Last stop in 2015: Seoul
8:14 PM
The last leg of my Asia trip in 2015 was in Seoul, South Korea. While I fell ill in this last stop, I was still able to go to the following 5+ places and not take a toll on my health despite the hustling and bustling of the city streets. Let me share with you some of the places I went as well as provide some more insight of other touristy things to do in Seoul.
1. Myungdong
My favourite spot in Seoul was probably Myeongdong, as it’s like a shopping haven. Here, they have all kinds of shops from beauty products, clothing, accessories, and more.
1. Myungdong
My favourite spot in Seoul was probably Myeongdong, as it’s like a shopping haven. Here, they have all kinds of shops from beauty products, clothing, accessories, and more.
I did a lot of damage to my wallet here, but I believe it’s money well spent. My favourite finds here aside from beauty products (which I will talk about in another post) would be the fancy socks they sell on the streets, these amazing phone case I got which cost a fortune on amazon and ebay, and the vast amount of selection of quality clothing and accessories.
2. Dondaemun
Dongdaemun Market is one of large commercial district comprising traditional markets and shopping centre in Seoul! It has lots more to offer than MyungDong. Unfortunately, for me when I got there most of the stuff were closed. But it wasn’t as bad, there’s another mall right beside it and it opens till super late! So while I spent my time at the mall, I also saw some nice night view in Dongdaemun.
This is the actual Dongdaemun at night. It’s nice to see some traditional architecture in a modern world, don’t you think?
I had to take a picture of this view as I walked over the bridge towards the Dongdaemun Market as this view reminded me a lot like Gion. Thoughts?
3. Insadong
Insadong is known for Korean traditional culture and crafts right in the streets of Seoul. Stores at Insadong specialize in a wide variety of goods that can only be purchased or appreciated in Korea. For example: hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), hanji (traditional Korean paper), traditional tea pottery and folk crafts.
As soon as I walked out the subway station, I immediately saw this wall art. Impressive for a subway exit, right?
While I didn’t shop much at Insadong, I was able to eat a hearty lunch at this very traditional looking restaurants with some neat decor. Sneak peak again... see more in the next post.
4. N. Seoul Tower
From where I was staying, I was able to see this tower outside my window every day and night. I didn’t actually go up to the tower since the ride on the tram to get there was a 1 hour wait, but I did take some good shot at the foot of the hill.
Mind you, since the N. Seoul Tower is on a hill, you can actually see it anywhere on the streets. And of course, night views are always the best.
And here’s a view from the bottom of the hill / mountain where N. Seoul Tower is located.
5. Ewha Women University
According to my research Ewha Women’s University was a relatively popular tourist attraction with stores similar to those like Myungdong. But when I got there, the roads were pretty quiet, and no tourists were found. Even the tourist booths found in this area has been closed due to the decreased number of tourist. However, I was able to find a neat store that sold some very decent and inexpensive accessories and other goods. Don’t believe me? I got these for ₩9,000!
There are other food places along this street, but I will leave that for my next post. Here’s a tiny spoiler:
But let’s not end there, shall we? At the end of the road lies the Ewha Women University, and it was when I finally call it a day. The school looked really nice. And in this area, I felt very safe as it’s populate by ladies, and it’s nice to be surround by lady strangers than man strangers right?
Other attractions I've visited
So before I left Seoul for my flight back home, I did stop by a couple places. First was the Post office at Myungdong. It’s a spectacular structure during the day or at night. Obviously, I wasn’t only there just because I want to see the structure, I was on a mission to send out some post cards.
I also went to Seoul station for my last minute shopping before I head to Icheon International Airport. All was good in Seoul… I just wished I wasn’t sick and had more time to do other stuff. Below is a list of places I would love to visit next time, feel free to take a look if you get a chance to go there yourself.
Attractions I would love to visit in the future
Listed below are some of the places I would like to go in Seoul but didn’t get to because if fell ill. Next time, maybe.
- Dongdaemun Market
- Hongdae Market
- Petite France
- Nami Island
- Noryangjin Fish Market
- Gangnam Beauty Belt
- Seoul Global Cultural Centre – to try on a hanbok
0 comments