Seoul-ful of Memories

The last part of my trip is 2 weeks in Korea.  I did not spend a lot of time planning this trip.  I stopped at the Korean Tourism Center in Singapore and picked up some brochures.  The folks there were not entirely helpful.  I am not concerned.  One of my nieces lives there and I also have a friend whom I met on one of my travels.  I figured by the time I get there I will have some ideas on what to do.

Fortunately, my niece was there when I arrived in Seoul.  She arranged for me to stay at the guesthouse where she is staying.  It's in the Itaewon district, a popular area for foreigners.  It's because it's close to an US army base.  But there are foreigners from all over the world.  And all kinds of international restaurants - American, Turkish, Japanese, Indian, French, etc.  It's also a lively area in the evening, attracting even the young locals to the pubs.

A night scene at Itaewon district

International restaurants in Itaewon

Korea has a 5,000-year history.  I will write more about my tour around Korea in my next post.  In this post, I am focussing just on Seoul, a big sprawling metropolitan area of about 25 million people.  I was in Seoul for a total of 10 days.  Even then it's impossible to see all of the city.  I will just highlight the places I went to.

As I've said many times in this blog, I love visiting markets.  They give a good perspective of the history and culture of the local populace.  The first one I went to is the Kwanjang Market, a big market that sells fresh fish, preserved foodstuffs, food stands, restaurants, etc.  There is some, but not a lot, of similarity between Korean and Japanese and Chinese food.  The similarity is how they preserved food which goes way back before the invention of refrigeration.  A lot of salt, chili pepper powder and other spices are used.  Kimchee, the ubiquitous preserved cabbage in Korean meals, is a prime example of the use of these preservatives.  Walking through Kwanjang Market is a walk through the culinary alley of Korea.  For someone familiar only with western foods, it is a revelation of what is and can be consumed in the East.

Big and busy Kwanjang Market

Pancakes made from crushed mung-beans

Preserved crabs

All types of preserved foodstuffs

All types of chili powder, used as a preservative or cooking

All types of preserved vegetables

Another market I enjoyed is the Namdaemun market.  This is not a food market.  It is a market for clothes, jewelry, souvenirs, cosmetics, etc.  This market has been around since the 16th century.  It is next to the Namdaemun gate, built during the days when it was a wall city.  Walking through the market is like looking through the window of the lives of the Korean people - what they buy and use everyday.

Namdaemun Market

One of the few indoor shopping centers at Namdaemun Market

I also love streets that are full of shops and people.  A couple of places in Seoul that are popular walking streets are Insadong and Myeon-dong.  Both are popular with tourists and locals alike.  Insadong is full of small shops and cafes.  Myeong-dong has a lot of street food vendors and more upscale stores.  I was told that it used to be crowded with tourists from China until a recent political rift between the two countries.

Dumpling and noodle dinner in Myeong-dong

Busy street at Insadong

A lot of street food and upscale shops at Myeong-dong

Being an old country means it has a lot of historical buildings.  There are five grand palaces built during Joseon period.  The main palace is the Gyeongbokgung Palace.  Koreans girls love to dress in their traditional hanbok dresses and walk around the palace grounds.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Beautiful Korean girls in traditional hanboks

Another popular tourist spot is the Cheonggyecheon area, a recreation area constructed around an old stream.  It's very popular for people to stroll along the banks of the river, which also has benches for people to sit and a lot of greenery.

Cheonggyecheon - a popular recreation area around an old stream

Lighted displays on the river

South Koreans were heavily impacted by the Korean War.  North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950 and many Korean families were split up.  After the war South Koreans went through a long period of hardship until the 1980s' when it started its economic climb after hosting the Seoul Olympics.  To commemorate the war and honor the countries that came to fight for them, the South Korean built the
War Memorial of Korea.  It's a beautiful, sprawling memorial to those who fought in the war.  Today the threat is just as imminent from the North.

Statues at the War Memorial of Korea

I learned a lot about Korean History at the National Museum of Korea.  It's one of the most beautiful and well-planned museums.  It took me two visits to see most of the museum.  Best of all, it's free.  They also have free guided tours in English.

National Museum of Korea

A couple of artifacts at the museum