18th - 19th of February 2015
Introduction:
With a friend of mine (Alexis) from my business school who used to work in Shanghai on this moment we decided to go to Japan for the Chinese New Year. After checking different solutions we realized that it was cheaper to travel to Korea and from Korea to Japan than doing China to Japan round trip.
Well it was not a bad idea as this way we would be able to visit one more country.
The plan:
We had two almost full days in Seoul in which we needed to visit Seoul and the DMZ (Dimitilarilezed Zone - the boarder between South and North Korea).
Then going to Osaka from Seoul, spending a night and a half of day there, then 2 days in Kyoto and in the end 3 days in Tokyo.
Then flying back to Seoul where I had one more night alone as the flight next day was way cheaper (and Alexis was flying back same day to China).
So here we go:
We arrived late in the night of 17th February. As often happens there are planes which are delayed. It was the case of my friend but as my flight was supposed to arrived later than his we finally managed to catch each other without waiting each other for too long.
We catched a taxi to go to the hostel which was near by the student area of Seoul.
Well first impressions:
We arrived in the town which seemed very empty and indeed there was a reason... Koreans also celebrate the Chinese New Year. It is the moment when usually people go back to their hometowns to spend time with their families. So no students in the student area of Seoul...
Well that didn't stop us to go out after checking and look for some nice Korean food... The Korean barbecue! And there were several ones still opened :).
As we had only one full day in Seoul the day after we went sleeping after the dinner so we can relax and have power to visit the city the day after.
We woke up early in the morning and got a breakfast before going to explore Seoul.
Our first stop the temple: Gyeongbokgung Palace, in the old Seoul!
We were lucky as we arrived around noon there and there was a ceremony inside. It was a huge temple surrounded by two parks that we managed to visit.
After getting out we went for a tour in the old town, where we were able to get a better idea of the way Seoul used to look (small and beautiful houses, small streets) and we managed to get some street food which avoided us having a lunch.
With a friend of mine (Alexis) from my business school who used to work in Shanghai on this moment we decided to go to Japan for the Chinese New Year. After checking different solutions we realized that it was cheaper to travel to Korea and from Korea to Japan than doing China to Japan round trip.
Well it was not a bad idea as this way we would be able to visit one more country.
The plan:
We had two almost full days in Seoul in which we needed to visit Seoul and the DMZ (Dimitilarilezed Zone - the boarder between South and North Korea).
Then going to Osaka from Seoul, spending a night and a half of day there, then 2 days in Kyoto and in the end 3 days in Tokyo.
Then flying back to Seoul where I had one more night alone as the flight next day was way cheaper (and Alexis was flying back same day to China).
So here we go:
We arrived late in the night of 17th February. As often happens there are planes which are delayed. It was the case of my friend but as my flight was supposed to arrived later than his we finally managed to catch each other without waiting each other for too long.
We catched a taxi to go to the hostel which was near by the student area of Seoul.
Well first impressions:
- Taxis are more expensive than in a China !:) However the way drivers drive are much safer than in China.
- And I was able to see that we have arrived into a developed country (regarding infrastructure, safety, organization..)
We arrived in the town which seemed very empty and indeed there was a reason... Koreans also celebrate the Chinese New Year. It is the moment when usually people go back to their hometowns to spend time with their families. So no students in the student area of Seoul...
Well that didn't stop us to go out after checking and look for some nice Korean food... The Korean barbecue! And there were several ones still opened :).
As we had only one full day in Seoul the day after we went sleeping after the dinner so we can relax and have power to visit the city the day after.
We woke up early in the morning and got a breakfast before going to explore Seoul.
Our first stop the temple: Gyeongbokgung Palace, in the old Seoul!
We were lucky as we arrived around noon there and there was a ceremony inside. It was a huge temple surrounded by two parks that we managed to visit.
After getting out we went for a tour in the old town, where we were able to get a better idea of the way Seoul used to look (small and beautiful houses, small streets) and we managed to get some street food which avoided us having a lunch.
We proceeded with the downtown and the walking street which was full of cosmetics shops (indeed Korea is famous for its cosmetics) and nice coffee shops. We got a coffee and then we went to the Seoul Tower which was on a hill in the middle of Seoul.
Once up there, it was nice to see thousands of locks of people declaring their love one to each other. All the locks were creating a big colorful locks wall. Really nice.
I was however expecting a beautiful view over the city but it was smoggy. I don't know if it was pollution (as Korean always complain about China "sending" its pollution to Korea though the winds) or just smog but whatever... :)
We spent a bit more than an hour over there and we went down to catch the subway to go to the most famous district in Seoul thanks to the song of Psy: Gangnam :)
Also it is impossible not to mention the dress style of the Koreans (who are also taken as models for the fashion in China): a lot of brightness and colorful dresses :)
Once up there, it was nice to see thousands of locks of people declaring their love one to each other. All the locks were creating a big colorful locks wall. Really nice.
I was however expecting a beautiful view over the city but it was smoggy. I don't know if it was pollution (as Korean always complain about China "sending" its pollution to Korea though the winds) or just smog but whatever... :)
We spent a bit more than an hour over there and we went down to catch the subway to go to the most famous district in Seoul thanks to the song of Psy: Gangnam :)
Also it is impossible not to mention the dress style of the Koreans (who are also taken as models for the fashion in China): a lot of brightness and colorful dresses :)
Big surprise as soon as you get out of the subway there was a stage with the song of Gangnam Style playing and teaching the steps to the tourists :)
This is where we went for dinner too and then we went back to the hostel where we met some other foreigners and enjoyed some beers with them in the student area :)
The next day we had a very tiny plan, we needed to wake up early to meet a tourist group and go to visit the DMZ and after going to the airport to take our plane to Osaka.
This is where we went for dinner too and then we went back to the hostel where we met some other foreigners and enjoyed some beers with them in the student area :)
The next day we had a very tiny plan, we needed to wake up early to meet a tourist group and go to visit the DMZ and after going to the airport to take our plane to Osaka.