Dags Marasigan

 

 

 

 

Rendezvous #5 - Seoul, South Korea. March 6-7, 2011


Rendezvous #1 - Hongkong

Rendezvous #2 - Bali, Indonesia

Rendezvous #3 - Singapore

Rendezvous #4 - Malaysia

From Kuala Lumpur, I took Malaysia Airlines for the 6 1/2 hour red eye flight to Seoul, South Korea.  It was just perfect timing that my Air Canada colleague, John Lim was in Seoul with his girlfriend, Jessica. John knew the area since he was a Korean himself and I was grateful that the couple toured me around.

At the arrival area of Incheon Airport, John suggested that I rented a cellular phone so I did not have to roam when I needed to get in touch with them.  Phone rental for 2 days was just KRW 6,000 (US$5.50).  From the airport, I took bus #8A Gyeonggi to Ilsan (a district in South Korean) for about KRW 8,000 (US$7.00) and ride was just about 30 mins. John met me at the stop and the 3 of us went to Insadong for some shopping, sightseeing and authentic Korean lunch.

From Insadong, we went to Namdaeumun Market.  The flea market was simply packed with vendors and local shoppers.  It was overwhelming to realize that from the outlet stores in the United States, to the flea market in Seoul, South Koreans had a lot of disposable income for shopping.

After shopping and some coffee, we went to Gyeongbok Palace and it reminded me of the Forbidden City in Beijing.  The Gyeongbok palace was evident of the rich influence of Chinese culture.  At the palace grounds, we had photos with the corresponding animal based on the Chinese calendar.  I was born year of the rat, John was year of the snake and Jessica was year of the rabbit (I think). 

From the palace, we had Korean BBQ for dinner.  John introduced me to Soju which was like sake, just stronger and it tasted better. The excellent dinner went well with Soju.  After dinner, we went to another bar for some more night cap and we called it a day.

First thing on March 7, John and I went to DMZ and took bus #100.  When we reached the area, we took the cab to the Imjingak Resort which was one of the areas where you can partly see the division between North and South.  Parts of the area had barbed wires so unauthorized people will not be able to cross through the DMZ.

From DMZ, we went back to Ilsan and had our last meal since my flight back to Toronto was that afternoon.  At the airport, there was a Korean cultural exhibit and some Koreans dressed up during the olden days and stood there like statues.

South Korea was one of the most interesting travels I had.  I do not usually go back to places I've been but South Korea, just like Buenos Aires, Argentina were the only places I would like to visit again.  The culture and hospitality of the South Koreans were very pleasant and the food was fantastic.  Also, I was very surprised with the prices of transportation, hotel and food in South Korea.  For a highly developed country, I was expecting the prices there to be comparable to Canada or USA.  However, prices in South Korea were comparable to Philippines yet my own country was still classified a third world to developing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going around South Korea though was a challenge.  If not for John and Jessica, it could have been more challenging than my trip to Tokyo, Japan.  Though there were English translation in the signs, they were fewer compared to Tokyo. The subway system was comparable to Tokyo but I did not have the chance to ask for directions since Jessica and John were there.  Still, the overall experience was a memorable one.

Now, back to Toronto - back to work.