Asia

Back to Asia, this time we visit South Korea.

On the way to South Korea: Stopover in Helsinki

To travel to Seoul, we chose the Finnish airline FinnAir. It was the best value for money but it was really a mistake. With the closure of Russian and Ukrainian airspace due to the invasion of Ukraine, the flight made a big detour, taking 12 hours one way and 14 hours return.

The plane was quite comfortable but another negative aspect was the food. 2 meagre meals for such a long flight. On the way out we were hungry as hell.

We learned our lesson and on the way back we didn’t take a few sandwiches and a bunch of junk with us. On the way back, there was a gap of more than 8 hours between the two meals. Very, very bad.

August 8th

At 20.15 in the evening we took off on time from Malaga airport. Four and a half hours later we landed in Finland. It was 1.45 in the morning there.

The stopover is long: 16 hours. That’s why I decided to book a hotel near the airport. The Holiday Inn Vantaa Airport. It cost us 119€. The hotel was simple and comfortable but quite old.

Find your ideal hotel in Helsinki at the best price on Agoda:

But there was an unforgivable issue with the hotel. Before I booked it, through the chat on their website, I asked if there would be any problem with the free transfer they offer at the time the flight landed. I was told there would be no problem.

Two days before arrival, I contacted them again to remind them of the time. It turned out that the last transfer trip was at 1.10am. So they screwed me. 19€ taxi fare to get there and the taxi driver’s annoyance at such a short journey.

August 9th

We get up at about 10 am and have breakfast with some biscuits that we had brought along. We put on our swimming costumes and went in search of the Finnish sauna that I had seen in photos of the hotel.

Well, that’s another lie. There is no sauna. We go back to the room, pack our things and check out.

We go to the shopping centre which is a 10-minute walk from the hotel for a stroll. We took the opportunity to have an early lunch.

We ate in an American themed place from the 50’s called Classic American Diner. Very good burgers at a good price for Finland. It cost us 45.38€.

After lunch we return to the hotel to take the transfer to the airport.

At 17.30 the flight to Seoul leaves on time. We have 12 hours and 50 minutes to get to the South Korean capital.

August 10th

Around 11 am we finally landed at Incheon International Airport. Exhausted and hungry, we get off the plane, go through immigration and pick up our bags. It takes forever for them to come out.

We go straight to take the AREX express train. It takes 40 minutes to travel the 60 km from the airport to Seoul station. The ticket costs 9,500 won (6.60€).

We left the station on our way to the hotel and… Seoul greeted us with rain. We were in the middle of a typhoon in South Korea and it was going to last for a couple of days.

Buy your Arex Express ticket conveniently at the following link:

Curiosity number 1 as soon as we arrived in Korea. At the central train station on the way to the underground, we found conveyor belts for the suitcases to overcome the flights of stairs. Very convenient.

If you prefer more comfort, you can hire an efficient transfer service:

With all the rain and the exhausting plane ride, we decided to take a break and have something to eat at the hotel. We chose the Ibis Ambassador Seoul Insadong. 2 stars for 80€ a night.

It was to be a busy stay, which we will explain later. We were given a room on the 10th and last floor. In line with all the Ibis in the world and with a good view of Insadong Hanok Village.

Find your ideal hotel in Seoul at the best price on Agoda:

After a short break, we set out for a short walk to get a feel for the city. We went to Gwanghwamun Square, the nerve centre of the South Korean capital.

Unfortunately, the typhoon took a toll on our small umbrellas and we had to buy bigger and stronger ones. Even so, the tiredness and the water took its toll on us. We decided to buy some dinner in a combini and went to rest.

Tomorrow is another day.

11th August

We get up early to make the most of the day. I look out of the window and… it’s still raining. We have some breakfast that we had bought at the supermarket and we set off.

We set off for the nearby Changdokkung Palace Complex.

Fortunately the rain respected us from time to time. At times it rained heavily, at others a little, and at some (very short) moments it stopped raining.

We went to the office next to the palace to get our tickets. We bought the Royal Palace Pass. It costs 10,000₩ (7€) and gives us access to five palaces and temples, including the Secret Garden. The pass is valid for 3 months from the date of purchase.

The individual price of the Palace is 3,000₩ (€2) and if you want to visit the Secret Garden (a must) you must add a supplement of 5,000₩ (€3.50). As you can see, these two tickets almost cover the total price of the Royal Palace Pass.

Changdeokgung Palace was a favourite of the kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) because of its spacious and beautiful back garden.

It was built as a secondary palace for the Joseon in 1405. After its destruction during the Japanese invasion (1592-1598), it was rebuilt in 1610 and served as the main palace for about 270 years.

Injeongjeon Hall is the throne room, which was used for more formal state events such as ministerial audiences, coronation ceremonies and receptions for foreign envoys.

Seonjeongjeon Hall is the ruler’s council hall and the only remaining structure in Changdeokgung Palace with a blue-glazed tile roof.

The king’s residence is Huijeongdang Hall, while the queen’s residence is Daejojeon Hall, Huijeongdang Hall was more than a royal bedroom; the king also worked there informally.

After visiting this first part of the complex, we went to the meeting point to visit the Secret Garden. Currently the garden can only be visited by guided tours. We had an appointment at 10 o’clock.

The Secret Garden was intended as a place for kings and members of the royal family to relax. But it was also a place for various outdoor activities.

The early Joseon kings participated in military exercises here, and archery competitions were held here. There were also banquets for the queen dowager, prominent relatives of the king and high-ranking ministers.

The Secret Garden occupies almost 60% of the total area of Changdeokgung Palace, and in the old days even tigers occasionally made an appearance.

The spectacular scenery of the Buyongji Pond area is striking. This was not there in the early days of the palace. It was built in 1707. It survived the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War without being demolished.

We leave the impressive gardens and head for Nakseonjae Hall.

Nakseonjae Hall is the place where King Heonjong, 24th king of Joseon, built for the concubine he really loved. It was built in 1847.

It is located in the area between Changdeokgung Palace and Changgyeonggung Palace and includes the Seokbokheon and Sugangjae Halls, as well as stone staircases decorated with interestingly shaped stones and flowering trees on the gently sloping hills behind the buildings.

After the 1884 coup, Nakseonjae was used as the king’s office for a time.

The last crown prince of the Joseon dynasty, Yi Eun, lived here from 1963 to 1970. His wife, Yi Bangja, also lived here from 1966 to 1989.

Right next door is the entrance to Changgyeonggung Palace. You can enter from Changdeokgung Palace, or from Changgyeonggung-ro Street on the other side of the complex. The entrance fee is 1,000₩ (€0.70) but is included in the Royal Palace Pass.

The palace was built in the mid-15th century by King Sejong for his father, Taejong. It was originally called ‘Suganggung’, but was renovated and enlarged in 1483 by King Seongjong, at which time it received its present name.

Many of the buildings were destroyed during the Japanese occupation in 1592. It was rebuilt by successive Joseon kings, but was again largely destroyed by the Japanese in the early 20th century.

During the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese built a zoo, botanical garden and museum here.

After independence in 1945 and the destruction of the Korean War of 1950-1953, the zoo was replenished by donations from wealthy Koreans and gifts from foreign zoos. In 1983, the zoo and botanical garden were moved to the present-day Seoul Great Park.

The spectacular Honghwamun Gate, the main gate of the palace, is particularly noteworthy. First built in 1484, it was burned down during the Japanese invasion of 1592. It was rebuilt in 1616.

Without wasting a second and taking advantage of the fact that the rain was giving us a little respite, we went for a stroll along the Insadong-ro shopping street.

Nearby is Jogyesa Temple, the head temple of the Jogye order.

It was built in 1910 and was named Gakhwangsa Temple, after monks who longed for independence from Korean Buddhism.

The name was changed to “Taegosa” during the period of Japanese rule, and then to the current name in 1954.

As soon as we entered, we found a spectacular lotus plantation in front of the main pavilion. It was a real marvel.

Practically in the centre of the enclosure there is an ancient white pine tree, listed as Natural Monument no. 9.

In the main courtyard of the temple is the 7-storey stone pagoda, built in 1930. Inside the pagoda are the ashes of Buddha, which were brought here in 1914 by a Sinhalese monk.

After the visit to the temple we went in search of a place to eat. We went to a place called 김 네 대마루... On google maps it is listed as Good Restaurant. Specialising in Korean barbecue.

It is the most expensive meal we had in the whole country but it was so good that we repeated a few days later. The price was 65.000₩ (45€).

After lunch, we continued sightseeing. There was no time to waste.

The next visit is the Unhyeongung Palace. It was built as the residence of King Gojong, the 26th king of the Joseon dynasty before he assumed the throne at the age of 12.

During Gojong’s tenure, the regent Heungseon ruled the country for about 10 years, after taking control of state affairs from his son.

In 1864, during the first year of King Gojong, the Nokrakdang and Noandang Halls were built. Five years later, in 1869, the Irodang and Yeongnodang Halls were built.

To facilitate entry and exit from Changdeokgung Palace, Gyeonggeunmun and Gonggeunmun gates were built exclusively for Gojong and the regent Heungseon. However, they are no longer standing.

The palace was purchased in 1993 by the city of Seoul and was reopened in 1996 after extensive restoration.

In the various buildings there is an exhibition of how life was lived in the time when the palace was occupied.

By the way, the entrance is free of charge.

After the visit to the palace, we went to the hotel for a rest and a shower. With the heat and the tremendous humidity, we were sweating profusely.

After a very short and well-deserved rest, we went on our way to the Heunginjimun Gate. It was built in 1396 during the reign of King Taejo, the first king of the Joseon dynasty. It is the eastern gate of the city’s defensive wall.

The gate has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The present gate dates from 1869 and has the appearance of the original gate. Its name, Heunginjimun, means “Gate of Increasing Benevolence”. It is also known as Dongdaemun Gate (Great East Gate).

Nearby is the DDP, Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The futuristic building was built in 2009 to a design by the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid.

It was opened in 2014 and is a multi-purpose building that hosts exhibitions, fashion shows and all kinds of cultural events.

When we were there, it was full of old televisions. There was also a room called the Media Art Gallery with giant screens that took up almost the entire room. These share splendid moments drawn by SeouLight, a global festival of media facades.

They were really just showing strange images with a rather soothing music.

There is also a shop and a large space simulating a modern garden with some tables and pouffes where we sat down to rest.

At the back of the room there were some kind of conical stools that, when you sat down, you spun around as if you were going to tip over. It was really fun. We made videos, but they were embarrassing, so we kept them to ourselves…

Outside the building, on the side down a small slope on the north-eastern side of the building, is Igansumun, the water gate.

Igansumun was the water gate of the Namsomundongcheon stream originating from Namsan Mountain, which flowed from Hanyangdoseong, the city wall of Seoul in the Joseon Dynasty.

In addition to releasing the flow of water, it had a defensive function and was guarded by soldiers who guarded the gate.

It was buried during the Japanese occupation and was found and restored in 2009 during the construction of the Dongdaemun Historical and Cultural Park.

In a square below the building, next to the entrance of the underground station are the ruins of the former Dongdaemun Stadium.

This was the site of Hadogam (Lower Military Directorate), one of the outposts of Hullyeondogam (Military Training Command) during the Joseon dynasty.

During the Japanese occupation the area became Hullyeonwon Park and in 1925 the Gyeongseong Baseball Stadium was built. After Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule, the stadium was renamed Seoul Stadium and later Dongdaemun Stadium.

After the demolition of the stadium in 2003, the remains of Hullyeondogam and the water gate were discovered. Some of the remains were moved to other parts of the park and some were preserved here.

Night is falling so we decided to visit the Deoksugung Palace, which is recommended to visit at night. It is the palace that closes later, at 9 pm.

We left the subway at the City Hall exit and when we arrived at the entrance of the complex a Joseon-era performance was taking place.

Deoksugung is one of the “Five Great Palaces” built by the kings of the Joseon dynasty. It was inhabited by the Joseon until the beginning of the Japanese occupation in 1910. Today only 1/3 of the original structures remain.

It was originally the residence of Grand Prince Wolsan, the elder brother of King Seongjong. Deoksugung became a royal residence when the Japanese burned the remaining palaces during their occupation in 1592.

King Gwanghaegun was crowned in this palace in 1608 and renamed it Gyeongun-gung in 1611. After the reconstruction of Changdeokgung, it was converted back into an auxiliary palace in 1618 and renamed Seogung.

In 1907, the palace was renamed Deoksugung, in reference to the emperor’s wish for longevity. Emperor Gojong died in Hamnyeongjeon.

After the last Japanese occupation in 1910, the complex was converted into a park and many buildings were destroyed. Today only 1/3 of the original elements of the complex remain.

At the northwest end of the complex is the National Museum of Art, built in stone in a Western architectural style. It was built in 1910 in the neoclassical style by British architect J. R. Harding.

Entrance to the palace costs 1,000₩ (0.70€) and is included in the Royal Palace Pass.

This is the end of the day (or so we thought). We took the metro to the hotel. On the platform, we noticed that there are emergency kits with water bottles and gas masks in every station. It is a bit disturbing.

We buy some dinner in a combini next to the hotel. The idea is to go to bed early as we have to get up at 5.30 to go to the DMZ.

While we are still having dinner, at about 10 p.m., we get a phone call from reception. We have to change rooms because in the morning work starts on the terrace and we might be disturbed. Really? At 10 o’clock at night you have to collect all the luggage to change rooms. It doesn’t seem halfway normal to me. The work had already been scheduled a week before (they gave it to us in writing). The best thing would have been to let us know when we arrived so that we wouldn’t have to unpack our luggage.

The new room, on the 3rd floor, was much worse. To make matters worse, there was an unpleasant trickle of brown water coming out of the wall of the shower and bathrooms.

We decided to go to bed and complain in the mor12 thning.

12th August

Up at 5.30. Still raining. We had some breakfast that we had bought the night before and went to reception to complain about the various faults in the room. They tell us that maintenance will come and take a look.

We take the metro to the meeting point for the DMZ tour.

The DMZ, the Korean Demilitarised Zone, is a strip of land that runs across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north, roughly dividing it in half.

It was established to serve as a buffer zone between the countries of North and South Korea under the provisions of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. An agreement between North Korea, China and the United Nations Command.

The DMZ is 250 kilometres long and about 4 kilometres wide and is heavily guarded and mined. For a demilitarised zone, it is the most heavily militarised strip of land in the world.

Somewhat late (we were supposed to be picked up at 6.45) the bus appeared and we got on. It was full of Japanese people, doing a tour in Japanese with a guide. Our group (in English) consisted of the two of us and two couples of kids from Lithuania. One of them was Korean, though. We had another guide, Leo, a very nice young man, although he seemed a bit inexperienced.

After about an hour, we arrived at the first stopping point, Imjingak Park. Leo takes our passports and goes to the main building to check us in.

In this building there is an art exhibition inspired by the conflict, as well as some restaurants.

Outside the building there are also several monuments. For example, the Pyeonghwauijong Peace Bell. It was built in 2000 to pray for the peace of the human race and national unification in celebration of the new millennium.

This is also the site of the Freedom Bridge. It was built to honour the souls of the displaced people who died while missing their families and hometowns they left behind in the North.

It was originally called Dokgae Bridge, but was renamed in 1953. It was when 12,773 South Korean and UN soldiers captured during the war returned across this bridge.

At the end of the bridge are hung many messages from family members separated by the war. It is said that these messages are carried by the wind to the north so that they can reach their intended recipients.

Also on display is an old steam locomotive that was attacked in the war and the Imjingang Bridge, a railway bridge that crosses the river to link the two Koreas.

After the visit and the relevant explanations, Leo leaves us for 20 minutes at our leisure and we return to the bus. Next stop: Dora observatory.

But first we have to go through an exhaustive military checkpoint. Several soldiers get on the bus and check one by one with our passports to make sure that we are on the list.

The Dora observatory is located on the top of Mount Dora. From here you can look across the border through binoculars and see into North Korean territory.

This is what we saw:

North Korea is beautiful at this time of the year… and so on.

With a bit of disappointment in our bodies we went to the next point: the Third Tunnel. It is a tunnel dug by the North Koreans for a supposed invasion of the South. Although the North Koreans say it is the other way around.

It was discovered in 1978 after a loud explosion was detected, apparently caused by diggers who had advanced 435 metres under the southern side of the Korean Demilitarised Zone. It took 4 months to locate it and dig the interception tunnel.

It is over 1,600 metres long and 1.95 metres high. It could move up to 30,000 soldiers per hour with light weapons. It is one of four tunnels discovered to date.

Here there is a small museum about the tunnels and a souvenir shop. The highlight is the descent to the tunnel. This is a very long climb of 250 metres with a 10% gradient. Descend into the tunnel and walk through it crouching down and wearing a hard hat, as you will be bumping into the ceiling.

You are not allowed to take photos. In fact, you are forced to leave all your things in lockers before going down. I have to say that you go through it to have the experience because… because in the end there is nothing. An armoured door with a couple of cameras.

The climb is hard, not the next thing. It is not recommended for the elderly, people with heart problems, pregnant women and people in very poor physical condition.

We finish climbing the hill exhausted and with our tongues hanging out. A few cold drinks and back to the bus. Next stop: the cafeteria and local products shop of all the excursions. I eat a black soya ice cream, typical of the area, which was delicious, and then back to the bus.

We go through the exhaustive military checkpoint again and straight to Seoul. I have to say that you can’t visit the DMZ on your own, only by scheduled tours.

You can take this interesting excursion to the DMZ with Civitatis:

We got off at the meeting point where we were picked up and looked for somewhere to eat. We went to a place called Gobong Samgyetang Gwanghwamun. They specialise in Samgyetan, which is like a kind of cream with a WHOLE CHICKEN INSIDE! stuffed with rice. It was really good even though it was an awful lot of food. It cost us 38.000₩ (26.72€).

With our stomachs very, very full, we took a rainy walk back to the hotel. On the way we passed Bosingak. It is a huge bell pavilion that gives its name to the avenue where it is located: Jongno. It literally means Bell Street.

It was originally built in 1395 but, after multiple destructions, the current one was built in 1895. The bell was installed in the palace during the Joseon rule and is now only rung at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

A little further on is Tapgol Park. Here we find several remarkable elements. The most remarkable of all is the Wongaksa Pagoda.

It is a 10-storey, 12-metre-high pagoda built in stone in 1467. It stands on the site of the former Wongaksa Temple. The temple was built in 1465 by King Sejo and was the head temple of the Jogye Order.

Records indicate that the pagoda originally had 13 stories. It was built to house the Sarira and the Wongakgyeong (Wongak Sutras), which had recently been translated at that time.

Another feature of the park, also belonging to the old temple, is the Wongaksa Monument built in 1471. It was erected to record the founding of the Wongaksa Temple.

On the front is an inscription composed by Kim Suon with calligraphy by Seong Im. On the reverse is an inscription composed by Seo Geo Jeong with calligraphy by Jeong Nam Jong.

Tapgol Park is historically important as the birthplace of the 1 March 1919 Movement. It was the first place where the Proclamation of Independence was read. There are several statues with bas-reliefs to attest to the fact.

Now we go to the hotel to rest a bit and take a refreshing shower. But first, as soon as we arrived at reception they told us that they had not been able to fix the damage to the room and we had to change AGAIN. Luckily we had not had time to unpack.

This time, before changing, the receptionist went to make sure that everything was in order. While we were waiting we were invited for refreshments.

A while later the guy arrived and said that everything was in order. Floor 8 and much better than the previous room.

After the break, we took the underground to visit the Gangnam district, one of the most exclusive in Seoul. Yes, where the hit song Gangnam Style by Psy was released.

As we got off the underground and exited the station we came across the monument to the song. Two giant hands representing the song’s dance, with the song playing on a screen and always someone underneath making a fool of themselves.

Ridiculous which, of course, we also did, but I’ll keep the photos and videos to myself. But if you want to see some, you can check out my instagram.

From here we can see the Lotte World Tower. The tallest skyscraper in South Korea with 555 meters and 123 floors. On its top floor is the 2nd highest observation deck in the world at 512 metres.

We are not going to go up for the moment, as it costs a lot of money and with the bad weather we are not going to see much of it.

Very close to the Gangnam Style statue is the Bongeunsa Temple. It was founded in 794 by the state preceptor Yeonhoe, then the highest ranking monk of Silla. Its name at that time was Gyeonseongsa.

During the Joseon dynasty, Buddhism in Korea was severely suppressed and the temple was destroyed.

The temple became known as Bongeunsa when it was rebuilt in 1498 under the patronage of Queen Jeonghyeon, a Joseon queen.

The term Bongeunsa means the act of honouring the king, which can be understood here as a prayer for the eternal life of King Seongjong.

With the support of Queen Munjeong, who revived Buddhism in Korea in the mid-16th century, it became the head temple of the Korean Seon (Chan) Buddhist sect from 1551 to 1936.

The monk Bou was appointed head of the temple in 1548 by Queen Munjeong. He was assassinated soon after when anti-Buddhist factions regained dominance in Korea towards the end of Queen Munjeong’s rule.

During the Japanese occupation in the 20th century, the temple became the seat of 80 smaller Buddhist temples around Seoul. After colonial rule, Bongeunsa became subordinate to the Jogye Order, the largest Buddhist sect in Korea.

A fire in 1939 destroyed most of the buildings and other parts of the temple were destroyed during the Korean War.

The temple houses the Bongeunsa Maytreya Buddha, the largest Buddha in Korea at 23 metres tall.

The truth is that the temple is a real haven of peace in the middle of bustling Seoul. What’s more, admission is free.

Overwhelmed by the tremendous humid heat, we decided to look for somewhere with air conditioning where we could have a cool drink. In the COEX shopping centre we found a natural juice place and there we sat down. It’s called Jamba and it’s not cheap, but it was really good. The two large juices cost us 12,800₩ (9€).

As we sat there, we were amazed by the staff. They arrived at the place, left their bags and mobile phones guarding the place and went to order at the cash desk. You do that in Spain and when you come back they’ve even taken the table with them.

In the course of the trip we discovered that South Korea is an extremely safe country, as was the case in Japan. We will give more examples of what struck us in due course.

Refreshed and with renewed strength we went to the Banpo Bridge. It is one of the most famous bridges crossing the Han River. Above all for the spectacle of lights and water by means of its 10,000 LED bulbs, with which it entered the Guinness Book of Records.

As it happened to us in Japan the two times we tried to see the lights of the Rainbow Bridge… they cheated us. No lights, no fountains, no nothing. A cow turd.

What there was was some kind of festival under the bridge. That night there was a guy juggling fire.

Tired of waiting, we went to the hotel. We bought some dinner on the way and went to bed early. It had been a long day and tomorrow we had to get up early again.

Discover the best activities and tours in Seoul with Civitatis:

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