South Korea wasn’t on our itinerary for this trip but we always leave our plans wide open so we are free to make changes at any time. We had planned to stop in Japan on the way and visit a childhood friend. We found out that our friends family was also coming to visit so we decided to push back our visit so we could be there when they were. That gave us 10 days free. First impulse was to find a beach and continue our Thailand adventure but we will never get in that 100 country club if we grow roots in Thailand now, plus we are coming back in a few month for our first GlobeHopper Group Tour so we decided to pack our bags and catch a flight to Seoul.
When we arrived we dropped off our bags and headed straight to a market for some snacks and basically to get a feel for the city. We ended up sharing some Korean barbecue and calling it a night. The next morning we got up early and set out to explore the city. There is so much to do that we broke our adventure up into 2 days.
The city is divided by a river with the more modern part south of the river and the more historic part north. Day one we planned to see as much of the north side as possible. We began by visiting the grand palace where we were only able to walk the grounds and not enter. Still worth a peek. From there we walked to a small but beautiful Buddhist temple and spent some time enjoying the peaceful vibe. Next we walked to the Bukchon Hanok village, a traditional Korean village restored for tourist. We really enjoyed seeing the architecture and seeing people dressed in traditional clothing. From there we walked through a park in the middle of the city and took a cable car ride up a mountain side to check out the views of the city from the Seoul tower. We had a brisk but clear day with amazing views.
We ended our day at an incredible night market sampling dumplings, ice cream smores, a tradition fish shaped pastrie filled with red bean paste, and a Rain Drop cake. The night market was the highlight for us! Perfect day 1.
Seoul wasn’t what I expected and I wasn’t loving the actual city. I’ll explain more about that in my next blog. Like I always say, “It all depends where you get off the bus!”