Royal Palaces of Seoul
Having visited Japan shortly before South Korea, I couldn’t help but to compare these countries. There are a lot of similarities and yet they are distinctively different.
The Japanese are rather formal and reserved while South Koreans are open, laugh often and have no regard for personal space. They can almost sit on your lap in public transport or lean on you and this is considered normal.
The food may look the same. However I had more issues with choosing a meal in South Korea than in Japan. Even photos in the menu did not always help. Sometimes the food was so spicy that I could not eat it. For example, this dish is called bibimbap. It looked great on the picture and was nicely served in an ordinary café but half of it got wasted.
Buddhism is practiced in both countries. Scholars in Buddhist studies can explain unique characteristics of either form of Buddhism. For an outsider like me, their Buddhist temples were alike. I enjoyed seeing them in Seoul anyway and walked the entire length of the street with shops that sell supplies for temples and all kinds of related souvenirs.
One thing that everyone does not fail to notice in developed Asian countries like Japan and South Korea is their high-tech toilets with a dozen of buttons on the side. The buttons come with text in hieroglyphics and a tiny picture to explain what they do. Naturally, these toilets wash and dry the bum; they can also play music while in use and probably do something else but I was unable to learn all their functions. The toilet in my hotel bathroom began heating the seat as soon I sat down on it. The seat temperature was initially set too high. I almost got fried before I figured out what buttons controlled the temperature. I did take pictures of the toilet that will not be posted here. Anyone who would like to know how they look like can find online plenty of images and stories with personal accounts from travelers who used these high-tech toilets.
Besides temples, museums and palaces, I went to Dongdaemun Market. It was for a practical purpose – to buy gifts and also a new knapsack for myself. The one that I was carrying showed a lot of wear and tear. Of course, there were plenty of shops around the hotel but from my experience, I knew that markets are always cheaper and it’s also possible to bargain there. The Dongdaemun Market was enormous. One can easily get lost in it and never find the way out. I spent the whole evening browsing the stalls that sell everything and I mean that.
I found a good selection of small gifts to buy, something that I could put in my backpack. From South Korea, I was going to Northern Europe and had to be mindful of the room in the backpack and my physical abilities to carry my purchases. A pretty scarf for a little over $1 was a present for myself and a useful item too. My only warm clothing was a thin track jacket. The scarf would remind me of the trip to South Korea and keep my neck warm in Norway.
Searching for a knapsack took a lot of time. I am very particular when it comes to the knapsack. It has to be the right size and color, with the right number of compartments in right places. Finally, I got what I was looking for. My perfect knapsack cost $9.
The last attraction visited in the city was Namsan Seoul Tower. I started walking up to it while it was early evening so I could view Seoul from the mountain in daylight. It is possible to take the cable car to the top but it is not a long or steep climb.
The tower was built in 1969 for broadcasting and open to the public in 1980. It has several viewing platforms and restaurants. I debated with myself whether I should buy a ticket to the tower or not. I’d seen enough similar towers all over the world. The ticket office did not accept credit cards; my cash in Korean won was running low. So far I did not manage to withdraw money from an ATM or at the bank. They required some specific type of card that I did not have. Instead of figuring out how to withdraw from the account, I exchanged $100 for cash purchases and paid by credit card everywhere else. The following day was my last day in South Korea. It did not make sense to exchange another $100 that I would not be able to spend before leaving. I had to stretch the remaining won for just one more day.
In the end, the curiosity won and I paid 11,000 won (about $9.50) for a ticket, waited half an hour for my turn in line, got to the top and immediately regretted wasting the money. The view from the observation deck was very much the same as from the mountain top. This meant that next day I had to make tough financial decisions about how to spend my time without spending cash.
Very interesting indeed! The unexpected things this time were smart toilettes and a museum where one can buy everything:) I also found from my experience that the TV (as well as water) towers are mostly overrated. In Berlin I have stayed in queue for more than an hour, pay and get on top of the famous TV-tower on Alexanderplatz only to find out that one does not see a lot outside – the clouds were hanging too low. I have also found there the most expensive Cola (if not in the world, at least in Germany) – 7.5 Euro for 220 ml bottle!
Totally agree with you on visiting TV towers. Seeing a couple of them is enough to get the idea of what these towers are. Food and drinks are always overpriced there because there’s no choice. You either eat and drink there if you’re really hungry or wait until you get down.