Korea is one of the hidden treasures in Asia. SERIOUSLY. From personal experience, I went there with the intention of staying 6 months and I stayed for 5 years... from my perspective, it is the one of the most amazing countries I have ever lived and worked in.
While Thailand, Japan and China and other countries have long been in the spotlight for tourism in Asia, Korea remarkably has hidden quietly in the shadows. In most cases it isn't until work or a flight layover brings you to this amazing country that you begin to realise the incredible things that South Korea has to offer.
Top Five Reasons to Visit Korea
- Food - Korean food is SERIOUSLY good. There is such a huge variety as well. Whether you are looking for the strangeness of Asia with live octopus or live fish wriggling their way down your throat or silk work larvae that pop in your mouth or the mouth watering bulgogi, spicy dak kalbi, 300 different varieties of kimchi and the list goes on and on. I may not have touched on the most appetising culinary delights for your palate but I assure you, there is a lot to try and there are some super yummy foods for vegetarians and carnivores who love good food.
- Cultural Heritage - some of the best parts of Korea aren't in guidebooks but even if you just considered the UNESCO World Heritage listed sites, you could spend every day in a new cultural treasure and be blown away each day by what you see and explore. Whether you go to Gyeongju (Kyoungju or Kyungju) or you're just touring Seoul and checking out some of the palaces or the old walls or gates or bell towers there is a history here that is amazing. Sungkyunkwan University as an example was founded in 1398.
- Korean People - you cannot g o past the Korean people. If you're friendly they are going to reciprocate 100 fold. Korean people are seriously good fun. There are people who will frustrate you and there are people who will try to take advantage of you but in how many places in your home country would you be walking down the street and have someone come up to you and give you a bag of fruit or would you meet on top of a mountain and they invite you to share their lunch. Or in how many places would you be fumbling trying to operate a bank machine and a complete stranger comes over to try to help you and when it doesnt work for them either, they take money out of their account, give it to you and give you their cell phone number to call them when you can pay them back?
- Bathhouses - not comfortable with nakedness? Then the bathhouses in Korea are probably not for you but if there is some way you can push past your boundaries and not be inhibited by people staring at you naked then the bathhouses are seriously good value. Imagine a luxurious spa with 3 to 10 different types of pools with water temperature ranging from cold to scalding hot. Some have several different types of saunas like salt rub saunas or dry or wet ones and others have mud baths, milk baths and a wide range of really really cool and super relaxing environments. I am a blokey guy. I comes from a red neck town and I played on the checking line of a hockey team. Frills and soft touches were never part of my history and I can tell you that I absolutely loved the bathhouses in Korea. It took me over a year to finally go into my first one and I tell you, I was there at least once a week for the next 4 years.
- Cost - Korea is really super cheap. Whether you are traveling and looking for accommodation, entertainment, food or transportation. Things are really good value in South Korea. Sure you can go to restaurants that cost $300 a serve but most places, the places I want to go to, are really reasonable. It is cheaper if you go Korean style rather than chase Western food in Bennigans or McD or KFC. A standard awesome Korean lunch ranges from $3-6 and a standard dinner with a beer is about $10-12. To me that is huge value. When you are looking for accommodation, the Yogwans or Mimboks or Yoinsuks are generally only considered by the locals but if you can tap into that and if you want to sleep on a Yo on the floor you can get accommodation for $5-10 and it can be way more comfortable than a standard hostel anywhere.
It should be noted that the Korea Tourism Organization website (www.visitkorea.ca) gives you great insights into the amazing offerings of this warm culture whose culinary delights and barbeque treats will strike the fancy of most appetites and whose historical treasures and striking landscapes will amaze the most intrepid of travelers.
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