One of my favorite shows in a local television station here is a travel show mostly about European countries. They have recently broadcast a special about Slovenia and particularly the region of Prekmurje. I find it interesting since I didn’t know anything about Slovenia prior to the 1990s. In my high school history class, we were asked by our teacher to pick a country and report on it. I picked Yugoslavia and that time, Slovenia was a state of the former country.
If I were to go there, I’d most like stay in one of those Prekmurje holiday apartments & cottages. I think it will give me a better chance of experiencing the local culture if I stay in a holiday villa or cottage rather than in a hotel.
There are Prekmurje luxury apartments too, which aren’t that expensive considering that the prices are based on a weekly stay. They have more amenities (like a fully-equipped kitchen) and are more homely.
If you find yourself someday thinking about visiting Slovenia, you shouldn’t miss staying in Prekmurje holiday apartments & cottages. I live in an urban apartment and the rural area with its rolling hills and greens is just so inviting. The ski chalets in Styria are great places for the winter too!
The KTO (Korea Tourism Organization) sponsored a free guided tour to two DMZ destinations to foreigners living in Korea last Friday. I didn’t join the tour and it rained heavily. One of the destinations in their itinerary is Cheorwon, located on the far north of South Korea, beyond the 37th Parallel. The place used to be North Korea’s land until after the Korean War. I’d been to Cheorwon four times since I got here five years ago. The first time was in 2004 with just me and my husband. Second time was in 2005 with my mother. Third was with my parents-in-law and aunt-in-law in 2006. And the last time was in 2007 with my sister.
Cheorwon is famous not only for its DMZ tour but for its rice and samgyeopsal. The best “kalbitang” (beef rib soup) I’d ever had was in one of the restaurants located near the Goseok-jeong. In the autumn season, you’d see thousands of migratory birds resting in Cheorwon’s rice paddies. (Avian flu?)
Cheorwon is a two-hour drive from Seoul (if you drive like my husband who almost always slows down in the countryside as if it’s Route 66). The road from Cheorwon to Chuncheon (a famous place known as a shooting location for dramas like Winter Sonata) is one of the most scenic places in Korea, specially in Autumn, and I’m sad to learn that there are plans to build a highway there.
The DMZ tour in Cheorwon is guided by the military so it’s necessary to be there 20 minutes earlier than the scheduled tours for the registration. Good thing we always take our IDs with us. There are shuttle buses provided by the tour office for people who don’t have their cars. I’d advise bringing a car specially if you don’t want to be in a bus full of ajummas and ajosshis.
First stop in Cheorwon is Goseok-jeong. The control office for application to tour the area is on the second floor. On the first floor is an exhibit of North Korean goods. There is a nice fall and a valley located a few meters behind the office building. I’d only been there once.
The convoy of vehicles starts at the scheduled time. The military guides this tour as the whole trip is about 50 kilometers or so. (Sorry, I don’t know the exact traveling distance) The first destination is the 2nd Tunnel, one of the four tunnels made by the North in the early 1970s in an attempt to invade South Korea. Tourists are allowed to enter the tunnels, however it is prohibited to take pictures and the guards are there to “confiscate” cameras in such cases. The walk down the tunnel is steep and long. It is not advisable for people with health problems to go down.
After the tunnel, the next stop is “Cheorui Samgakji Observatory”. On the topmost floor of the observatory, there are binoculars that can be used to see the “northern sights” for just 500 won (US$0.50). The 500 won is worth the sights that you’ll see. We actually saw some deers inside the DMZ. I was surprised to learn that there is a palace inside the demilitarized area. A mini-lecture is held to educate the tourists of the area and its surroundings.
To the right of the observatory is the Woljeongri Station. The last train to stop at the station is still there, riddled with bullets. This is one of my favorite stops since it reminds me of how frightening a war is. In front of the train is a bunker and the demarcation line.
The last destination of the tour is the Labor Party Headquarters. Before we got there, we passed by the ruins of some Japanese colonial buildings: a bank, agriculture inspection center and an ice plant. There are warnings on the side for landmines and we’re not allowed to stop. I just took the pictures while we’re driving.
The description at the Labor Party Headquarters reads:
“After the Liberation in 1945, the communist built this building to strengthen political influence and control of people until this Korea War. North Korea exploited people in the name of contribution and mobilized manpower and equipment by force to construct this building. For five years, the communist committed brutal exploitation and arrested, tortured, and massacred many patriotic citizens. In the trench behind the building many skeletons were found along with bullets and wires used in execution.”
My husband said Cheorwon is a major lost for North Korea since the area has a wide plain that is used for rice planting. We also visited Baekmagoji, which is the site of the bloodiest battle in the Korean War history. Filipino soldiers fought in this battle too.
Everyone I know dreams of visiting the United States at some point in their lives, and part of that dream is to stay at those United States hotels known for their cleanliness and comfort.
Three of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States are New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
New York City is famous for the Statue of Liberty, Central Park and other destinations, which are mostly buildings and churches. I’ve only been to NYC once but a must-see place is The Met or The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I felt like I’d traveled the world when I was there and I’m definitely going to bring my husband and my son there someday. I’ll just make sure that we’ll stay at some famous New York hotels.
Los Angeles is another dream destination. Visiting the Universal Studios is a lot of fun. Walking on Hollywood Blvd is a surreal experience. Who knows, you might just bump into someone famous in one of those chic Los Angeles hotels?!
San Francisco, according to my sister, is the most beautiful city in the United States. I haven’t been there but it’s definitely one of the places I’ll visit on my next trip. Reading Howard Fast’s The Immigrants series of books made me curious about the city. It would be nice to stay in one of those historical San Francisco hotels, don’t ya think so?
I’m so glad that I’m living in this generation, I could always look for last minute hotels and prebook online. At least, I’ll be sure that when I travel there’s a room in a hotel waiting for me.
We live about 800 meters from the Dongdaemun area of 청계천 (cheong-gye-cheon or clean stream). We frequent the area for walks specially on hot summer days. The Cheonggye stream is a six kilometer stretch. Here you can find foot bridges, stepping stones, fountains and falls, performance stages, art galleries, fishes and ducks and hundreds of pigeons. It’s like an oasis in the middle of a busy city.
Cheonggyecheon’s restoration started in June 2003 and it was formally opened in 2005. If you’re a regular Discovery Channel viewer, you’d probably seen the special documentary on this. It’s always been a stream where people bath and wash clothes for centuries until the government covered it in the late 1950’s and built an elevated highway in the late 1960s. The restoration is one of President Lee Myung Bak’s projects when he was the mayor of Seoul.
Here are some pictures I took one hot summer day. We walked from our apartment to the Dongdaemun market area of Cheonggyecheon. Aside from the stream, you’ll also find pictures of the area around Dongdaemun - the gate itself, the Ehwa University Hospital where NFL star Hines Ward was born, the statue of Jeon Tae Il who burned himself in the 1960s, the Pyeonghwa Sijang (a famous used books market where Hyun Bin’s character in the drama Snow Queen looked for the book with the same title). Some parts in the television drama “Lovers in Prague” were shot here.
The Dongdaemun shopping area and the Cheonggye stream are accessible by subway. There are two subway stops nearby - Dongdaemun station (Line 1 and 4) and Dongdaemun Stadium station (Lines 2, 4 and 5).
Two Sundays ago (April 27) we took an hour and a half drive to Asan, a city in the province of south Chuncheong. We went there for the birthday festival of one of Korea’s national heroes, Yi Sun Shin (or Lee Sun Shin/Yi Soon Shin). It was I who suggested to go there as I haven’t been to the place and I’d seen the drama The Immortal Yi Sun Shin.
Yi Sun Shin has a god-like status in the country. If you could read the novel or watch the drama on his life, you would understand why. His statue dominates over one of Seoul’s busiest streets, Gwanghamun. There is also one street in Seoul, Chungmu-ro, named after his title of Chungmugong or Martial Lord of Loyalty. Sadly, he’s not well known outside East Asia (or I never knew him until I saw The Immortal Yi Sun Shin). I admit, I admired the man too after watching all those films and reading more about him. I bought my son a shirt with the number 23 at the back. It isn’t for Michael Jordan, but for the 23 battles the Admiral fought and won.
Yi Sun Shin was loyal to his country till the end, no matter how many times he was “betrayed” by the ruling class during his lifetime. He believed in social justice yet he also dedicated his life to the king. In the end, he got what he wished for… He died in a battle like a dignified soldier and spared his king the guilt and shame of putting a loyal warrior to death. The king, at that time, mistakenly believed that Yi Sun Shin was a threat to his existence.
In Asan, we went to Hyeonchungsa, a shrine built in the 1700s and dedicated to the war hero. Entrance fee is 500 won. The walk from the main gate to the main shrine is more than 400 meters. You’ll see two ponds to the left at about 50 meters from the gate.
At about 300 meters from the gate is Yi Sun Shin’s house. My husband said it is simple and small considering the Admiral’s status. He came from a Yangban (noble) family and his grandfather was a member of the King’s court. There’s the archery range at the right side of the house and further is Yi Myeon’s grave, the Admiral’s son who was killed fighting off the Japanese. I met two old men under the gingko trees at the archery range. They were Korean war veterans and told me that they lived in the Philippines for more than a decade, training at Clark Air Base. They spoke English well and were very nice.
We had a summer-like weather last week. The temperature peaked at 29 degrees in Seoul, but it was a milder 25 degrees last Sunday afternoon when we went to Namsan Park. My parents-in-law and my aunt-in-law came to visit us (again). They came to our home at around three o’clock in the afternoon. The base of Namsan (”nam” means south and “san” is mountain) is a five kilometer drive from our apartment and the sky was clear that afternoon so we thought it’s best to go there for some air.
We took the car and parked at the National Theater of Korea. The Seoul city government used to allow cars to go up to the park. That all changed in the spring of 2005 and I think that it was a good move to reduce pollution. The city is seriously in need of air purifiers. Now, only shuttle buses (yellow bus) and the Seoul City Tour bus could go up to the park.
If you’re commuting, it’s best to take the shuttle bus (yellow) at the Chungmuro subway station. If you use a transportation card, you won’t have to pay extra for the transfer. If you’re paying cash, it’s 700 won per person. You can also take the cable car (7,000 won roundtrip) or just walk.
Namsan is one of the two famous places that people go to to get a bird’s eyeview of the city. The other is the 63 Building. It is also a popular filming location. Remember that cable car scene in “My Name is Kim Sam Soon”?
On the left side of the bus terminal is a “hyugeso” or a rest stop, where there is a small convenience store and a jjajang myeon (black bean sauce noodles) restaurant. You’ll need to walk an inclined 300 meters from the bus stop to N Seoul Tower. On the way up, there’s an ojingo-juipo (squid and flyfish) vendor at the left side.
Upon reaching the top, you’ll notice on the left a group of artists who does sketches for a fee. AFAIK, they charge 25,000 won per session. The day we visited the place, a US Army band was performing for the tourists. On our previous visit, there was a South American music group that played latin songs.
N Seoul Tower is an observation tower, and you need to pay to go there. I haven’t been up the tower, since I don’t want to spend 7,000 won to go there. It’s the same view anyway. I’d rather see Seoul from the free observation decks.
N Seoul Tower has one of the best restrooms I’ve seen in the city. It’s almost always crowded when I use the restrooms so I couldn’t take any photos. At Entrance 1, you’ll find a coffee shop and a bakery. There are exhibits and a waiting area with TV monitors for those waiting for their turn to ride the elevator up the tower. Outside is a food court (where I go to drink water), convenience store, gift shop, and more coffee shops. There’s also a buffet up the tower and a revolving (?) restaurant.
The Palgakjeong (pal means eight, gak is side) or the eight-sided pavillion is almost always full of resting people. The sloped 300-meter walk is sometimes tiring specially on a hot day! To the right is a beacon built during the Joseon dynasty. The district of Jongro or old downtown Seoul is visible from this area.
A few meters from the beacon is the entrance to Namsan Cable Car. The ride is 7,000 won round-trip or 5,000 won one-way. I once rode the car with sister when she visited us. There is also a stairs that go down the mountain from that area.
As much as N Seoul Tower is the main attraction of Namsan Park, there are other places to visit in the area. One of my favorites is the Botanical Garden located near the Hyatt Hotel. There is also the Cartoon Museum, libraries and the jogging course that my husband frequents whenever he needs an exercise. There is a really nice playground for kids in front of Dongguk University (Jeon Ji Hyun attended college here). And of course, the National Theatre.
Here are some pictures that I took on my visits. Also is a video taken last Sunday (to give you a feel of what it was like). If you see a guy wearing a white shirt and carrying a sky blue bag, that’s my husband I was piggybacking my son who was asleep that time. On the way back down, we walked… the shuttle bus would cost us 700 won each
N Seoul Tower is one of the must-visit places in Seoul. It won’t really cost you anything aside from the transportation, unless you want to go up the tower or ride the cable.
용산전자상가 (Yongsan Jeonja Sangga) is where you should go in Seoul to shop for electronics. I’m a gadgets person (I just don’t have the means to have them) and I like going to Yongsan from time to time just to see the latest gizmo in the market. There are more than twenty buildings in the area where you can find anything electronics from light bulbs to speaker mount, latest cellphone to computers and of course, home theatres!
Yongsan is Korea’s answer to the more popular Japanese district of Akihabara. It is accessible by subway or bus from anywhere in the city and is near the tourist district of Itaewon.
I was piggybacking my son who was asleep that time. On the way back down, we walked… the shuttle bus would cost us 700 won each 
