At this point, I’m no longer fond of cities. It must be because, for three years, I have been living in one of the most developed and futuristic countries in the world. But there’s something that made me fall in love with Seoul. It might be the surprisingly warm & accommodating people, the rich culture, or the award-winning airport.. perhaps the complex/challenging subway..oh or maybe the pogi koreans everywhere. Whatever that is, i wish to come back hopefully on a different season

What not to miss in Seoul:

1) Palaces

When those grand and colorful Korean temples you once saw on TV come to life, you’ll be left with great awe.

Visit a Palace in the World Heritage List: Changdeokgung Palace. This place is just a walking distance when you alight at Anguk Station.

Another must-see is the Deoksugung Palace. It is so convenient to visit that you’d immediately get a glimpse of the palace once you get out of City Hall Station (Exit No. 2, Line No. 2).  Isn’t it amazing that, in the heart of the city, you’d see historic icons which are way accessible to all?

2) the challenging MRT

The Seoul Metropolitan Subway is an interesting mode of transport. To avoid the city’s congestion thru commuting via taxi, the MRT is the cheaper way to get around. After being used to SG’s systematic MRT, I was up to the challenge to try the world’s longest and largest (by number of stations) MRT.

Fascinating observations: 1) music that can be heard in the train; 2) vendors selling different sorts of stuff inside the train; 3) free wi-fi 4) if in SG you can’t tap in the station if your MRT card is insufficient, here, it can let you in..it won’t let you out though, unless you re-load. haha!

3) Food

Korean cuisine ranks second on my favorite food. Excluding kimchi (weird as it may seem, but I do not eat this), I’d say all sorts of food here are to die for. While at Gangnam district, my friends and I randomly picked a restaurant serving authentic Korean food and we were lucky — it was the best meal we’ve had in Seoul.  It is also a surprise that food here is relatively cheap — we’ve had more than enough serving and yet the cost is only about S$10/person.

4) the thrills!

For those who seek the adrenaline rush, don’t leave South Korea without going to Everland!!! OK, technically, this theme park, which is the largest in SK, is no longer part of Seoul, but it isn’t too far either. From Gangnam MRT, take bus 5002, which would take about 50 mins.

5) the people

I love the warm hospitality of the people here. Their concern for total strangers are overwhelming. There are lots of instances when we asked for directions and they would willingly take us there. It could be because some Koreans are not fluent in English so showing tourists around is faster during ‘lost in translation’ moments, but they are more than eager to help instead of ignoring foreigners whom they could not understand.

6) wi-fi, baby!

A traveller’s common first world problem is the wi-fi connection. In Seoul though, wi-fi is crazy! — you’d get access in MRT, restaurants, heck, they even provided modems at each room in the hotel.

7) Shopping

Skin products are cheap beyond belief: one item costs S$4 in seoul, and S$19 when i went back here.. Should have made this a business waaaa!