THE Rural Bank of Itogon team continues its tour of Seoul...
Give yourself at least an hour to do justice to the National Folk Museum. The displays in a well-organized gallery provide educational and cultural opportunities to better understand the traditional Korean lifestyle.
Located on a peaceful pond, Geonghoeru (Party House) was used for royal banquets and to entertain important foreign visitors. It is one of the largest elevated pavilions in Korea by floor area. Further down the road is the most beautiful and famous Geongbokgung Palace (Unesco World Heritage Site). The area is large so it took us at least two hours to move about. The visit was well worth it. With the golden autumn leaves as background, it was a great picturesque location for photo ops. I felt the history of the place and amazed at seeing lots of people in traditional costumes... almost like stepping back in time.
Formerly polluted and covered with an elevated road, Chenggyecheon Stream has been cleaned up and made into an Art and nature walkway through the heart of Seoul. You will appreciate how the city has transformed a once eye-sore zone into an attractive and clean place for locals and foreigners.
The most beautiful road in Korea is the Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway. Stretching approximately 900-m in length, the Stone-wall pathway was Korea’s first successful attempt at creating an urban space where people and nature coexist. The lane was once a regular road, but today it is a picturesque pedestrian footpath with wide passageways for pedestrians.
Our DIY Gimbap experience of learning how to make Korean seaweed rice roll filled with a variety of delicious fillings was quite amusing. It was like doing the Korean version of a sandwich – you can change the filling to fit any diet, palate, or occasion. “Gim” means dried seaweed, and “bap” means rice. Another event I could not resist was trying on the fascinating “Hanbok” (traditional Korean clothing). The photo results were amazing! Lastly, we capped our vacation on a shopping experience in MYEONGDONG, one of the primary shopping districts with brand-name shops and department stores that line the streets and alleys.
As the leaves turn into brighter shades of gold and crimson, there is no better time to visit Seoul than in autumn. We bid farewell to Korea, the Land of the Morning Calm, “kamsahamnida” or “Thank you”. Till we meet again!