Hi Readers!
This is to dedicate to my trip to Korea with Jurong Junior College 31st Student Council! Also to introduce Seoul to you guys with my best effort haha.
Korea is a very popular place to visit nowadays due to k-pop groups and idols and they have a lot of fans worldwide! This is a school trip so don’t expect too much though! The best thing about a school trip is I don’t have to plan beforehand. On the other side – I couldn’t plan my route on my own! I’ll do it on my next trip to Korea.
First, the school pretty much want things to be educational. So, we obviously went to the DMZ, the De-militarised zone between North and South Korea. For historians out there, you will know what this means! But for non-historians out there, it is the border to cross over to North Korea and South Korea, and everyone had been taught how North Korea is a dictator country that does not allow internet and photography but there have been photographers entering the North Korea country and posting photos on social medias nowadays. It must be nerve-wrecking for those soldiers that have to stand there.
Open the door to the other side and you’re in another country. How amazingly weird this sounds. Great experience! Interestingly enough we thought nothing happened when we were there, but news of the previous North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il died when we were there only arrived days after. Now, the leadership position is passed down to the son Kim Jong Un.
We went there for an exchange with Seoul Global High School. The students there are frightened and afraid of a war might happen and everything becomes tense in just moments and then North Korea also launch a few missiles that year that heightened the world’s tension and everyone is monitoring them, even President Obama is.
Ok stories aside.
Let’s see the beautiful architecture of Seoul, South Korea.
We had a tour in Gyeongbok Goong Palace.
So beautiful isn’t it? And I am proud to say that I experienced my first snow there! So happy that snow started falling on the 6th day nearing the end of our trip! As many of you may know, Singapore is a very hot country that only have one season – summer. Winter is never in our reach haha. The palace is very big and they provide a personal knowledgeable guide. Go to the website to check out the price, it’s really cheap! There’s some part of the palace being sealed off and not opened for the public though.
Website: http://www.royalpalace.go.kr
We went to another attraction for lovebirds! It’s trendy in Korea to lock your love on this Namsam N Seoul Tower, the view up there is also marvellous!
I locked something I brought over from Singapore, a photo of me and my boyfriend! A dog that represents me and a monkey that represents him! Cute isn’t it. If you do visit, please send us a photo of our lock if you spot it! Definitely going back to check back on our lock!
You can purchase your lock there if you did not bring one but it would be like quite expensive. Those without lovers, fret not! You can also lock your friendship with your travel companion!
Website: http://www.nseoultower.co.kr/
This is the student council body with a teacher (Try to spot him because he can blend in with the students well with his young look, I’m sure he will be embarrassed one day if he read this but I don’t think he will ever read my blog). We are trying on Korea’s traditional costume named Hanbok.
We also went to the famous shopping street Dong Dae Mun and Myeong Dong!! Full of street foods and stores like The Face Shop (Even though we have them in Singapore I think it’s so much cheaper if we buy there taxless and without the extra transport fees charged) Korea is really famous for their face and cosmetics products. But not for someone like me who doesn’t use cosmetics. Just find this logo and ask the cashier for the tax free thing and can claim at the airport.
In the middle of heartland Seoul, You’ll see two amazing statues dedicating to amazing people in the history. The golden one is their first emperor that created their Korean language but I’m not sure who the knight looking statue is, probably someone who had great achievements in war.
And nearby is this Myeong Cheong Stream.
Sorry I’m acting too obviously like a Tourist. Haha
And then nearby too, you have this.
An open area Ice Skating Rink that is naturally frozen due to Winter!! OMGOMG! Sorry too excited for someone in Singapore who only have indoor skating rink that are man-made. And you only pay KW1,000 which is like SGD$1 to rent the skates and you can skate for 1 hour! you have to pay around $20 to skate in the indoor skating rink for 3 hours. Too good to be true.
We also went to different museums! There’s this thing for museums that always inspire the historian in me but not for those looking for active things to do who might find this boring!
Website: http://eng.museum.seoul.kr/
Seoul museum of history where you can find miniature of all the buildings in Seoul! It’s a miniature map.
Website: https://www.warmemo.or.kr/
Sorry for the long post, continuing the post in Part 2!
Lynn & Ocean - Based in Singapore 