Seoul Stories and Tips

Quote: Seoul is one of the largest cities in the world with a population of over 10 million people. It ranked third among the top tourist destinations for year 2010. I was told that the Koreans do celebrate Chinese New Year, and in fact, I was…

Quote: 8 years ago, I would not dare to visit Seoul on my own as everything seemed foreign, from the language to the street signs. A lot has changed since then, there are clear signs in various languages such as English, Mandarin and Japanese not only…

Quote: It was weird being back in Asia again! I had a great time despite the fact that it was rather a whirlwind excursion and the two long [non-stop, 10-hour] flights a week apart got me completely tired out. Seoul was very modern and in…

Quote: On Planes and AirportsUsing technologies half a century old and a medieval guild-like organization, modern airplanes and airports pose heavy dilemmas to the eternal pilgrim. Unnecessarily, airlines are often regulated by trade agreements between countries; most airlines connecting two given countries belong to them and…

Quote: On the Verge of Skipping Bi Bim BabTraveling from Thailand to Los Angeles with Asiana meant having three meals onboard. The first one was a very late dinner – or was it a very early breakfast? – on the way to the stopover in Seoul.…

Quote: We were so excited when we got our tickets to Vietnam on very short notice that we never really made much of the terribly inconvenient and tiring route we’d have to take. The Star Alliance, which counts Delta and Korean Air as part of its…

Quote: Throughout the year I spent living in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula there was a massive contrast which I noticed in the local community that completely fascinated me. It was namely the division between young and old, modern and antiquated. The disparity between…

Quote: I was standing in the doorway of one of the classrooms in the school at which I made a living teaching English to Korean children. Through it I could see a female colleague of mine sat at her desk, powdering her nose and checking her…

Quote: Built by the King of the first Yi dynasty, these structures collectively served as the royal palace for about 200 years. Before 1592, it housed some 500 buildings, but do to consistent Japanese invasions over hundreds of years, the palace has since been reduced…

Quote: It is midsummer in South Korea and I've been here for two months. Being from Canada, the contrasts between the two countries are quite extreme. But given that I came to this small, culturally unique country for that very…