First off, it's been a long time since my last post. I do apologize for that as I have been traveling extensively for the past 3 months. But the good news is that I have a whole load of photos to share. So be patient with me as I screen through and edit them. First up would be my latest trip.
My latest trip was spend with a bunch of young people at Korea. It was an exploration cum learning trip and with that, I had to take into consideration so many factors while planning for this trip. But I did enjoy myself and it was really fun despite hiccups and problems arising traveling with 40 over people.
So here's my list of 5 places to visit in Seoul (with a bunch of teenage brats tagging along) :
1. War Memorial of Korea
It's fascinating and eye-opening to experience the impact and devastation of war. Thoughts were put into this memorial with various monuments and statues giving credit to the fallen, planes and vehicles which you can climb into and explore, and an endless pool for meditation. The highlight of this visit for the kids were taking photos with the soldiers.
This museum is not exactly in Seoul so I sorted cheated. But it is a must-not missed. Learning about the history and background of Samsung was just interesting. Did you know that Samsung started out as a grocery store? We also learned about various innovations, travelled through time from the past to the future and were allowed to play with advance technological 'toys'. Please note that prior reservations are required for groups during the weekdays but weekends are open to the public.
3. Everland
The biggest theme park in Korea. Sadly, I wasn't super impressed. It's decent but some rides were just meh. It may be due to the reason that quite a number of fun rides were closed because of the weather but I got to admit that the safari and wildlife were fantastic. It was so real and we could go so close to them. The bears begging for food were such a sight, the giraffe that feeds out of your hand were so cool and the lions were just amazing. Christmas decorations are really pretty. Food was overprice and bland. But do go and check them out. I may be wrong *cross fingers*;p
4. Gyeongbokgung Palace
It is one of the grandest and most beautiful palace in Korea. Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, is located behind the palace. The kids enjoyed the Royal Changing of Guard Ceremony which runs hourly starting from 10am till 3pm. So don't miss that. If you have time before the ceremony, stop by the small obscure hut by the entrance for a chance to try on one of the guards costumes.
5. Bukchon Hanok Village
A cluster of Korean traditional houses composing of lots of small narrow alleys, quaint hanoks and restaurants, that carries a 600-year old urban environment history. Lots of things to see and do. Explore the museums and hanoks but bear in mine that most of the charges entrance fee. You can also enroll the kids (and yourself) in one of the traditional classes offered to learn various skills and art.
So yup, those are some of the things you can do (besides shopping) and with kids tagging along. I'm sure it will be fun, learning experience for them and for you. I know I did :)