A little time away from office for a bit of 'S(e)oul-Searching'

by Abby

They said to travel is to be educated. South Korea did not disappoint the writer and her two friends (also department colleagues) for the span of 6 days spent in cold, windy foreign land in pursue of things to see, places to visit, history to absorb..

Armed with tourist-essentials (i.e countless maps, subway routes, one research file complete with separators and tags) the three of us braved South Korea's (quite) chilly weather. The experience? Out of this world magnificent.

To reiterate our day-by-day itinerary would be too lengthy (and boring); so as listed are the writer's choice of must-see places in K-Pop infested territory:

1. Halal Food & Mosque in South Korea?

Itaewon is the place. Fret not, there's no need to pack countless bags of serundings and Maggi. The writer and her friends also had the chance to visit the mosque located therein and perform prayers there. Personally, the writer makes it a point to visit Muslim place of worship everywhere she goes - just to see what it's like to be a Muslim there.

Lunch!

Seoul Central Mosque

2. Nami Island, (in)famous for Winter Sonata series

Hardcore Korean-drama fans would want to go here to see how the place is really like. What the writer likes about going to Nami Island, besides the scenic sights, is the journey she and her friends had to take to reach here. As we are adventurous (we'd like to think we are!), we traveled on our own without a paid tour guide. The journey requires us to take three different trains, a taxi and a ferry ride. After all, it's the journey, not the destination that matters =)

A couple asked for our help to take photos of them. Sungguh2 dorg pose 

3. North Korea border anyone??

Highly recommended. Not many would like to spend their vacation reading about past histories, but trust us, its worth the time. We were allowed to go inside the tunnel which was dug out by North Koreans during the war (quite scary and claustrophobic-y), and was quite amazed to be able to see North Korean flag waving from a not-so-far distance at the Demilitarized Zone's observation deck. 

Dorasan is the northernmost stop in South Korea (before it reaches North Korea). Pyeongyang, the capital of North Korea is 205 km away 

3 stops for the whole Demilitarized Zone tour

Observation deck

Tourists from Japan, on our way to Demilitarized Zone

4. Paju Premium Outlet

One of the famous premium outlets in South Korea. Shop till you drop! Other shopping places to see - Namdaemun market for souveniers and shopping streets in Dongdaemun

Paju Premium Outlet!

Famous shopping street in Dongdaemun

Souvenir shopping at Namdaemun Market

5. Jeju Island

Go and climb this Sunrise Peak! (i.e a volcanic crater with vertical cliffs rises up from the shore)

Sunrise Peak

A plane preparing to land in Jeju

6. Hanok Village

Trying on Hanbok (Korean traditional costume) at reasonable price. The Village is re-built to mirror how it was like during those times.

Eceh

Somewhere in Gyeongbokgung Palace

7. Migliore Mall

Where u can get Korean-style blouses much cheaper than anywhere else!

Our encounters with locals

Their people, although often in rush, are very friendly (bearing in mind that language is barrier). We have elderly asking us if we are from Sudan or Saudi Arabia (since we are wearing headscarves) and was stopped countless times by teenagers for their pictures to be taken with us (feeling2 celebrity..). Also, taxi drivers are honest, helpful and can be counted on.

Conclusion

In summary, the writer personally didn't really get to do a lot of s(e)oul-searching there (too busy being on the move!). But the journey and the experience are wonderful enough to teach her that there are still so many things out there waiting to be explored, sought, and learned.

p/s: the writer's two friends/colleagues are wonderful traveling partners - because they are fun, patience, and most important of all, they have done extensive research on places to go! there's really no need for a tour guide to bring us around. Credit to Jas & Ain Z :)