's systematic and one can catch up pretty fast. The ability to spell and write your name in Hangeul is an achievement to be bragged about :D 

The Journey

Annyeong haseyo! 
My first visit to South Korea was in 2002, way back when I was a student actively involved in taekwondo, a type of martial arts of Korean origin. We were attending an international taekwondo festival, representing our university. It was during that year South Korea was co-hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup match alongside Japan. 

I came back to Seoul recently at end April-early May 2011. It was end of spring, yet the cold wind were still there amidst the occasional sunshine marking the beginning of summer. This second visit, about 9 years later was purely for leisure. We planned our stay for 10 days (including arrival day). 10 DAYS!! It was truly one of my longest holidays, and definitely one of the most memorable :D 

Here's the itinerary of our holiday in Seoul and Jeju. The details of each escapade shall be further revealed in their respective individual posts :P 

Day 1   - Arrival at Seoul

Day 2   - Seoul: Itaewon, Lotte World, Dongdaemun 

Day 3   - Seoul: Nami Island, Insadong 

Day 4   - Jeju: Dongmun Market, Love Land 

Day 5   - Jeju: Manjanggul, Ichulbong, Seopjikoji, Jeju Folk Village Museum 

Day 6   - Jeju: Jeju town 

Day 7   - Seoul: Gyeongbokgung, N Seoul Tower, Teddy Bear Museum

Day 8   - Seoul: Everland, Banpo Bridge 

Day 9   - Seoul: Gwangjang Market, Namdaemun Market 

Day 10 - Seoul: Myeongdong; Depart for Kuala Lumpur  


Not a single moment was wasted throughout our journey across Seoul and Jeju. We truly savoured the city, the atmosphere and the culture. I especially liked the fact that we're blending in with the locals and hence we got to see the real, unjaded Korea. Awesome experience! Still, there were places yet to be visited. I'll come again, insya-Allah. Till then, Annyeonghi gyeseyo! Sarang hamnida ❤❤❤ 

For homework before travelling, try these:
Lonely Planet Korea (Country Travel Guide) 

Korea - Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs & culture 

South Korea (Insight Guides)

Source on geography, climate and population: 
*Lonely Planet Korea, 5th edition 2001

**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul 
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Hotels/Koreamap.cfm?Lang=e

http://lookatkorea.com/blog/korea/archives/seoul-subway-map-updated-version/