Seoul

Had my first trip to Seoul last month. Arrived at the Inchon airport around 4pm and took the airport bus into the city. Took off at Myeongdong and walked a bit to my hotel. I was starving so checked out the Myeongdong shopping streets. It was quite cold. Hmmm, plenty of pretty girls, almost forgot that I was there to look for food :)

Myeongdong at night

Many restaurants but most only serve dishes that are meant for 2 or more persons, so I settled for this ....

I chose this from the pictures displayed. Waited eagerly to fill up my empty stomach. Surprise !! The noodles were served in cold (and I mean really cold), sour and spicy soup !!?? Whatever taste that was .... perhaps something like eating tomyam noodle in cold soup.

Went back to the hotel after walking around Myeongdong and Namdaemun market. As I was staying in a 5-star hotel, there was top-notch high-tech security equipment in my room in case of emergency :)

The next morning, I went mountain-hiking at Inwang-san. Nothing strenous but a very nice stroll with occasional 60 degree climbs ;) Saw some Sharmanists chanting and worshippers praying at the rocks. This worshipper was standing, kneeling and bowing for at least 10 minutes .....

And from the mountain top I can see the splendid view of Seoul's skyline ....

After hiking the various trails at Inwangsan, I took a nearby subway station to the ancient palace .... Gyeongbukgung. It was very impressive in terms of preservation. The palace was constructed against a backdrop of hills, so it was very picturesque. Most of its compounds are covered in clay/sand to give you its originality feeling, and lots of greens to complement the surroundings.

There was a folk museum in the same vicinity so I managed to catch a cultural show too. Enjoyed it eventhough I haven't a slightest idea what they were singing .... so I only watched for 3 minutes and took one picture ;)

During the night, strolled along the Myeongdong streets again to feast my eyes, kekeke :0)

Enough of cultural stuff, so the following day, I went to the new part of the city where it's supposed to be more cosmopolitan. COEX stands for Convention & Exhibition center and it's double the size of KLCC convention center. In the basement of COEX is a shopping mall, KL mid-valley style.

You can't say you've been to Korea until you've tried its beef and kimchi, or so the saying goes. So I MUST find one restaurant ..... eventually I ended up in the foodcourt of COEX eating this ..

Nothing great but still Korean beef and kimchi mah :)

After that I walked over to a very popular Buddhist temple (1000+ years old) across the street from COEX .... Bongeunsa. Preparation was underway for Wesak Day with lanterns hanged at every corner of the temple.

On my last day, still unsatisfied until I can find lots and lots and lots of Korean-drama look alike actresses, I headed to this Super highclass boutique mall ...... the Galleria. Wow, no joke man, even the sales girls there look like stars ..... didn't wanna act like a village boy, so didn't take any photos inside ...

And my last lunch in Seoul before I left for the Inchon airport ....

Apart from the places mentioned above, I also visited Insadong (antique/cultural street market), Itaewon (expats bar area), Dongdaemun (huge market for shoes and shirts).
Overall, a well-spent 3days, 2nights trip.

For more photos of the trip, go here.