October 27, 2011
Seoul
Going to Korea was never in my bucket list. I was not aware of any famous tourist spots in the country and most people I know who wished to visit it only wanted to see the locations where their favorite koreanovelas were shot. But still, travelling to other countries is always a great experience so I decided to join my friends - Marianne, Susanne, Jay, Migs, and Nico - a few weeks after they booked their promo flights. I was glad I did.
My journey started with a red-eye flight from Manila, the cheapest flight I found (but still worth more than twice from what my friends paid for, I did save one night of hotel bill though). I arrived at Seoul at 6:15 am and an hour later, I was already at Ann guesthouse, a condo unit being rented out to tourists. It was a really nice place - clean, comfy, relaxing. There was free internet access as well as bread for breakfast. I highly recommend the place.
The first place we went to was Changdeokgung Palace, one of the 5 grand palaces in Seoul and a great example of far eastern palace architecture. We spent a few hours wandering at the secret garden with its ponds, pavilions, and landscaped lawns.
Late in the afternoon, we rode the cable car to reach the N Seoul Tower. We decided to skip the the observation deck as it was already dark and instead just checked out the teddy bear musem. It was also interesting to see the Locks of Love - which symbolizes the promise made by lovers that they will stay together forever.
Heading back to the hotel we passed by Myeongdong - a famous shopping district in Seoul. My friends bought stuffs at the Face shop and Etude house. These are Korean-based shops so the prices were much lower compared to in Manila.
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