Travel Asia: Autumn in South Korea Part 1

Autumn in South Korea: Part 1

I love to travel and I am grateful that God gave me the opportunity to see a little more of the world I know.

One of the most memorable travel that I had was with my then boyfriend and now husband, Dennis. When we went to Korea for a little R&R and backpacking in November of 2009. It was most memorable because we did not only get to see the UNESCO Heritage sites and  for me, experiencing autumn for the first time, but this is where he finally asked me to marry him.

After completing and compiling the required documents to get a Korean Visa. Our journey started off easy. We headed off to board the Cebu Pacific plane at around 7PM on November 10 and it flew us straight to Incheon International airport which is about an hour or so from the capital -- Seoul. I had a bit of a hard time at the immigration because of the "mugshot" picture in my passport (I can't wait to change my passport!!Arrgh!). But after that, everything went ----> cold. Yep, it is a big change of temperature for me since I came from the very hot and always summer-y islands of the Philippines. The usual weather here is about 24 degree Celsius (which is already cold for us) up to 32 degrees Celsius. So when we stepped out of the airport with a temp reading of 11 degree celsius, I went into shock. We wanted to know if there is an express train that goes from the airport to the city just like in Hongkong but the train is being constructed at the time. So we opted to ride a bus (which is much cheaper compared to taxis) to take us to a stop near the inn that we're scheduled to stay for the first 3 days. The bus system is very efficient. We easily got our tickets through a counter that is just outside the airport however, we had a hard time communicating with the driver where we needed to go. Since no one speaks English and there are no other tourist around, Dennis had to constantly check with the driver where our stop is but with no luck, the nodding driver dropped us at the wrong stop. And, so we walked the cold cold street of Seoul and tried to find our way through the map that we got from the airport. It's almost 1am now and the weather has become bitterly cold for us. We decided to just try our luck with a taxi. We waved at a black taxi that halted in front of us with no effort. We showed the taxi driver the piece of paper with the name and address of our hotel and crossed our fingers that he knows where to go, he called a number (probably the hotel) and spoke Korean, he nodded and we boarded the taxi with our luggages at the trunk. The driver entered something into his GPS system and made a quick U turn. After a few blocks, he stopped in a small inn in a narrow alley. Yim's house -- finally we're here. 

Note:

For info about the requirement and recent update in getting a Korean Visa if you're a Filipino, kindly visit the link below. As a tip, never submit your documents stapled and always have an extra copy of everything with you. Make sure all documents are complete. There will be no interviews, you'll just get a number, fall in line and pass all the requirements to the Korean consuls, she'll check it and give you a stub when to come back for your passport (usually it took about 3 to 4 days for us). DONT LOSE YOUR STUB.

http://embassy_philippines.mofat.go.kr/eng/as/embassy_philippines/visiting/visas/index.jsp

YIM'S HOUSE

Our home for the next 3 days. Yim's house,  is a budget friendly inn that serves well to "backpackers" like us. The internet is free, there is drinking water (hot and/or cold) outside the hallway that is also free for guests which came very handy since we usually have the urge to eat cup noodles or drink coffee or hot tea during our stay. Our room had two twin beds set in the far corners of the  main room, with a vanity table set in front of it, there's a small tv with cable, a small refrigerator, couple of chairs, the closet is right infront of the entry way, and we have our very own toilet and bathroom. Mr. Yim, checked us in and led us to our rooms reminding us to close the lights and all the appliances whenever we leave the inn and to use the slippers by the doorway whenever we step inside the main room. Our stay was quite okay for the first two days and convenient since it is near to almost all the tourist spot in the city, but, I guess the cold is getting into me. I felt the heater is not enough to warm the small room and having the bed leaning on the cold concrete walls when you sleep doesn't help fight the cold as well, I felt suffocated at times too and felt that the window curtains has never been washed and since it is a small room, the musky dust seemed to have settled inside and with the thin air, the smell won't go away. Anyway, it is comfortable as you can get with 35,000 Won a night (around PHP 1420.38 only or around $35), that is already a good deal with all their freebies. And, besides, we are not planning to stay in the room all the time, for the first three days that we're in South Korea, our itinerary was concentrated in visiting all the tourist spots in Seoul which includes all the UNESCO heritage sites in the city like the palaces -- Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung and Biwon garden etc. We also intend to visit the country side as well to see and get to know the people outside the bustling Seoul. 

SEOUL

Gyeongbokgung palace was our first stop; it is said to be the grandest among the five palaces in Seoul and it is. When I walked closer and closer to it's gate, the palace guards marching outside did a good job in making me feel I've stepped back in time. The long colored walls and arches of the palace gate already satisfied my eyes. I feel really grateful to have seen this wonderful place. And it costs only 3,000 Won or $3 (around PHP122) to see it. It's not also hard to find - Coming from Jongno subway station 3 switch to line 3 (going to Daewha line) and get off at Gyeongbokgung stop.Walk straight till you see the walls. After passing the inner courts of the Gyeongbokgung palace, there is a large park that accommodates the National Folk Museum and the National Palace Museum of Korea. I forgot if we pay a fee when we entered the National Folk Museum but I don't remember paying anything

the arches of Gyeongbokgung palace

Me outside the National Folk Museum

Anyway, it's a folk museum so expect to see the evolution of the Korean traditional clothes -- han-bok (which I regret not buying or trying one on when we were there). Well, knowing Dennis, I knew he wasn't that thrilled to enter the museum (or any museum at all) so we did not finish seeing the whole place and just went outside and walked around while we took more pictures. It was a big place and I couldn't seem to see where the walls stopped. When we got tired, we had a little coffee in this small cafe nearby. I was grateful there was a lot of walking involved, in this way, I will be able to get my blood circulating and not be able to feel the cold weather.

Me at the Lotus pond in Gyeokbukgung palace

Hyangwon-jeong, a hexagonal pavillion in the middle of a lotus pond sits on the north part of the palace and is said to be one of the most picturesque and photographed view of South Korea. You may think that it is a two strorey building but actually it is a three-storey building if you count the structure below the first floor. The King Kojong had it built in 1867, he had a pond dug in the south of it and the pavilion built on the island in the pond. They say, the king took many walks here. The bridge is not accessible to tourists though but it is really worth the visit. There are some picnic tables around the pond that I think will suffice if you want to enjoy a quiet day reading books or share a meal with a loved one.

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