First Impressions

Very barren, desolate, lifeless. Neon. Culture is fascinating. Nothing alive - just cities and buildings...even 5-hour bus trips in the countryside reveal just more industrialisation. The only life we saw was on Jeju Island, where our friend took us on a tour of the volcano craters - big paddocks of grass....excellent change.

Food

spicy
stews
meat - no lamb
fish fish fish
kimch'i
bulgogi
tjetjung giggae
kalbi
bibimbap

Accomodation

Transport

Subways in Seoul run on 7 different lines, all colour-coded on maps (and the walls are painted in big strips of colour) so it's easy to see which line you're on and where you should be. On most maps, the station names are written in English as well as Korean, and even if they aren't stations are all identified by numbers. On the subway itself, stops are usually announced in Korean and English. It really is a very simple system to navigate.

Things to See

Speaking Korean

Do try to learn some Korean words while you're there, it's very easy (especially if you stay in the cities) to get away with just english, but in my opinion that diminishes the travel experience. Submerse yourself in the culture, it can't hurt you! It's demeaning to you and the people around you for you to expect them to speak English, and to communicate in grunts. Most guidebooks have phrases included, make use of them. Befriend a Korean and have them teach you how to say things properly - believe me, the people *will* appreciate your effort.

ch-j
t-d
k-g
p-b
l-r
sh-si

Places

Busan
Jejudo
Yeosu
Jirisan
Seoul
Soroksan