ASIA / PACIFIC
Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
September 15, 2014
Seoul: Trains, fast cell service, palaces, and food
By Amir Bibawy
The Associated Press
S
EOUL, South Korea — South
Korea’s hyper-efficient capital
doesn’t immediately spring to mind
when you think of exotic Asian
destinations. But this megacity offers
much to tempt travellers beyond a layover
from the ultra-modern international
airport in nearby Incheon. One can explore
Korea’s rich historic heritage visiting
temples and palaces, wandering around
the enormous National Museum of Korea,
and savoring the delights of its
surprisingly varied cuisine.
As in Tokyo and Hong Kong, Seoul’s
transportation network puts most
European and North American cities to
shame. A Seoul City Pass Plus card can be
used not only on the trains, which run both
under and above ground, but also on
busses and even taxis. It’s also accepted for
payment at many tourist sites and
convenience shops, offering discounts on
some tours and museum admissions.
High on your list will be one or two of
Seoul’s five palaces. Most guidebooks
recommend
Gyeongbok-gung,
the
grandest of all of them. But I headed to
Changdeok-gung, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, instead. The sprawling
palace grounds can only be visited on
guided tours; check the schedule to make
sure you catch a tour in the right language.
There’s one tour of the famous gardens and
another of palace buildings.
Strategically and culturally, Korea is
wedged between East Asia’s superpowers,
Japan and China. While travelling around
Seoul, you’ll understand the intricate
connections among the three countries.
Many links are evident in the collection at
the National Museum of Korea, a must for
those seeking to go beneath Seoul’s veneer
of technology and learn about the country’s
history.
The museum, the largest in area in Asia
and sixth-largest in the world, is suitably
impressive from the outside, with a
futuristic architectural design that pays
tribute to Korea’s modernization. Inside,
many of the more than 300,000 pieces are
designated National Treasures of Korea.
The building design utilizes natural light
6 4
Give blood.
To schedule a blood donation
call 1-800-G IVE-LIFE or
visit HelpSaveALife.org.
1
4
6 1
9
8
7
5
4
6 9
7
8
5
3
5
HARD
Difficulty
half-amused but also stern about my
culinary ineptitude, took the ladle from my
hand and set it aside. “Needs to cook
more,” she mumbled. Every time I tried to
touch the food with my chopsticks, other
diners looked on with amusement. Clearly,
I had no idea what I was doing. Mercifully,
the waitress ultimately came over and
stirred up a delightful chicken and
vegetable dish with rice. I added kimchi
from the buffet.
Another essential stop is Gwangjang
Market, which bustles with street food
vendors and little restaurant shacks in the
evening when its shops have closed. Locals
go there for Korean pancakes made from
mung beans called bindaeddeok and cheap
street food. I opted for one of the ubiq-
uitous dumpling soup places, where for
about $5 you get a huge bowl of steaming
soup with pork dumplings, freshly made
before your eyes. In winter, the stall
benches are even heated. On my second
visit to the market, I had sashimi and rice
wine. The sashimi was near frozen, a
common way of serving it and different
8
7
9
in many galleries, which makes it easy to
explore
for
hours
without
that
stuck-in-a-vault feeling of a big muse-
um.
Highlights of the museum include
Buddhist bells on the third floor (one each
from Korea, China, and Japan) and the
piece-de-resistance, the Ten-Story Pagoda
— a unique marble structure built in the
14th century — looming over the ground
floor. It was taken to Japan before World
War II (Japan occupied Korea from 1910 to
1945), but was returned to Korea in 1960,
disassembled. It’s been painstakingly
restored and is an enduring symbol of an
architectural style little-known outside
the country.
Koreans love to shop and there’s no-
where better for it than the pedestrian
shopping district of Myeong-dong, where I
stayed. Streets are lined with brand-name
stores (both Korean and western) open late
into the night. It also has countless
restaurants and cafés. On my first night
there, I ventured out to find a restaurant
near my hotel and nearly had a panic
attack. There were so many choices, but
none familiar to me, though I’d gone
to many Korean restaurants in New
York.
I ended up in a brightly-lit place that
was almost ready to close. I pointed out a
few menu items and a hot barbecue top
was turned on at my table, ingredients
meticulously lined up to cook. I tried to stir
them together but the waitress,
HISTORIC HERITAGE. Food stalls are seen at
Seoul’s popular Gwangjang Market, where some of
the best dishes in the Korean capital are offered at
cheap prices to tourists and locals alike. Seoul’s hy-
per-efficient capital draws visitors with its exquisite
restaurants, historic palaces, and ultramodern infra-
structure. (AP Photo/Amir Bibawy)
from the Japanese room-temperature
tradition.
For traditional Korean food beyond the
market, skip Korea House — it’s touristy
and expensive. Do venture into one of the
tent restaurants that serve food late into
the night in popular nightlife districts.
And get your fix of bibimbap — a rice dish
with vegetables, egg, meat, and chili or soy
sauce served all over the city — along with
a traditional seafood stew, which is hearty
and warm.
Bukchon Village, a neighborhood of
traditional Korean houses with slanted
roofs, is a nice place to stroll. The area is
flanked by two palaces, and dotted with
chic boutiques and cafés.
One striking thing you’ll notice is that
Seoul’s residents are glued to their
cellphones — usually Samsung or LG,
brands that have played a role in Korea’s
strong economy. During my visit last
winter, everyone was streaming the
Olympic games live on cellphones on the
subway — a testament to how fast and
reliable the 4G network is. Even my
American phone worked faster there than
in New York.
Finally, don’t leave Seoul without
venturing up to the N Seoul Tower, the
city’s highest tourist point, offering a view
from the top at nearly 1,600 feet above sea
level. You can hike through Namsan Park,
Seoul’s Central Park, to the base of the
tower, or take a cable car up. It’s busy at
dusk, but it is a nice time to watch as the
city below you transforms into a stunning
and colorful display of lights.
6
2 1
level: Hard
# 3
#64871
Instructions: Fill in the grid so that the digits 1
through 9 appear one time each in every row, col-
umn, and 3x3 box.
Solution to
last week’s
puzzle
Puzzle #51442 (Medium)
All solutions available at
<www.sudoku.com>.
5
9
8
4
3
1
2
7
6
3
4
6
9
2
7
5
1
8
7
2
1
6
8
5
3
9
4
2
7
9
5
6
3
4
8
1
8
6
4
2
1
9
7
3
5
1
3
5
8
7
4
6
2
9
6
1
2
3
4
8
9
5
7
9
8
3
7
5
6
1
4
2
4
5
7
1
9
2
8
6
3
There’s only one
college in Portland
that will help you
repay your
student or Parent
PLUS loans.
Introducing
warnerpacific.edu/freedomtoflourish