Caroline Visits South Korea

I was fortunate to recently return from an amazing trip to South Korea (Republic of Korea), hosted by our travel partners Inside Asia.

Our first stop was the capital city, Seoul. A huge city of 10 million people and made up of different neighbourhoods, our first couple of days we stayed in an area called Myeong-dong (North of the city). From here you can walk to a lot places or jump on the very comprehensive (and efficient) metro system. The Metro was so cheap and so much faster than by car, we often saw the traffic gridlocked during peak times.

Once we settled into our hotel we enjoyed a private food tour (highly recommend this!). I quickly learnt that food is a big part of Korean culture, so I was excited that this was our first introduction to the country.

First off, we enjoyed a traditional Korean Barbecue (Mapo Style) at a restaurant in the Mapo area of Seoul. The place was full of locals (always a good sign) sitting around coal burners cooking beef or pork, chillies, egg and garlic. It smelt incredible and tasted even better. After eating way too much and enjoying the local Makgelli (rice wine) we walked a little further before sampling some Twigim (Tempura) from a local market stall. It was like a Tempura Pick and mix! If that wasn’t enough, it was time to try the well known Korean fried chicken, which apparently must be enjoyed with a bottle of beer!

By this stage I was very full but the temptation to sample the popular dessert Bingsu was too great. Best described as shaved ice / condensed milk pudding topped off with your choice of fruit and sauce, it was so good and I keep trying to find it locally in Bristol but to no avail.

After a well rested nights sleep we enjoyed a private walking tour along the Cheaong-gye-cheon stream. Once covered by a highway and reopened around 20 years ago, it was so peaceful and great to see the locals sitting by the stream. Running 10km through the city, it's definitely worth visiting. Another evidently important Korean tradition is queuing for things, especially for the latest food crazies - I saw a particularly long one for a salted croissant!

One of the major must sees in the city lies a 30 minute walk away: the Gyeonbokgung Palace. This is one of two palaces in the city - hard to believe that some parts of the palace has been rebuilt only 20 years ago.

We spent a good two hours walking amongst the temples, pavilions and attractive formal gardens. It was weekend, so it was busy with Korean families enjoying the historical sites wearing the traditional clothing from time past. Tired from all the walking, it was time to join another private tour, this time by e-bike! I must say, I was a little nervous at first but after a few minutes was clearly a natural!! Our tour was timed perfectly, as we cycled past the Changdeokgung Palace as the changing of the guard took place.

We climbed the narrow hilly streets to Buckchon Hanok Village (grateful of the 'e' in 'e-bike') which offered amazing views of the city before heading to Gwangjang market, known for its fab street food. The stall holders were so lovely and generous with samples for us all to try.

On our second day we left the skyrises behind and headed north of the city to the hilly countryside. Time for an enjoyable walk in the Bukhansan National Park - so peaceful, I totally understood why it was such a popular place for the city dwellers to visit. After a short drive, we reached the start of our walk and, after an hour of climbing the wooden stairs through the woodland, we reached the top. Definitely worth the walk, you could just about see the city skyline through the trees, it was strange to think we were still in Seoul despite the sheer tranquility.

Heading back to the city, we visited the uber-cool district of Hongae, characterised by shops selling vintage clothes, cute souvenirs and quirky restaurants, bars, cafes and art studios. 

Now time to leave Seoul, we caught the ever-impressive bullet train to Jeonju. Seoul Central station was easy to navigate, very modern and not too busy. Our train arrived promptly (of course!) and was very comfortable with plenty of room for our luggage. It was great to just sit back and take in the scenery which was mostly hill and paddy fields and surprisingly more high rises in the small towns we passed (apparently flat land is hard to find in Korea). After our two hour train journey we reached our destination: historic Jeonju.

Jeonju is known for its preserved Hanok village and the well known rice dish, Bibimbap. We enjoyed a cooking lesson, making our own Bibimbap under the watchful eye of a lovely instructor. Interestly, each element put in the dish has important health properties and is very good for you - it also looks pretty and - importantly - tastes delicious.

We walked around the village and noticed a lot of people walking around in traditional dress. Apparently this is the thing to do when you visit the village. So yes, we dressed up but I’m afraid I’m too embarrassed to share my picture!

Jeonju is lovely with traditional houses, pavilions and temples plus local crafts. It wasn’t busy in the village, however they had a lot of sovenior shops and what I would call fairground games which made it feel a little touristy. However, come the evening a lot of the day visitors left so peace resumed as the local residents lit lanterns outside their houses and the small local restuarants filled with locals.

Our hotel for night was a real treat as we stayed in a traditional Hanok guest house in the village, sleeping on a futon (but very comfortable).

The next day, it was time to move on again, this time by road to Gyeongju on a three hour journey along quiet roads. They call Gyeongju a museum without walls, and indeed it's a really interesting place to visit. Most tours include an overnight in the city so you can enjoy the historical sites at night all lite up, though we only spend a short time here. After a few hours sightseeing, it was time for some more tasty food (of course!). This time we enjoyed a Korean Barbecue but the meat was duck and pork - more popular in this region.

After lunch we hit the road south towards Busan, about which I knew little beyond its feature on Race Across The World. To my surprise, Busan was vast and was much more than just skyscrapers. We spent a couple of days exploring the various areas including the temple of the shoreside (temple of Haedong Yonggungsa) and Gamcheon. We'd generally get an early start on the day before it gets too busy. It's worth noting that it's not the best place to visit if you're a little unsteady on your feet - you have to climb down a number of steps to reach the temple but it was so worth it.

Our next stop was Gamcheon. The village reminded me of the images I’d seen of the Favelas in Rio. The colourful cultural village was once a mountainside slum and home to refugees and it now draws in many tourists exploring the many alley ways, stairs and colourful houses, shops and cafés. I could’ve spent all day in Gamcheon if time allowed.

Busan came alive a night - the seaside area had a lovely atmosphere with a mixture of Korean families enjoying the evening entertainment and local food stalls and older visitors visiting the lively bars and clubs. We enjoyed what was another delicious meal in a local back street restaurant - tasty dumplings this time!

Due to the size of Busan (the second largest city in Korea), it took a while to reach the central station, but in a relatively short time we were on the Bullet Train once more heading back to Seoul, a journey of just three and a half hours.

We had two more places in Seoul to explore: Seongsu-dong, Gangnam and a big highlight a visit to Lotte Tower. For those ok with heights, I'd encourage you to climb the sky tower - it was incredible.

Seongsu-dong was very cool and certainly worth visiting - it reminded me a little of Shoreditch in London. Quirky cafes, what look like derelict buildings from a distance but where designer shops are located underground. Very hipster. After a long day it was time to relax in our new hotel in Gangnam and then head out at nightfall to enjoy our final night in Seoul. Gangnam is one of the wealthiest parts of the city with mostly modern apartments, skyscrapers and designer shops, however if you just take a wander behind the large buildings the streets get narrower and you are spoilt for choice for the number of restaurants and themed bars.

It was time to say thank you and goodbye to South Korea and Inside Asia for tailoring such an amazing trip. The attention to detail and the expertise of our guides were exceptional, as we've come to expect from Inside Asia. 

I must say, South Korea is utterly amazing and you don’t really have to travel great distances to tour around independently or in a group tour. It's also perfect to add on to a trip to Japan or China.

Thank you for reading (Gam-sa-ham-ni-da) and of course, if you'd like to chat about your own trip to South Koreo, please get in touch!