Anyong haseyo!!!

CEBU, Philippines - It was in 1998 when I had a first glimpse of Korea when USJR- Dramatics and Cultural Ensemble was invited to represent Cebu City in the World Festival For Island Cultures in Jeju Island. It’s a dance festival with 20 participating islands from different countries that intends to promote solidarity, friendship and harmony between island cultures. The natural beauty of Korea, its delectable cuisine and the beautiful memories that I had made me promise that I will come back and I did.

Few days ago, I was lucky to have been invited for a five days/six nights familiarization trip sponsored by Air Busan and Hana Tour & Travel, Inc. The delegation was headed by Air Busan’s General Manager – Young Jo Huang (Cebu Branch) with Xenia Iway and Bryan Lee of HanaTours. 

We were seated comfortably at Air Busan flight 712 from Cebu to Busan then Busan to Gimpo(Seoul). It was raining when we left Cebu and also raining when we arrived in Korea, but it didn’t stop us from going around in this fascinating and historical city. We were welcomed by our tour guide Miss Kim Ju Hee of HanaTour & Travel which took care of us during our entire sojourn in Korea.

We first visited Nami-sum, a tiny half moon shaped island located in the Han River in Chuncheon, South Korea. Nami-sum originated from General Nami who was accused of duplicity during Joseon Dynasty of Korea. But this place became more famous and attracted a lot of tourists when parts of the island were used for filming a South Korean drama series broadcast by KBS in 2001 entitled “Winter Sonata.” I could not help but fall in love with the place and really enjoyed walking through a forest of sweethearts where you could see a couple of museums, souvenir shops and few sculptures along with the picturesque scenery. After that beautiful experience, we drove for almost an hour going to Goseong-Gun Gangwon, straight to check in at Hyundai I Park Condo.

According to our most erudite tour guide Miss Ju Hee, 75 percent of South Korea is made up of mountains and despite the typhoon weather forecasted, we were determined to explore the mountainous side of this beautiful city. After breakfast, we went straight to visit Shinheungsa Temple and Mt. Sorak. We had to walk five minutes from the bus and then rode a cable car going up. We weren’t lucky though as we were not able to see the entirety of the breathtaking view because some portions were covered with fog, but the outer fraction of Korea’s most loved mountain displayed fantastic cliffs and big fountains. Oh well, there is always a next time.

Our next stop was to experience making kimchi, a healthy Korean delicacy. It was like a mini cooking lesson on how kimchi is prepared. It was fun but not really my thing. Speaking of fun, we tried Hanbok, Korea’s traditional costume. The term Hanbok means “Korean clothing” and is worn as semi-formal or formal wear during traditional festivals and celebrations. It felt good wearing a Korean costume for the first time.

On our third day, it’s definitely time for shopping. We were lucky to have been given discounts at Amethyst Gem factory and Cosmetic shop then we headed to Dongdaemun Market. It’s a popular shopping destination for tourists and the style conscious. Dongdaemon market is definitely the largest in Korea. It has 30,000 specialty shops and 50,000 manufacturers. You can shop for 18 hours from 10:30 am to 5a.m. It has everything that you need from fabric, shoes, clothing line, sporting goods, accessories and a lot more. I got lost at some point but I managed to find my way back. I wanted to stroll further to take a look at the subway portion of the market which, I heard a little later, had some goods that are sold cheaper. But it was time to transfer to another hotel. Sigh! So many things to buy, so little time!

We practically toured the most important sites of Korea and we made sure we visited Gyeongbokgung Palace, South Korea’s Royal Palace. It was constructed in 1394 and was reconstructed in 1867. Gyeongbokgung Palace means the “Palace of Shining Happiness”. Some portions of the palace were also used in filming the Philippine version of Green Rose which starred Anne Curtis and Jericho Rosales. It was really an amazing experience touring around Seoul. It’s a city where the past and present co-exist with its wonderful landmarks, delicious cuisine and, of course, great shopping. 

To be continued next week: Let’s tour Busan, Korea’s second largest city. (FREEMAN)