With my sisters visiting for 4 weeks, I had to decide how to show them the most and best of Korea. They landed in Korea just in time for a big holiday (not coincidentally), so I had 5 days off which we spent in Seoul. We spent the other weekends in Gyeongju (a traditional city), Yeosu (which held the World Expo last year), and Gwangju (a place I've spent many a weekend). I had to go to work during the week, but this gave them the chance to visit my school and explore Mokpo.
I figured my blog has enough of my own words, so I asked Mackenzie and Morgan to share what they thought about their trip to Korea. But first: pictures.
Seoul
Gyeongbuk Palace
Insadong
(artsy district)
Rice cake (가래떡) and honey~
YG Building
(Studio of our favourite kpop group. Sadly all the members were in Singapore for a performance!)
Trick Eye Museum & Ice Museum
American Idiot Musical
What would a trip to Seoul be without Gangnam?
Gyeongju
Waiting outside our traditional house for M&M to wake up. After breakfast, the owner showed us a creepy, "The Ring"-esque well he had in the back room.
Seokguram
Bulguk Temple
Anapji Pond
Tumuli Park
Kpop Concert
The concert was on a holiday Thursday so we just headed to Seoul for the day...
A ~4 hour drive each way! It was soo worth it! Got to see lots of amazing
performers: Akdong Musician, Ailee, Girls Day, EXO, Seungri, and G-Dragon.
performers: Akdong Musician, Ailee, Girls Day, EXO, Seungri, and G-Dragon.
F1
(It was just a practice race but it was all the same to us!)
Yeosu
Hyangilam Hermitage
Manseongri (black sand) Beach
Yeosu Aquarium @ Expo Site
Mokpo
(my town)
So, what did they think?
Mackenzie:
Best foods:
1. Bulgogi kimbap [sushi roll with Korean, sweet beef]
2. Donkkaseu [pork cutlet]
3. Boongeoppang [fish-shaped bread filled with red bean paste]
4. Banana milk
5. BBQ
Worst/weirdest foods:
1. Fried rice which had tiny octopi in it
2. Anything with squid
3. Dog
4. Most of the "good" food was spicy so I couldn't try it
Best places/events 1 2 3
1. The K-pop concert in Seoul
2. The old-fashioned town [Gyeongju] with the buttcheek tombs
3. Yeosu Aquarium
4. Temples. Especially the one in Yeosu [Hyangilam Hermitage].
Was Korea anything like you expected?
Korea was a lot different than what I thought it would be. When you said Mokpo was a small town, I thought you meant like Keswick, not a city.
What is the biggest difference between Canada and Korea?
The air was great on mountains and such but everywhere else was smelly. When we got back to Canada, the air smelled so clean and fresh. I also noticed that there are garbage piles instead of garbage cans in Korea, unlike here in Canada where there are garbage cans almost everywhere.
Also, in Canada, the diversity of races is great whereas in Korea the percentage of Korean people is over 90% with very few foreign people.
Morgan:
Best food:
1. Bibimbap [mixed rice with vegetables]2. Grilled meat
3. Tuna kimbap [similar to sushi roll]
Worst/weirdest food:
1. Squid tentacles
2. Spicy spicy spicy pad thai
3. Anything tasting fishy
Best places:
1. The K-pop concert in Seoul
2. All of the temples
3. Aquarium in Yeosu
Was Korea anything like you expected?
I expected there not to be as many Western people but I didn't expect to be stared at. I actually expected things not to be that much different. I didn't expect most towns to look like cities... I didn't expect Mokpo to look like a city!
What is the biggest difference between Canada and Korea?
The weather, culture, and landscape. The weather's a bit warmer, culture is not as diverse like Canada, and there are so many hills and mountains. The country is very beautiful... I miss seeing all the hills and mountains everywhere. Most of the people I encountered there were really nice even if they couldn't understand us and we couldn't understand them lol... Travelling around to all the different cities and how they each had something new for us to do was really fun and all the temples we went to were absolutely beautiful.
* * *
Last time we spoke, I was enduring midterms and now it's only a few weeks away from final exams (and 6 weeks to vacation but who's counting)! Since my sisters left Korea a month ago, I've been doing my best to catch up on work and sleep. I spent another weekend at a pension on the beach, celebrated Halloween... Updates that will come soon.
Coming up I've got exams, Christmas, New Years, and vacation! I've booked my vacation which will be 4.5 solid weeks of bliss. Not to mention the week I'll spend in Bali. Yay Life!
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