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South Korea

South Korea 37.56°N 126.97°E

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*Queue Tear in My Heart by Twenty-One Pilots

AN-YANG-HA-SEO

Hello, South Korea. Is what I said when I landed in beautiful Incheon International Airport. It was such an adventure to go from sharing an interest in Korean culture with my friend Nate, to deciding to go, and now actually being there. We met up in the airport in Seoul, and rode in to the city together.

So. Many. Buildings. Seoul was like nowhere else I had ever seen. We got off the train right in the center of the city and felt like we had showed up on some distant planet in the future. So much activity and life all around us. We found our hostel just down the street from the main train station. When we opened the door to the room, it hit the side of the bed - the one bed in the room - and then we realized the room was the bed, and a tiny bathroom attached to it. We'd be sharing for the next couple nights, but you know, we made it to Seoul!

seoul palace guards

The next day we had a couple of tours, one was a food tour, trying out Tappoeki and other Korean staples, and another took us through the main sights in the city (the palace being one of the coolest). We got to run up the mountain in the city, and see a ton of amazing old buildings.

Everything in Korea was full of life, history, culture. I was so excited by it all. The food was amazing, the clash of cultures, and just seeing how different everything was all made me so happy to be there.

Gyeongju

Then we took the train south to Gyeongju, Korea's founding capital city (kind of like their Rome for the Roman empire). It had been lost to time until the past 50-100 years, and lots of excavation was still ongoing. It was an off-the-beaten-path tourist spot, which was really fun.

Busan

We finished our week in Busan. It was a really cool city, with a mix of the urban and coastal vibes, kind of like South Korea's LA. We had fun exploring, especially summiting a mountain, finding a crazy abandoned temple, and running back down.

I couldn't have asked for a cooler trip, and I'm super thankful to Nate for planning it and being willing to go so spontaneously. It was full of memories that will last a lifetime.

  • Jack