Seoul is a wonderful city; I was actually surprised by how advanced Seoul is and admire (and envy) their development very much. I’ve never been to Japan but Seoul was very close to what I think Japan would be. Everyone was respectful, they valued art, history & tradition, and things were being run quite well by their government to say the least from garbage collection to security measures; all signs of a developed economy.

Coming from a third world country on a decline (Philippines), a part of me envy people who by chance or fate ended up in countries that have real and timely development for the benefit of all the people in their country. If my info is right, 50 years ago, we were way ahead of Korea already. Look at us now, nothing that the Philippines has can be compared to South Korea. We were exporting tires to them before, now we are importing whole vehicles from them! Yes we have the beaches, mountains, etc (these were given by God, not because of our efforts btw) and yes we have a colorful culture (these are very nice and sentimental things to have, I value them personally); but (to be harsh) these things will not make our lives better let alone feed us without proper use of them. The Philippines had and still has so much; yet development of economy (even just tourism) is just so dead and slow. Yes we see efforts but lets be honest, we are doing negligible amount of things (and so slowly) compared to our counterparts and thus 50 years from now we will probably still not reach what South Korea (and others; even China!) have done for their people.

Hi-tech Toilet Seat even in our middle priced hotel

Back to the topic at hand :-P, Seoul is a very modern city yet the Asian feeling is still very much there. It looks clean and everything but unlike the feeling I have from Singapore; it ain’t too sanitary! (spoken like a true 3rd world person!) Seoul for me is like a mix of Hong Kong and Singapore; you get the safety, modernity and manners (how people act) of Singapore/Singaporeans while at the same time get the Asian feel and great weather (perfect 21 degree weather) of Hong Kong.

Seoul is an expensive city; things are just more costly and the expenses do add up. Tokyo/Osaka would probably be more expensive but comparing to my recent trips to Singapore and Hong Kong; we definitely spent more and got less for it in Seoul. Our hotel room for example was 40% more expensive in Seoul, but roughly the same size as what we got from Singapore. The food costs weren’t so different but definitely pricier and less tasty at the same price. The mass transit transportation costs weren’t so bad and I think these are subsidized; the cost of riding a taxi though is very expensive.

Tourist Attraction and Places to Go

Tons of places to go to in South Korea and aside from the Traditional Places (palaces, hanok villages; click here for my blog entry), they also have museums, parks, a really tall tower or structure (N-Seoul Tower story click here) and even world class amusement parks (click here for my story on Lotte World); all similarly present in most developed cities.

We were able to go to Gwanghwamun Square in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace. It’s technically a park where you can hang out or schedule to hold activities such as a photo exhibit, a bazaar maybe or the charity mission activity we chanced upon during our visit there.

Gwanghwamun Square

What’s interesting is that there is an underground museum under the square (free admission)! It is about Korea’s history and focused on particular national heroes. The museum used a lot of high tech stuff like touch screens and electronic displays to make the story more interesting for kids and adults alike. 

Shopping in Seoul

There was just so much Shopping in Seoul! From bazaar type stalls to high-end department stores, shopping was everywhere! Dongdaemun and Namdaemun are two of the big areas where you can shop; they are both areas with clusters of buildings where shopping is happening both inside the buildings and outside on the street!

I prefer the street shopping though as boutique shops offer more interesting things unlike the stall shops that each sell almost the same things. Outside the hotel we stayed in is the Myeongdong area where all the streets are just lined with boutique stores and restaurants. A similar place also is Insadong where a street lined with shops is closed to traffic on weekends (pedestrianized). Near the Gyeongbokgung Palace on the way to Bukchon Hanok Village is also another area of the same sort. Another place would be Tree-lined Garosugil Street with more of the high-end shops. I think these types of shopping streets can be found everywhere in Seoul!

All this shopping (and not the cheap budgeted shopping like is common here in the Philippines) is really the direct result of the local’s having disposable income. The main market is the local people and so they are not dependent too much on tourist shopping. I really honestly feel it all starts with a good government as the government is the only entity that can really control an economy. In a good economy everyone has jobs, everyone has money, and so the quality of life increases. 

Korean Food

Food in Korea was of good quality (as expected from a developed country) but not as tasty as Singapore’s or Hong Kong’s. Maybe I’m biased but Chinese food is still better. Though Korean food is also good and special as it has its own character. Korean food I think (in my very non-professional opinion) is a rough mix of kimchi type foods and Japanese food. They have many foods similar to Japan like Sushi, Udon and Katsu, but with a twist of “Korean” (like kimchi or galbi rice on the side). Ofcourse the standard appetizers will always be present… even the Chinese restaurant we ate at served some sort of pickled relish at the start of the meal.

LAST NOTES

Some things to expect when going to Seoul:

1)Visit during the best times May or October for the best weather. Their rainy season may not be like our tropical Philippine’s rainy season but still a nuisance (touring while raining). And their cold season I hear is mighty cold! We barely made it before the rainy season (early June).

2)Bring more money than usual; it’s a pricey place for a city in Asia. 

3)Most places are closed once a week depending on their schedule (not necessarily Sunday), even the tourist and shopping areas so make sure you schedule appropriately. 

4)The language barrier is an issue; better research first before leaving a place with internet as asking around is not easy. Not many English words around and although the Koreans are generally helpful, hand signals and Korean words can only instruct you so much. 

5)The city is generally safe and quiet (lots of people laughed at and took photos of me with my son on a child harness :-P)

6)Go shopping! (shopping seems everywhere!)

Seoul is just a beautiful city and definitely worth going to. So go go go! Travelling is the best!

For other stories of Splendid Seoul on my blog click the topics below:

Traditional Places

Lotte World!

N-Seoul Tower

for more photos of Seoul, Korea on my flickr click here