The Amateur Traveler talks to Rachel about Seoul, South Korea. Rachel is a college student from Hong Kong who studied in Seoul for the Summer. She talks about historic palaces, museums, customs, and shopping in this city that she describes as a “kaleidoscope.”
click here to download (mp3)
click here to download (iTunes enhanced)
News
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Show Notes
Seoul, South Korea
Changdeokgung palace
Gyeongbokgung palace
Deoksugung palace
Insadong neighborhood (and art market)
National Museum of Korea
Myeongdong – shopping area
SeoulPodcast
Korea Bloggers
After I was done with the editing Rachel also sent these tips:
Dongdaemun at Night – This is an area of night markets and tiny stall front malls where locals shop until 3-4 am on Sundays and at least 2 am on most nights. They have everything from trendiest clothing and accessories, bags, traditional tailors, mountaineering gear, food stalls, and outrageous counterfeit items.
The national drink Soju, a rice wine, is worth a mention. Korea has a huge drinking/party culture, rather like the Japanese but more extreme. For instance, it’s not surprising to smell whiffs of alcohol on the Subway as early as 8 pm. But quite surprisingly, Korean boozers are quite peaceful and it never feels dangerous. Also, it’s compulsory to have food (actually cooked dishes like Tapas, but food sized to be shared amongst the group), which all the local bars serve. The whole idea is to stop people from drinking on an open stomach. I’ve actually found the bars to serve better food than many restaurants, and it’s not surprising for bar owners (Mom and Pop places) to send over ‘service’ i.e. free dishes.
At most Mom & Pop places the rice, kimchi and other side dishes can be refilled for free if you ask.
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Travel to Seoul, South Korea – Episode 633
Travel to Southern South Korea – Episode 286
Travel to Northern South Korea – Episode 485
A Guide to the 5 Royal Palaces of Seoul
by Chris Christensen
Chris Christensen is the creator of the Amateur Traveler blog and podcast. He has been a travel creator since 2005 and has won awards including being named the "Best Independent Travel Journalist" by Travel+Leisure Magazine.+Chris Christensen | @chris2x | facebook
2 Responses to “Travel to Seoul, South Korea – Episode 157”
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Tags: audio travel podcast, podcast, south korea
Andy
Says:December 17th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Thanks for including my link to the US dollar outlook. This post/podcast was an interesting one as well.
MarieEvelynFrenette
Says:November 19th, 2012 at 12:27 am
Just for the record, it is quite normal for restaurants to refill the little side dishes free of charge. But usually you have to pay for the rice (maybe about 1000 or a dollar). Some restaurants may give it for free but you shouldn’t expect that it will be.