One day in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and a couple of free hours were more than enough to do the two things I had in mind: meeting my friend Martin who lives in KL since a couple of years ago, and taking the subway to spot the Petronas Towers… and something extra I did not plan for: getting a couple of bites in my leg which remained on my skin as a souvenir for a couple of days.
Petronas Towers started the century being the highest building in the World, and it is still now the 5th highest one. It is the most interesting spot in the city, but we could not climb to its sky bridge, as it is called to enjoy the views from there.
Anyway, as I say very often: “Petronas Towers: checked”. Next one.
Interesting things you can find at a Sunday afternoon in Seoul: hundreds of (old) men playing Baduk in a park.
“Seoul, the Soul of Asia”. This is the slogan of the city, but I do not think they should go that far. My limited knowledge of Asia already lets me realize that there is not such a thing like “Asia” as a unique thing… exactly the same as in Europe, even if we try to build a consolidated image of the continent. In Korea, it is the same. If you have visited other countries like China or Korea, you will probably find many similarities, although going down to the detail, things are not the same.
Korea is in fact in a war. No peace agreement has been signed between South Korea and North Korea, and hence, they are technically in war. Fortunately, you do not have the feeling of being in a country in war while walking around Seoul. In fact, you feel very safe in the city.
The life in the city reminds me a lot to Tokyo. Millions of people moving around, working long hours, but also enjoying their lives afterwork. This makes this city a non-stop city, vibrant 24/7. Traffic jams are perennial, and you can always find open shops, restaurants and bars to accomodate to any schedule you may have.
The architecture is also very particular for that area of the world, where brand new skyscrapers share their block with a tiny 2-floor building, giving a personal touch to many neighborhoods. This mixture of architecture styles is something that I personally enjoy very much.
The main spots for the visitors, apart from wandering among skyscrapers, are several palaces next to each other, that have been home of the different dinasties that ruled Korea until the beginning of the 20th Century.
In between these palaces, the Bukchon Hanok Village can also be found. It is a neighborhood compounded by Hanoks, which are traditional Korean houses. In the good old times, Korea was full of these kind of buildings, but now they are only a few. This area tries to keep the essence of this, as through some investments, hanoks can also be comfortable nowadays.
As a summary, I would say Seoul is okay for a weekend visit if you happen to be in the area, and it can also be used as a first step to get to know the rest of the Korean Peninsula.
Many more pictures from Seoul in this slideshow.
