Seoul Has Soul

Seoul!!!
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Since Korea is such a small country it makes it very easy to travel around it and see new and exiting things. I’ve only been here for a month and a half, but I feel I have already seen so wonderful sights. For example, I have been to Seoul and just outside of my town already. This blog will seem more like what you would find on a page from a travel book/magazine then a personal journal entry itself, which could be good for those of you who are planning on visiting Seoul the future. Itt takes just a bit over an hour to get there and there are many forms of transportation that will bring you to the wonderful sights of Seoul. You can take the subway, a bus, or a taxi. The subway won’t be more than 2000 won, a bus (depending on where you go in Seoul) costs around 1600-2000 won, and a taxi will set you back 40,000₊ won. Seoul is made up of many places and different hot spots. Some of the more memorable places I have visited thus far are Sinchon, Insadong, Itaweon, and Dong Dae Mun.

Itaewon
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Sinchon was the first place in Seoul that I visited. It is an area with three major universities which would make it a “party town” for sure. It’s almost like Toronto, with loads of coffee lounges, restaurants, shops for clothes, accessoies and various other items. There are also theaters for live performances, jazz or rock cafes, and nightclubs. This part of Seoul really is a fun spot to hit. It caters to all university students or to people who like to think of themselves as being young and hip :P

Sinchon
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Insadong is a place where people go to to experience the traditional culture of Korea. It has many art galleries, traditional craft stores, antique art, and traditional tea houses and restaurants.

Itaewon is considered to be the Foreign Area of Korea. This is where most of the foreigners go because they could basically find everything they want from home in the many shops in this part of Seoul. The area is also packed with diverse ethnic restaurants such as Thai, Indian, Mexican, German, Pakistani, Swiss, Italian, and Western Food. There is also a Pita Pit there that is managed by a Korean-Canadian man. Itaewon livens up at night with exciting entertainment. There are clubs and bars (all kinds you can think of), various Noreabongs, and other forms of entertainment. Everyone will find something they like in this part of town. Interesting fact: when I was walking in the underground Subway station, something immediately caught my eye…a humungous sign saying “HAMILTON” on it! It was an advertisement for the famous Hamilton Hotel located in Itaewon J.

Insadong
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Dong Dae Mun is a location where both sports fans and shopaholics will enjoy. The Dong Dae Mun Stadium is where people play / watch baseball games and soccer matches. Dong Dae Mun market is where you can find what is considered to be “the greatest bargains” (not true :P). Some of the many shopping malls there is Migliore, Doosan Tower, Freya Town, and apM. I went to Doosan and Migliore and it so different from Limeridge Mall, Eaton Centre or Square One. Picture a flea market but instead of finding little nic naks, you will find Designer clothing and high fashioned accessories, and instead of having stores separated by concrete walls, picture stores separated by a table or a piece of cloth hanging from the ceiling…now picture that filling an 8 story building :P That is the type of “Department Store” you will find in Dong Dea Mun Market.

At Insadong Market
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In other areas of Seoul I saw the World Trade Centre for Korea, games on the floor of a mall (like DDR but not. You stand on the floor on something shaped like a computer screen and there are games that come on the “screen”. You use your feet to play the game…and trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds :P), and a colour changing wall. One of the biggest malls in Seoul, The Galleria, has colour changing walls. At night it looks so beautiful with the bold colours and funky designs. Hamilton should have something like that!

Here are some traditional market places and stores
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So those are just some of the places and things you can find in South Korea’s capital city. So what did you think? Wanna visit? Also, do you think I can get a job writing for a travel company? :P hee hee