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Published: December 17th 2006
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(Sept. 2005-April 2006)
My time in South Korea was great. And as I keep going over my memories, the more wonderful it is. I was lucky enough to be in a small town in the middle of the country. I became ambitious to know all parts of the country, and was fortunate enough to have wonderful friends to take me.
Seoul is by far one of the best night time cities I have been to. The sheer size of the city is awe strucking. At night hubs of "dongs" come alive. The mixture of people from all over the world adds to the surroundings. Gangnam, Apgujeong, Hongik U, Itaewon (which can be seen as metro stops) are just a few of the places that are amazing to be at night. No last call, and a culture of serving the customer to he/she finishes, just allows this city to be gret.
The tourist attractions aren't bad either. From royal palaces and gardens to the commercial districts, I believe Seoul during the day has plenty to offer as well. Many of my friends that lived in Seoul found the "touristy" thing boring, but it was very entertaining, and I'll leave that to the
pics. Seoul was wonderful everytime I visited and the three hour trip on train or bus, wasn't bad either.
I only got to visit Daegu once, and for less than a day. My Australian friend, Eli, and I went there for a day trip. Getting out of the train station the first thing to come across is the popular street with vendors of all kinds. The highlight was the herb market, with smells that tickle your nose, really, and the tea shop I stumbled into. Eli and I separeated for a little bit, and were to meet up again at the movie theater. I got lost through the streets, just to see things that aren't on the map. I walked for a good two hours, and as I turned a street corner to go to the theater, I saw a tea shop. Empty inside, but with beautiful objects I decided to go in. All the way in the back was where the two owners with some friends were, having a tea reception. I kept as quiet as I could not to disturb. Got the things I wanted to buy and, with the little korean I know, asked some questions
about the tea and mugs I had chosen. The wife was very helpful, and called her husband over. He knew English and we conversed for a bit. They invited me to the tea reception. The owner was extremely nice. He took me to his tea school, and showed me around all his belongings and offered me a class to know the rules of a traditional tea reception. I thanked him, and unfortunately I left Korea before I got a chance to go again. The tea they suggested was delicious.
Andong is a small city, bigger than Gimcheon, with a very nice traditional village just outside for tourists--a reconstruction of a traditional village, along with old buildings for museums. The village is beautiful, and walking around is just nice. Some of the houses are still used by people, and are fronts for hostels and restaurants, and some even make the famous Andong Soju, almost twice the alcohol as regular soju, the liquor that is drank the most in Korea. One of my friends took me to the village, and after walking a while, we went into the city to the arcade market, never got the name of it, and sat
down for the famous steamed chicken from the city. A huge platter of steamed chicken, spicy or extremely spicy, you choose one or the other, along with vegetables. The serving is huge and two people cannot eat the platter.
Gyeongju is a small city with everything still intact from the earlier kingdom. The oldest asian observatory is found there, along with beautiful burial mounds of kings, and two temples that are a must see, Bulguk-sa and Seokguram--which has a Buddah that is jaw dropping. (unforunately we weren't allowed to take picture)
Hiking is by far one of the most poplar activities in the country, and any mountain, which Korea is made up of 70% mountains, can have people walking any time of year. I was there in the winter, and when my friends took me along, the hikes were amazing. Seven hours of walking and seeing beautiful views, was a privilege.
My time there was also highlighted by my students. I hope that they are all doing well now.
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