korea-ed over
12/11/2006
We’ve been busy little tourists in the last few days. We ran amok around Dongdaemun, went for the DMZ tour (with third tunnel sans Panmunjum, unfortunately), flew to Jeju, skulked around Jungmun resort, went down the coasts and had our All In experience, ate at a pier, climbed a hill not because we wanted to, and ate a lot.
Despite the severe language impediment (which only stopped us from ordering food properly) it was easy to get around, easy to find stuff, easy to make arrangements for everything. It was a breeze.
Jeju on the other hand, was not quite what I expected. The resorts in the drama series made it look like a) the island was just resorts and b) it was as modern as Seoul. Strangely Jeju was more countryside, more laid back, but just as expensive! Probably because of the hoards of tourists trying to relive various All In moments. It was an adventure though, since most people at the wet markets didn’t speak any English or Chinese, and we had to get ourselves around the island by car.
All in all (hehee) Korea was a wonderful experience. The city works efficiently, the Seoul fall foliage is stunning, and Jeju has some of the most spectacular natural spots. The weather was mostly pleasant, except for the really cold day at the DMZ where the mercury dipped to under 10° C. Kimchi might be a bit too much every day, but you can still find a good selection of international cuisine to tide you by. And in Jeju, you can just eat at the hotel.
That said, the city is expensive and meals in general would cost as much as a meal in the US. It was terribly hard to find $2-3 dishes, although we managed to find a spot or two through the Lonely Planet guide. Decent accomodation will cost minimally $70 a night in Seoul (the Co-op came up to just under $100 a night) and even then it’s not the best thing ever. The luxury hotels will cost you easily $200 a night and the regular 4 star one around $150.
Oh oh, check out neat food reviews (in English) of Korean Restaurants – Mary Eats.
All prices in USD. 1USD ~ 950 KRW. 1 SGD ~ 600 KRW
