Hello Korea!

Arriving in Seoul, the contrast with Manila couldn't be bigger. Everything here is clean, well organized and safe. No hassle to go from the airport to the city, not trouble to travel around in the city even though it's a megalopolis with more than 10 million inhabitants. Their metro system definitely deserves an award; it brings you anywhere in no time, everything is announced in Korean and English and it is so clean! No rubbish, no graffiti, no funny smells...

The first two nights we stayed in the flat of Kevin, an English teacher. He left us his place while he stayed over at his girlfriend's studio. We hadn't planned on staying too long in Seoul but from the first moments, we were in love with the place, so we booked 3 additional nights in a hostel. On day 1, we visited the recommended tourist spots, being the Gyengbok palace and the hanok area.

Gyengbok palace is South Korea's most famous royal palace. It had been first constructed in the 14th century but the Japanese destroyed almost all of it in the early 20th century. Luckily the Koreans restored the whole complex to its original form. The palace also has a magnificent park, called 'The Secret Garden'. It's a real shame you can only visit this on a guided tour because it's so beautiful and you'll want to spend several hours there, just to escape the hustle and bustle of Seoul.

The first two pictures are taken in the Bukchon Hanok Village. Hanok refers to the traditional Korean house and in the neighborhood of Bukchon, you'll still find several of them, most of them which are converted into art galleries and guest houses.

(the colors in the pictures are quite autumn like, but it's the end of spring in Korea, we're having great weather, around 25 degrees with a little breeze...Perfect travel weather!)