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Our last stop on our Asian adventure was the South Korean capital of Seoul, where we spent one week. The city exceeded our expectations with its cool neighbourhoods, delicious food, and beautiful scenery and architecture! We started our visit staying in the Dongdaemun neighbourhood from where we visited the Seoul Tower and Seoul Fortress Wall, and appreciated the quiet seclusion you can get right in the city by visiting the mountains.
We took in some more cool neighbourhoods including Gangnam and Myeongdong and ate some great street food, noting how clean the stalls seemed in comparison with other market stalls in Asia. After meeting up with Backpacker Brock we traveled together to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the North Korean border, where we got to hear the story of a North Korean refugee and better understand the reality of how the contention between the two countries affects the physical border.
On this episode we talk about what we did in Seoul including the delicious meals we ate, the cool neighbourhoods we visited, and our thoughts and feelings on our visit to the DMZ.
Enjoy!
What we talk about:
- Our initial expectations for the city of Seoul, which were lowered after reading a blogger’s review, and how the city ended up exceeding our expectation
- Our arrival into the city late at night, the great weather we got and what we did the first day
- Our stay in the Dongdaemun neighbourhood, one of the city’s shopping districts, and our visit to the Seoul tower
- Our visit to the Seoul Fortress, including walking along the wall and the great views of the city and mountains
- How easy it is to get some green space that feels removed from the city in the mountains
- The strong military presence because of Seoul’s proximity to North Korea, and photography restrictions in some areas
- Eating some street food and noting how clean the food stalls seem in comparison with street food markets in other parts of the world
- Street food and shopping in the Myeongdong area and meeting up with Backpacker Brock
- Enjoying caramelized sweet potato, Kimchi and Kimbap, a Korean sushi-like food
- Backpacker Brock’s visits to southern Korean cities including Busan, Daegu and his novelty experience staying at a Love Hotel
- Our interesting experience watching people take hits on a “Happy Balloon,” which is filled with nitrous gas!
- Our thoughts on visiting North Korea and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) the day before we went and as we approached the border on our bus, and what it’s like to visit the DMZ, Joint Security Area (JSA), and Freedom Bridge
- How we felt listening to the story of the North Korean defector that was on our bus, and the long arduous path a North Korean refugee has to take to travel to South Korea to become a citizen
- An on location recap with Brock of the DMZ and our feelings on the visit, including noticing how the scary reality of the situation that you see covered in the media sets in when you’re actually in the DMZ and noting the presence of a gift shop where you can pick up military arm bands and backpacks!
- What we did on the last day including our meals and a visit to a spa
- Our final thoughts on Seoul, making special note of the cool neighbourhoods and great food!
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Music Credits:
www.bensound.com
Here are some pictures from our visit to South Korea and the DMZ!
