This is my second trip to Korea. During the trip, I discovered new places I have not visited during the first trip and got more familiar with Seoul and Busan. I stayed near the famous Myeongdong walking street and went to the HBAF Almond Store to taste all the almonds many times before buying them. This is because I think that the almonds are grossly overpriced. The street food are also very expensive but I still tasted some of them. The cheapest item I could find is the face mask. In Singapore, one piece of face mask is at least one dollar. Here, they are selling S$0.50 per piece in the Myeongdong walking street (must buy 60 pieces for S$30). In Busan, you can even find face mask selling at S$0.20 a piece. This was a wonderful trip and I do want to visit Korea for the third time
Myeong-dong walking street 明洞步行街
The bustling Myeong-dong walking street is one of the primary shopping districts in Seoul. During the day, I could see guides helping tourists to find their way around. In the late afternoon, the push cart vendors will start to set up their business along the road when vehicles are not permitted to enter. The crowd will start to come in the evening. If you think that street food is convenient and cost-friendly, I will shake my head in denial.
For the 7 days in Seoul, I have been walking up and down of the walking street for more than 20 times. I know that there is the Post Office at one end of the road and the historical Cathedral at the other end. The City Hall is just one train stop away. I also discovered 3 Cat Cafes in the walking street but I did not get into any of them.
Namdaemun Market 南大門市場
Namdaemun Market is a large traditional market spread out over many blocks where you will see a dense maze of stalls selling variety of clothes, souvenirs, food and many others. This is also a wholesale market and the prices are cheaper than Myeong-dong. I bought a Korean souvenir T-Shirt for 6,500 won while in Myeong-dong is selling tis type of T-Shirt at 15,000 won.
The Seoul Tower 首尔塔
It is 14,000 won (about S$17) for an adult return cable car trip to the Seoul Tower. If you want to get up to the observation deck to have an aerial view of the city, it will be another 21,000 won (about S$26). I think this is too expensive and did not go up to the deck.
On another day, I went up to the Seoul Tower again. This time, I took the steps, instead of taking the cable car. The journey is about 1.4 Km. There is a bus stop near the Tower area but somehow I decided to walk through the forest to get down to the main road as I wanted to have a different travel experience. If you want to visit the Seoul Tower, remember not to go up too early as the tower opens at 11am.
The Cheonggyecheon Stream 淸溪川
When you walk around the tourist attractions in city of Seoul, you will see the long and beautiful Cheonggyecheon Stream. During my first trip to Seoul, I walked along the stream for about 2 hours and I still couldn’t see the end. As it was getting dark, I stopped my silly inefficient experimental walk and took the train back to the Hostel. The Cheonggyecheon Stream is a good place to rest and relax by after a long walk.
Bukchon Hanok Village 北村韓屋
The Bukchon Hanok Village is a residential neighborhood in Jongno District. It has many restored traditional Korean houses, called hanok, and this has made the place a popular tourist destination.
The War Memorial Museum 戰爭紀念館
The poignant exhibits, war memorabilia, art works, and military equipment make the war museum a learning place for us to get to know about the history of Korea’s war. The entrance is free and there is also a free guided tour in various languages where you just need to register at the counter next to the entrance. There are also outdoor exhibits of airplanes and ship. You could easily spend 3 to 4 hours in the museum. Note that the museum closes on Monday.
