wally34949

During late July, 2017, I flew to Seoul, South Korea and spent 17 days in that wonderful country. The weather was extremely hot, with temperatures of 96 degrees before noon common. Even the nights were warm. I didn't pack a jacket and was glad all of my accomodations had good air-conditioning.

I spent the first five nights in an area of Seoul called Itaewon. I was happy with the area. Good restaurants, transportation and many things to do were available. I booked a tour to the DMZ when I arrived at my hostel for the next day and enjoyed the tour. I visited the North Tower and enjoyed the views. I quickly figured out the bus and subway system with a metro card. The Lotte Tower had just opened in April and I enjoyed having a beer on the top floor, the 123rd. The observatory includes seven floors and includes a glass floor, an outdoor area and the bar. I took the bus to Bukhansan National Park but the views of the city were much better from the North Tower and the Lotte Tower. It also started raining. Not being shy, I visited Dragon Hill Spa. When you arrive, you receive a key for your shoes, then you walk to the locker room and remove all of your clothes and take a communial shower. After that you are free to sit in the saunas, jacuzzi's, and cold pools. I decided to pay extra for a Korean scrub. It was an interesting experience. I also enjoyed a 40 minute riverboat tour.

I flew from Seoul's smaller airport, Gimpo, to Jeju Island and stayed five days. At the information desk at the airport on Jeju Island, I asked them to write the name of my hotel in Korean for the taxi driver. Most taxi drivers do not know English, however, taxi's are not expensive in South Korea. To get a faster start each morning, I would take a taxi to the Bus Terminal on Jeju Island and then take a bus to a different part of the island each day. The buses had high-speed internet so I could keep track of where I was with my android tablet. I enjoyed my visit to Udo Island and took the bus tour around the island. I climbed Mt. Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea. Make sure you get an early start because if you are not half way up my 11:00 a.m., they will not let you continue the hike up. It took me 3 hours and 15 minutes to climb to the top. I spent the evening drinking water. Near Seogwipo, on the south side of the island, there is a beautiful waterfall called Jeongbang Waterfall. This is the only waterfall in Asia where the water lands in the ocean. I visited Hallim Park where there are bonsai trees over 200 years old.

I flew from Jeju Island to Busan, South Korea's second largest city and stayed three nights. My hostel was located on Gwangalli Beach and I loved the location. There were concerts on the beach in the evening and the strip was busy with restaurants and bars. Traveling by myself, I visited websites like www.tripadvisor.com and found attractions that interest me. Then, using www.google.com, I was able to know where to walk to find the bus. I took the bus to Taejongdae and took a 40-minute boat ride. Excellent views. I visited Haedong Yonggung Temple, which was built in 1376. I visited Spa land, which is located in the beautiful Centum City shopping mall. The cold pool felt great and I did get another scrub.

I took the train up to the old capital, Gyeongju, and spent two nights in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a lot of history there including an astronomical tower and ancient burial sites. I took the high speed train back to Seoul and stayed two more days. As for the problems with North Korea, I was happy when the plane left Seoul for San Francisco.