REPEAT WARNING: Once again, this is not a sailing related entry. This, as well as future entires through April/May 2025, reflect our effort to capture our experiences while we explore Australia, New Zealand and other places (now Southeast Asia) across the world from the country we call home by land with some air travel assists. We are metaphorically putting our memories in a bottle to savor on some future date. If you are not interested in reading an amateur attempt to document travel experiences you may wish to skip these entries. No offense will be taken. You were warned!
Wow. Just wow. We arrived in Taiwan on September 8th after 7 incredible days in South Korea. In Zack and Jill fashion we kept ourselves busy the entire time. Usually leaving our hotel room by 8 AM (sometimes earlier) and not returning again until 12 hours later. As a result, while we took notes on our experiences, there was little time to keep a contemporaneous journal of each day. Besides, we covered so much ground it would be impossible (without authoring a novella) to write about everything we did in a daily log fashion. Given the purpose of this blog — which is to help us retain our memories — we will describe our time in Seoul through a series of grouped experiences and themes along with some specific observations.
But we do have to start with our plane ride on Cathay Pacific, a Hong Kong airline. We flew Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong (a 9 hour flight from Brisbane) and then, after a brief layover, on to Seoul (Inchon International Airport). After years of flying mostly (though not exclusively) on domestic US airlines, even for international travel, we were so surprised by how different the experience on Cathay Pacific was. On a positive note, they serve real, and largely edible, meals as part of their standard economy fare. We had dinner and breakfast on our overnight flight to Hong Kong and an early lunch on the flight from Hong Kong to Seoul. Definitely not an offering (at least not for economy passengers) on most US domestic airlines. From a safety standpoint though we are not so sure what we think. The safety briefing on the flight to Hong Kong consisted of a video played with the sound so low it was very difficult to hear and the few words you might have been able to hear were totally drowned out by the laughter and talking of the flight attendants who were busy in the galley. There was no demonstration of how to put on a seat belt (not that any of us really need that) or the life jackets. And, when the briefing was over and the plane was ready for takeoff, there was no request to put phones in airplane mode and no checking the cabin to make sure people had their seat belts on, their seats and tray tables up and in their locked position and their belongings stowed.
Of course, we are not sure how much any of this really makes a difference in the case of a true emergency. Still, we have to admit that we are so conditioned to receiving very serious safety briefings and cabin checks that we found Cathay Pacific’s, shall we say, rather casual approach to be a bit little unsettling. Somehow we were not surprised when we learned that the very next day after our flight a Cathay Pacific flight to Zurich was forced to turn around due to an “engine component failure” causing a fire. This resulted in the airline inspecting all 48 of its Airbus A350s and finding that 15 aircraft had faulty parts that needed to be replaced. All we can say is that we were very glad our next flights (to Taiwan and then back to Brisbane) would be on Korean Air and Singapore Air, respectively. (Since we have already arrived in Taiwan we can say with certainty that the Korean Air flight provided a safety briefing and cabin checks much more consistent with what we have come to expect. And, we had a great flight, with wonderful service and good food.)
With that out of the way, on to our visit, which was incredible. As many of you know, we love learning about the history and culture of the places we visit so we tend to prioritize those experiences over others. Given our interests, we came to the right place. Seoul is home to 5 palaces of the Joseon Dynasty (1392 – 1910) as well as the Jongmyo Shrine. Visting one or more of these palaces as well as the shrine was a fabulous way to learn about both Korean history and culture, past and present. We visited 2 of the palaces, Gyungbokgung Palace (the first built) and Changdeokgung Palace (the second built) as well as the Jongmyo Shrine. We also visited a 3rd palace south of Seoul, the Hwaseong Haengung Palace, used as a temporary residence. (More on that below.) As you might imagine, these Palaces are quite different than the opulent palaces you find in Europe. Though the quintessential ancient Chinese architecture is intricate and colorful, the Joseon Dynasty adopted Confucianism so elements of the philosophy — simplicity with open spaces, elegant lines and harmony with nature — were incorporated into all the palaces and related structures. This means that while the internal courtyards where largely barren and the insides of each purpose-specific building were relatively stark, the places also contained beautiful gardens with pagodas and lily filled ponds for contemplation and just quietly enjoying how all the components of nature connect to one another. (We posted several pictures from our palace visits on our @sailingchefigata instagram page.)
Interestingly, by visiting these palaces and learning about the past it also gave us a wonderful opportunity to learn about the culture in Korea today. On our first full day in Seoul we took a private walking tour of the city. BTW, one of the reasons that we try to invest in at least one private tour wherever we go is because it gives us a wonderful opportunity to spend invaluable one-on-one time with a local, allowing us to have a more deep and meaningful exchange of information. Our experience with our Seoul tour guide, Sean, was no different. One of the things Sean mentioned was that 50% of Korean’s have no religion. When we say they have no religion we don’t mean that they are Christian or Buddhist but not religious. We mean that they don’t identify with any religion. (For those curious, of the remaining 50%, 32% follow some section of Christianity, 16% are Buddhist and 2% believe in some other form of religion.) At first we misinterpreted that to mean that they were non-religious and had no underlying belief system or spirituality but that is not true. The Joseon Dynasty’s adoption of Confucianism had lasting impacts. Much of the 50% today that is deemed “non-religious” adhere to Confucianism’s five principles, which includes a respect for elders and honoring one’s ancestors, as a way of life. The Jongmyo Shrine which we visited was built in the 14th century during the Joseon Dynasty as the place where the existing royalty performed ceremonial rituals to honor the deceased kings and queens. (The Hwaseong Haengung palace was also primarily used as a place to honor royal ancestors and it was considered a “temporary” palace because it was only used during those rituals rather than as a primary or even secondary residence.) This ritual included summoning the ancestors with incense, providing music and dance and offering them many different food dishes as well as alcohol. The shrine is the oldest preserved royal Confucian shrine. These rituals are still performed by many today — including those who identify as Christian or as some other religion. Our Korean friends, Sung and Miky (more about them further down), continue to honor their ancestors on the Korean Thanksgiving, New Year and on the anniversary of one of their ancestor’s death. Interestingly, the Jongmyo Shrine continues to be the venue for the descendants of the imperial family to honor the spirits of their deceased ancestors through these ancient rituals.
Though this is changing with the younger generation, the philosophy of simplicity also continues to have strong influence today. The traditional Korean house and apartment is much smaller than what we are accustomed to in the States, In fact, the “traditional” Korean house is really one large room separated by partitions which can be opened or closed and with adaptable or moveable furniture that can conform the room to the applicable purpose depending on the time of day. For example, a bedroom becomes a dining room because the homes occupants sleep on a “yo” (a Korean mattress) on the floor that can be rolled up and stored during the day. While we were visiting a gallery exhibit featuring examples of the traditional one room Korean house Miky shared that she lived in such a house growing up, sleeping on her yo with an “ibul” (a quilt) at night and they rolling it up and placing it out of the way in the morning.
In addition to the ancient palaces and shrines, we spent a lot of time just walking around different neighborhoods to take in as much of the local flavor as possible. (Our step count was between 15,000 – 20,000 every day!) We visited Buchon Hanok Village, a residential area filled with restored traditional Korean houses. This style was first built in the 14th century during the Joseon Dynasty. We literally felt like we were walking back in time. (We posted pictures of this village on our @sailingchefigata instagram account.) We also visited 2 different traditional Korean markets, the Kwangjang Market (where we ate lunch on the day we took our private Seoul City tour and Jill proclaimed she ate the best Bibimbap of her life) and the Namdaemun Market. We spent more time at the Kwangjang Market which is an indoor market filled with vendor after vendor selling different foods. While the footprint of each vendors’ space is very compact, some (like the one where we ate lunch) have a small counter with bench seating for about 8 patrons around an open center kitchen and others sell spices and other ingredients for cooking at home out of stalls. (We also pictures from this market on our @sailingchefigata instagram page.) It was interesting to see typical Korean foods you certainly don’t run across when visiting Koreatown in NYC. This included the tanks of live octopuses that are pulled out, sliced up, sprinkled with sesame seed oil and some soy sauce and then served fresh at a counter next to the tank. Finally, we visited several streets famous for their street vendors, shops, restaurants and tea houses including Insadong Street and Ikseondong Street and their “tributaries.” You can buy anything you want on these streets — clothings, accessories, teapots, eating utensils, jewelry, street food, pocketbooks, paintings, etc. It was great fun to explore the main artery as well as the various winding and narrow alleyways, often finding hidden gems like the local Korean dumpling house with no more than about 5 or 6 tables that we happened upon one day for lunch. We arrived early by Korean lunch standards (we were there around Noon while the Korean lunch hour starts in earnest at around 1 PM) and were seated at a table kitty corner to the table where two older woman were preparing the dumplings to be cooked an served. Jill had the spinach, tofu and mushroom dumplings while Zack had a sampler platter and we shared a scallion and red pepper pancake bursting with flavor. The meal was spectacularly delicious and by the time we left there was a long line of Koreans waiting to get in.
No visit to South Korea would be complete without a visit to the Demilitarized Zone, the DMZ, so we signed up for a group tour to take us there. While on the approximate 90 minute bus ride our guide reminded us about Korea’s history of Japan occupation, its ultimate freedom resulting from Japan’s surrender during WWII and the division of Korea into “North” and “South” countries as both the Soviet Union and the United States sought to influence the newly emancipated country. We we all know, this division did not remain peaceful as forces from the North invaded the South and started the Korean War. In 1953, with help from the United Nations, the North and South signed the Korean Armistice Agreement which created the DMZ. To put in perspective how recent this really is, both of our fathers are Korean War veterans though neither were deployed overseas. (We traveled to a place that they, at the time, hoped not to go.)
The DMZ visit was fascinating. Two experiences stand out. The first was our visit to the third tunnel which constructed by North Korea to invade South Korea (obviously, in direct violation of the Armistice Agreement) and discovered by South Korea in 1978. Located just ~32 miles from Seoul, it spans over 5,360 feet in length, 6.5 feet in width, and has a height that varies between 5 to 6.5 feet. Given its dimensions, it is estimated that approximately 30,000 North Korean soldiers could move through the tunnel per hour. To get to the end — basically as close as you can get to North Korea (underground) — you have to descend steeply for ~325 feet wearing a hard hat to protect your head from the low portions of the cave-like tunnel. When you get to the end you look out through a narrow opening into the tunnel on the North Korea side. Not that we really needed any convincing but walking through the tunnel really hit home how aggressive North Korea is and how vulnerable South Korea remains, reinforcing the need for the US to elect strong leaders with an appreciation for history and the importance of not returning to the isolationism we adopted after WWI. (Our apologies for the brief political digression.)
The second part of the tour that was fascinating was the visit to the Dora Observatory. Here were we able to view North Korea through binoculars including the propaganda village built by North Korea and situated within the DMZ to make North Korea appear prosperous with large homes for its people. Of course they are now mostly empty and falling apart from decay. What was particularly notable though were the sounds. While South Korea blasts recordings of North Korea defectors talking about their new (and wonderful) life in South Korea from speakers aimed at North Korea, the North blares back the sounds of loud sirens designed not only to be an unsettling irritant but to ensure that its own citizens are not able to hear the South Korean recordings. Another experience that made the continued tensions in the area very real to us in a deeper way. (Fortunately, North Korea did not float over any of the large balloons carrying rubbish — including toilet paper and feces — while we were there because the DMZ tours get cancelled when that happens.)
As we already briefly mentioned, we spent a part of our visit with our Korean friends Miky and Sung from SV Berlinetta. They were part of our rally across the Pacific. They bought their boat in Europe, sailed across the Atlantic and then joined the World ARC rally across the Pacific to get most of the way back to South Korea as part of a fleet. Miky and Sung left us in Fiji to make the turn North and head toward their home. At any rate, we had an open invitation to visit them if South Korea became a part of our itinerary and we jumped at the chance to take them up on their offer. We ended up spending two full days with Miky and Sung. They were incredibly gracious and generous hosts taking us to many historical sites (including the Changdeokgung Palace with its secret garden and Hwaseong Haengung Palace that we wrote about above) as well as several locations that tourist don’t generally visit. This included the Traditional Korean one room house exhibit we mentioned above as well as the “Dust” exhibition of pastel works by Swiss artist Nicolas Party at the Hoam Art Museum. The Hoam Art Museum is located within Everland Park which is owned and operated by a subsidiary of the Samsung Group. Adjacent to the museum is a lovely traditional Korean garden (the Heewon garden), with its manicured lawns, ponds, trees and flowers, ancient statues (some dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries), and wooden pavilions — all designed to be in perfect harmony. We capped our visit to the museum and its gardens with afternoon tea at a delightful outdoor tea house on the garden’s grounds.
Also in the category of “not seen by most tourist” was the traditional Korean BBQ Miky and Sung treated us to in Yongin, South of Seoul. No English spoken here (and not another foreigner in sight) but Miky and Sung helped us navigate the menu ordering vegan friendly soup and noodle dishes for Jill and enjoying beef BBQ (with 2 different cuts of beef) with Zack. Though Jill could not join in on that part of the meal she enjoyed watching the cooking process as large slabs of beef were cooked on both sides over the wood fire and slowly transformed into bite size pieces as the meat was flipped and cut into pieces with kitchen scissors over several iterations. Zack said that between the quality of beef and the dipping sauces the meat had an amazing flavor and, overall, the dinner was one of the best we enjoyed in Korea. After the meal we moved onto Miky and Sung’s house where Miky gave us a tour of their lovely and comfortable home and served us hot green tea along with a traditional Korean dessert of lightly sweet nearly bite-size round cakes (they looked similar to a donut hole but were very different in taste and consistency) and large seedless green grapes the size of a Brazil nut. We felt so honored to be invited to their house and enjoyed the opportunity to compare a Korean home with what we are used to in the States. The biggest contrast is what you might expect. The rooms are smaller and the design leans towards minimalistic with clean lines and an emphasis on natural materials. After 11 amazing hours together, Sung ordered us a taxi at 9 PM and off we went back to our hotel exhausted but with full hearts.
As we mentioned, with 7 very full days we can’t possibly cover everything we did and saw while visiting South Korea (though we made an impressive dent!) so, instead, we will share some general observation. But first, one last fun note to share: we had two brushes with greatness during our visit. The first was that the outgoing Prime Minister of Japan (Prime Minister Fumio Kishida) was visiting South Korea to meet with South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol for a final round of talks, hoping to cement improving ties before leaving office. While in Seoul he stayed at our hotel, The Lotte Hotel, Seoul. It was obvious that someone of some importance was at the hotel because for 2 days police barricades encircled the hotel, there were literally hundreds of police offers surrounding the hotel (complete with clubs and riot shields) and plainclothes secret service officers were swarming the lobby. Though the hotel would not confirm his presence, the motorcade of parked cars with the Japan flag and a Google search told us every thing we needed to know. The second brush with greatness was with the owner and chairman of the Samsung Group. He was visiting the Hoam Museum with his daughter and was in the same exhibit hall right next to us. (We could have reached out and touched him though we restrained ourselves.) We certainly would not have recognized him if we were there on our own but our friends Miky and Sung did as he definitely has celebrity status in South Korea. Though we would not have recognized him we would have figured out he was someone of importance because he and his daughter had an entourage of plainclothes officers near them throughout their visit.
Okay, with the celebrity sightings (or near sightings) out of the way, here are the general observations, in no particular order:
Seoul is HUGE!
Seoul is an incredibly large city. It is actually comprised of 2 cities — the old or North City and new or South City which are divided by the very clear Han River. Our hotel was in the North city which is close to the palaces, shrines, temples and other attractions. When we reference the South City as “new” we literally mean new — the construction plan for the South City was not even announced until 1967. Moreover, many of the 30-40 year old building which were part of the initial development were torn down in the last 10 years and replaced with even newer and nicer buildings. The South city includes the Gangnam District which was made famous by the “Gangnam Style” music video. Gangnam Style became a neologism that refers to (and pokes fun of) a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam district, where people are trendy and hip, and exude a certain supposed class. We ran out of time to walk around Gangnam but we did drive through the streets with their shiny new apartment buildings and department stores with Miky and Sung which gave us a good feel for the area. If you only include the North and South part of the city the population of Seoul is now estimated at 10,004,840. If, however, you include those who reside in the larger Seoul Metropolitan Area the population is 26 million. That’s about half of the total population of South Korea which ranks the Seoul Metropolitan Area as the fourth largest metropolitan area in the world.
Despite its size Seoul is so clean, safe and orderly! Unlike cities like NYC where there seem to be trash cans on every street corner yet tons of trash on the sidewalks and in the gutters, you don’t see a bubble gum wrapper in the streets of Seoul. You can walk anywhere in Seoul at any hour of day or night without worry — and we did. You don’t see any beggars or homeless people. (As an aside, you do have to wonder why that’s the case — there could be good and bad reasons for this and we didn’t dive into this one yet). Finally, Seoul seems so civilized. Even on the most crowded streets there’s no pushing, inadvertent or otherwise, everyone crosses the street at designated cross-walks and all pedestrians patiently wait for a green light before crossing the street, even when there are no cars present.
The K Pop and K Drama Culture is also HUGE.
Guess we should have known that K Pop and K Drama is really big in Korea. (We actually hadn’t even heard of K Drama.) So much so that any place a significant event in a K Drama series has happened is commemorated and Koreans travel to have a shared experience with their favorite stars. For instance, in one K Drama the male and female leads had their first kiss on Nami Island (a small island in the Han River just outside of Seoul) while making miniature snowmen on a picnic table in the winter. Now, when you visit Nami Island, there are plastic snowmen everywhere and the picnic table where the kiss occurred is marked on a map. Couples travel to the location to get a picture of themselves kissing at that picnic table. It’s a big deal. Similarly, on another K Drama the male and female leads kissed at a certain location in Petite France, a recreated French village not far from Nami Island. That spot is also marked and couples travel to take a selfie kissing there too. Handprints from K Pop starts cast in bronze adorn the long passageway that leads from the street to the Lotte Department Store and the area is filled with young girls taking their pictures of themselves with their hands held up to the large prints. You get the idea. Incidentally, we didn’t mention our visits to Nami Island or Petite France in our narrative about our visit to Korea because, quite frankly, they are both (IOHO) artificial tourist traps. (To be fair to Nami Island, the owner did do a wonderful job creating a small oasis not far from Seoul that serves as a great staycation for locals with its beautiful tree lanes, woodlands, riverside walks, concert venues and restaurants. There’s even a hotel with nicely appointed individual cabanas with large decks right along the river. It is a very pleasant place to walk around and spend the day or two.) Though these types of locations are generally not our cup of tea we visited both those sites as part of a private tour with a delightful tour guide, Emily. We really enjoyed spending the day with her and learning about her life as well as Korean culture. It made the visits worthwhile. In addition, though both places are very artificial they are places that Koreans like to take their family on weekends or holidays much like families in America might visit similar contrived places in the States. In that sense our visit gave us a window into the life of Korean families and, again, it’s what opened our eyes to the phenomenon that is K Drama. But let us be clear: if you plan to visit South Korea you can skip the visit to Nami Island and Petite France.
The Food is wonderful.
We could write copious amounts about the food. It was really that fantastic. We already mentioned our lunch at Kwangjang Market, our Korean dumpling lunch and our tradition Korean BBQ with Mikky and Sung. We can’t write about every meal we ate (or this entry would be even longer and more tedious) but we would like to give a special shout out to the vegan restaurant we dined in our first evening, Sanchon, as well as our meal at the Jogyesa Buddhist temple. (BTW, we didn’t write about it but the magnificent Jogyesa Buddhist temple, which dates back to the 14th century, is the chief temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.) Both meals were served in multiple course with lots of really small plates of delectable bites from kimchi to soups, seasoned or fermented vegetables, noodles, dumplings and pancakes. At Sanchon our main course included at least 17 different small tastes and this was after 3 courses of starters. In Korea when you want to compliment your host you say “I ate well.” Suffice it to say, we ate well!
Koreans take care of their skin and enjoy healthy foods and supplements.
Skin care is considered very important in Korea. To avoid sun exposure people wear hats and use an umbrella. We saw more umbrellas on sunny days than on rainy days. Not surprising, a huge industry has sprung up in Korea to support this focus. The most famous store is Olive Young which is ubiquitous. It is similar to Sephora but with a heavier emphasis on skin care products and with a much larger footprint. We went into one that was multi-level and the lower level alone was almost twice the size of the standard Sephora. Of course, all of this pays off. Our friend Miky who is just a few years younger than Jill looks like she is in her 40s with her youthful glow. Not a wrinkle is to be found on her face! If you do get wrinkles despite all of the prophylactic treatment though, there is always cosmetics surgery. That, too, is everywhere. As we drove through Gangnam and the South City there was literally street after street with nothing but different cosmetic surgery medical practices. Korean’s are not just focused on physical beauty. They also take supplements and healthy foods — like ginseng and fresh fruits — very seriously. In fact, we learned that Koreans like to give and receive gifts that improve health through diet and huge sections in department stores are devoted to these gifts which come beautifully wrapped.
Miscellaneous Bits and Bobs.
We were surprised to see coffee shops — including Starbucks — everywhere. Multiple shops on every street rivaling, if not exceeding, the number you find in NYC neighborhoods. Though they sell traditional coffee drinks (Americano, cappuccino, lattes, etc.) the food sold to enjoy along with a coffee is distinctly Korean, even at the Starbucks. Second only to coffee shops in numbers are tea and dessert houses. These are cafes that offer only tea with light nibbles or a large array of desserts along with various beverages. The dessert offerings at most restaurants is very limited. If you want dessert, you go to one of these specialized cafes. Many Koreans will go out with friends just for dessert like we might do for dinner. We were also impressed with the department stores — think Bergdorf Goodman, only more luxurious and elegant. Just because we heard that the department stores in Seoul were a “must see” attraction we stopped by the Lotte Department Store as well as the Shinsegae Department Store. They were definitely worth a visit. These department stores, which are absolutely pristine, are structured like stores within a store. There is no commingling of brands. Instead there are separate sections devoted to particular brands from Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga to North Face, Patagonia, and Arc’teryx and everything in between. Each separate area is beautifully curated with lots of space to walk around. As you stroll through the store, soothing music is wafting in the background. For a couple that generally does not enjoy shopping, it was a really pleasant experience.
Interesting fact: In South Korea, only the visually impaired can be licensed masseurs. This is based on a law passed in the early 20th century designed to ensure that the blind would have the opportunity for a rewarding occupation as well as a means to earn a living. The thought was that this policy aligned well with the enhanced abilities of the blind to detect nuance with touch as they learn to navigate the world through touch and sound.
We spent a fair amount of this blog entry’s real estate talking about the Korean culture. A common theme we heard again and again is that the culture is changing rapidly. Though there is a lot of wealth in South Korea, the costs of living in Seoul is outpacing salaries so young people are getting married later and often making the decision to have no children or just one child. This is actually a huge issue in South Korea. Currently, the percentage of the population that is 65 or older is 19%. By 1945 though it is estimated that this percentage will reach 37%, making South Korea the world’s most aged population. This creates an incredible strain for a country with a national health system. The change in culture is not limited to marriage and family size. The younger generation is also moving away from ritualistic ceremonies like ancestor worship. These ceremonies, which are performed multiple times per year, take considerable preparation easily on par with our Thanksgiving holiday. Younger people, busy with demanding careers and long hours, find it difficult to accommodate these traditions in their schedules.
Finally, of all the places in the world we have visited we felt most welcome in South Korea. They remain grateful for our help during and after the Korean War and show it through a genuine warmth. Between the hospitality we received, the history and the richness of the culture, we truly had an amazing visit. As the first country on our Southeast Asia tour, South Korea has set a high bar. As we mentioned at the start, we are now in Taiwan. We will separately report on that visit when we return to Che Figata towards the end of September. Until then, annyeonghi gyeseyo (안녕히 계세요) — be well!
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