Showing posts with label 36Pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 36Pictures. Show all posts

14.7.13

Travel Journal: Seoul!

Seoul is your typical metropolitan city with tall buildings and long highways but every part of the city is so different in it's own way, you won't run out of things to see or do. The public transport system is really excellent and the best way to get around. You should probably not attempt it by yourself for the first time though. There are NINE subway lines running through this massive city and as far as I could tell, everything runs perfectly on time but it can get pretty confusing.

There are a couple of old palaces in the city. We managed to visit only one of them because they are huge and you really can't do more than one in a day. The palace that we visited - Changdeokgung had an incredibly fairy-tale-like secret garden in the back of it too! SungHwi and I were so tired by the time that we got to it that we had to leave half way through the tour but we did get the essence and it was pretty surreal to think that this gorgeous green little 'forest' exists in the midst of such a busy city!

One of my favourite things that we did in Seoul was watch the Nanta show. It's pretty well known and every bit of hype around it is well-grounded. I honestly did not want that hour-and-a-half to end!

I also stayed one night in a traditional Korean house known as a 'Hanok'. The idea was that it would be nice for me to experience that and perhaps meet other travellers but apparently I was the only guest staying that night! But I did have some interesting conversations with the guesthouse manager, whose name I forget unfortunately. He spoke perfect English which was nice because otherwise it's quite a challenge to converse with strangers unless you speak Korean!


5.7.13

Travel Journal: Daejeon Photos

Hello there, I am back in Daejeon after gallivanting all around Seoul with some excellent guides (super awesome friends of Grace). Seoul is mind-blowingly BIG and diverse. I have some really great memories from the city and I even happened to 'bump' into a really dear friend Ben Stamper who just happened to be there at the same time! He lives in the US so it was pretty awesome how we got to meet in this part of the world. I have loads of photos to share from Seoul but thought I'd start by catching up on this photos I took in Daejeon on my first day. 

I stayed with Grace in her dorm room at KAIST University's campus and that's where these photos start. 

One of the first things that I noticed and loved about Korean culture is how people greet each other. When you enter a restaurant, everyone chimes in to say "An-Nyong-Ha-Sye-Yo" which is basically the equivalent of a 'Namaste' in India. And then when you leave you are greeted too. I love that. It just feels so warm! You are noticed and appreciated even if you are a stranger. 

Just outside Grace's dorm.
This is Grace trying to make a decision as to which direction we should go.
My first time trying out hard-core Sushi. Well, as hard-core as it gets in Korea. 
Cafe's are the 'in' thing.
Trying to make a plan for the day.
See that warm smile? Love it!
Everyone is so well-dressed!
Love the organised traffic. 
Zebra crossings actually mean something here :P
Cool graffiti on the wall at one the cafes that we went to.
Sung Hwi! She also went to school with us but was in the year below. Sung-Hwi showed me around Seoul on my second-day there.

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