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Seoul Tour

Mar 31 2007 | Views 2103 | Comments (14)

We took a short 6-hour city tour of Seoul instead of getting bored at the Incheon airport... Expand

Seoul Tour

We were travelling from Los Angeles to Mumbai by Korean Airlines in March 2006 and had to spend something like 12 hours at the airport. Fortunately, Incheon airport is one place where you can find a decent place to sleep and rest. However, you cannot sleep at an airport for a very long time, so we decided to take a 6-hour city tour. At the Incheon airport, once you book the city tour, you can get a temporary 'transit visa'.

The Royal Throne in the Palace

The Tour bus company also gives jackets to wear to the tourists. However, we had our own heavy-duty winter jackets, so we declined their offer.

I forgot to take my gloves, cap and scarf and regretted it later. It was VERY cold.

Korea is influenced by both the China and Japan as it is situated between these two countries. For more information on the history, geography etc. of Seoul, please follow the following link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul

The photos are mostly of the Royal Palace and the Folk Museum.

BTW, the Korean place-names are so difficult that I am just going to call it the Royal Palace.

The guide was very good. She was not only well-informed, but also very helpful. She took us to a good eatery for Korean food and also helped us to do shopping.

One interesting exhibit in the Folk Museum was a 'bamboo wife'. Follow the link below for more information on "Bamboo Wife".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolster

'Khimchi' or pickled cabbage is one Korean speciality of which we are fond. Preparing 'khimchi' is a major agricultural summer-task because of the lack of fresh vegetables during the harsh winters. Khimchi is to Koreans what 'Sauerkraut' is to Germans.

The Folk Museum. See the leafless trees in winter?

I bought two Korean Jewelry pendants (not very expensive, but unique. A large, smooth semi-precious stone like smoked topaz or jade is encased in a 18-carat gold setting. This setting generally depicts a scene like a swan swimming on a lake. The stone serves as a background for the scene. The whole thing is hardly 1 cm X .75 cm. ) for my two daughters.

Not all trees are leafless. There are some evergreens also in front of the Folk Museum.

These look like the precursors to Totel Poles

I had seen this jewelry at the Incheon airport while travelling from Mumbai to LA, but that time Avi was not with me, so I had decided to buy the same while returning back from LA because, then Avi would pick up the tab.

The courtyard of Folk Museum

We were also lucky to witness the 'Change of Guard' ceremony at the Palace. It very strongly reminded us of the same ceremony at Buckingham Palace which we had seen in 1981.

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Comments (14)

charuavi posted 1 year ago

Dear vijaya,

Thank you for your comment. Yes, Avi certainly takes beautiful photographs. It comes rather natural to him.

Charuavi

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charuavi posted 1 year ago

Dear Bill Szymezyk,

Seoul has different effects on different people. It sent you soul searching, while Avi said that he had to sell his soul to buy those pendants. (He is exaggerating. the pendants were not very expensive, but lovely.)

And, I remember how tender the soles of my feet had become by the time we finished the sight-seeing.

Thank you for your appreciation of the photos.

Charuavi

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charuavi posted 1 year ago

Dear swarajya,

We just put to good use, our layover at Incheon airport. It was possible because Korea gives a transit visa for sightseeing. Singapore does it too. I am not sure whether ALL countries do that.

The guide spoke good English. I find that all over the world, increasingly, the younger generation is taught English in school. It HAS become a global language.

Thank you for your appreciation.

Charuavi

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charuavi posted 1 year ago

Dear Swayamprava,

Seoul is an interesting city. The way, Koreans have made a leap from feudal times straight into 21st century's technology, is amazing.

Communication is a bit of a problem though. Most of the people do not know English, but hotel staff SHOULD have a smattering of English.

Thank you for visiting.

Charuavi

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charuavi posted 1 year ago

Dear maddss123,

Thank you for your good wishes and appreciation of the photos.

As I explained to Svengali, you should not envy us, because you do not know the sad, unhappy parts of our lives and the melancholy that is woven into it. Our lives have not been a bed of roses. There have been thorns a-plenty.

Regards,

Charuavi

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charuavi posted 1 year ago

Dear Svengali,

Thank you for visiting our blogspace.

Please do not envy us. We DO have our share of disappointments, griefs, traumas, in fact, all the ills from Pandora's box, in full measure. However, like Maria from 'Sound of Music', we too remember our favourite things when the dog bites and the bee stings and our favourite thing happens to be travel.

Like the moon, we are showing only our bright face to the public. The dark side of our lives, we are keeping away from public gaze, but it EXISTS.

After all, Life is a bitch and spares no one.

Anyway, let me get rid of these sad thoughts by imagining how you would look with green paint on your face.

Bye and take care,

Charuavi

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charuavi posted 1 year ago

Dear Sujim,

Thank you for your compliment. Yes, it is mostly a photo-blog, since it was only a day-trip from the airport on a transit visa.

Charuavi

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vijaya posted 1 year ago

Very nice photos and helpful, informative comments.

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Bill Szymezyk posted 1 year ago

Good Lord Seoul has really sent me soul searching, Excellent Photographs.

Szymezyk

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swarajya posted 1 year ago

A nice stop over at Incheon ,which provided you with a life time opportunity for sight seeing plus purchase of gold jewellery- a pendant.The photographs display simple elegance of Korea.How could you manage to speak to the guide who might have been poor in english?

Transit visas ,if granted , can give scope for sight seeing in other places too.

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