South Korea
SOUTH KOREA
Title
South Korea, The Land of Morning Calm...
This was the second destination on my journey of world travel, and somewhere I have been living for three years. I love it for its traditional culture, merging with a convenient, modern way of life.
SEOUL
Seoul, the capital city, is somewhere I know very well by now. The sheer scale of it is something that still shocks me sometimes, and only when you're up at Namsan Tower, or on one of the many surrounding mountains, can you get a sense of just how big it is. Much like Tokyo, Seoul is a metropolis divided into smaller districts, and each has something distinct about it.
HONGDAE
Hongdae is undoubtedly the party district of Seoul, in part due to the fact that it's a university town. I've spent many a night out in this place...
Besides the many well acquainted bars though, Hongdae also boasts a famous 'Fashion Street', and local trends seem to veer towards more vintage and punk styles.
CHEONGGYECHEON
Yearly, the Cheonggyecheon Stream marks the location of a beautiful Lantern Festival, as part of celebrating Buddha's Birthday (석가탄신일). Large lanterns light up the water at night, making the center of the city feel a lot more spiritual. I've had the privilege of attending the festival several times now. One of my fondest memories was of sitting by the stream in the early morning, eating fried chicken with friends, and then going to see Avengers: Endgame at 3AM...
