South Korea, an Asian country on the other side of the world; The Korean War (martyrdom in Busan), where our paths crossed in history, and the 2002 World Cup always have a special place for me with the sportsmanship and cultural similarities of sister countries at the end of the match… Of course, my learning Korean and my fondness for its food are of particular importance: ) Since it is my first article, I wanted to have a friendly start with at least the basic information about South Korea… I decided to go to South Korea for the first time in 2011 and planned a 20-day holiday. Although I could not go everywhere I wanted due to the setbacks I experienced, I had the chance to spend time in Seoul, Busan and Gyeongju. My second trip in 2013 was shorter and aimed to meet my relatives. Still, I had the chance to travel around Seoul and its surroundings. Since I am a photographer, I will also add the images I take to my articles. Apart from this, I will also give advice on food, drinking culture and shopping. The reasons why Korea has become well known to the world lately are the Korean Music movement called K-pop and Korean Dramas, and of course the Gangnam Style PSY, which is known to the whole world: ) Pavilion in Gyeongbokgung PalacePhoto: Ece Yıldırım 2011 Asiana Airlines to South Korea, You can go with Korean Air and connecting flights. It is possible to reach Incheon Airport in 10 hours with direct flights. When you go with connecting flights, it takes around 19 hours to arrive and this is a bit tiring. I recommend you check in on the aisle side of the plane. Once the Koreans are asleep, you won’t have the chance to go out and walk around or go to the toilet. There is also a queue to go to the toilet, since they have the habit of brushing and grooming their teeth at all times. Two types of meals are served on the plane; a Korean menu, a European menu. If you’ve never had Korean food, don’t try it, you may not like it and leave hungry (usually it’s seaweed soup and bibimbap). You may want to drink constantly (including alcohol). After landing, when checking in, eye, handprint scanning and some questions are required, as is the case everywhere… I recommend that you exchange some money at the airport, you may have difficulty as the ATMs are a bit complicated. But you can convert your money into KRW, or Korean WON, from any bank you see without any difficulty. We can say that 1 KRW is equivalent to 1 Dollar. Since the airport is in the In-cheon area, you can use either the subway line or airport buses to get to Seoul. I recommend the bus, as there are no escalators at some exits on the metro line, which can be really troublesome with a heavy suitcase (this is proven by experience). Since they divide the airport buses according to regions, pay attention to the number and do not go to the wrong place due to the similarity of names. The fee was 10,000 KRW, if it hasn’t changed. Apart from that, of course use the metro system while traveling, we can say that there is a second city underground. For this, you can buy a Seoul Metro card (equivalent to our Akbil) from vending machines or 24/7 Smart markets that you can see on every corner and fill it in the amount you want. We can say that Korea is a paradise when it comes to the internet. As soon as you land at the airport, Wi-Fi is automatically connected and you can instantly notify your loved ones. Apart from this, you can also find free wi-fi in wi-fi zones and coffee shops. However, if you need it at other times, the telephone company called OLLEH has prepared 1-day or 7-day wi-fi cards, you can buy this card at a very reasonable price and connect to the internet wherever OLLEH is available (considering that 4G internet is used in Korea). You can also rent a Wi-Fi egg or a phone, but I think this would be an unnecessary expense since there will be internet wherever you stay. When you mention the Far East regarding food and drink, I still respond with a smile when people grimace and react like oops, eating insects etc. 🙂 Yes, there are insects, dog meat, etc. eaten in Korea. I know the stories too, but this is not preferred (at least not like China or Thailand). In South Korea, chicken, BBQ, beef, pork and seafood (it can be said that everything that comes out of the sea can be eaten) are consumed and are generally cooked in the middle of the table in restaurants in our fireside culture. You can eat enjoyable and truly delicious meals while cooking and chatting. In the restaurants you go to eat, water is free and sometimes it is enough to fill your stomach until the main course comes with a lot of appetizers 🙂 You see all kinds of colorful cakes in patisseries, but salty foods usually have a different taste, which we are not used to. For example, while I was happy to buy garlic bread, the sweet garlic taste made me unhappy within seconds. Aama the croissants were delicious. There is a wide variety of ice creams, especially in the summer months, ice cream on six ice cubes called Bingsu and ice cream decorated with red beans (or other ingredients) are consumed a lot. Alcohol is consumed a lot in Korea, generally to socialize after work or to go out and have fun in the office… Their traditional drinks are Soju and Makgeolli (Rice Raki), and they also have their own beer and wine. You can see many people consuming alcohol in restaurants in the evenings, and you may also encounter people falling asleep on the streets late at night or carrying their girlfriends on their backs. One of the famous activities of Korea is Karaoke. You can come across a lot of karaoke in every region where there is entertainment, of course, this is divided into luxury and average venues depending on the price. I recommend you to experience it once. It is also possible to buy your food and drink, rent the room and have fun. The amusement parks are also worth seeing, one of which is Everland and Lotte World. If you like cats and dogs, there are such cafes. You follow the necessary instructions when entering and you can spend time in a cafe with lots of cats or dogs, playing with them (with entrance fee + drink money). Finally, you can visit many different types of Trick Eye Museum in Korea, which was recently opened in Vialand, Türkiye. If you are looking for a place to stay that is safe, hot water and clean sheets, but only for sleeping, rather than a luxurious place to stay, Korea’s guest houses will meet your needs both in terms of price and directly. In addition to single, double and quadruple rooms, there are also rooms with bunk beds that can accommodate more people, and these rooms are cheaper than all of them. Generally, breakfast is included in this price, but do not expect a breakfast table like us 🙂 There are also hotels, but I think they are really expensive. While traveling in Korea, you can obtain various brochures about your city free of charge from tourist information points (available in almost every language). I think these booklets are very useful while traveling, they give detailed information about the place you are going to, how to get there, which line and which exit you should use (You can obtain Turkish and English promotional booklets from the Turkish representative office of Korea Tourism Organization. http://www.ktoturkey.com/ You only pay the shipping fee). Apart from the booklets, of course, I recommend you to have the Seoul Metro map with you 🙂 You can inevitably get confused in a metro with 10 lines. For intercity trips, it is possible to go from Seoul to Busan in 2 hours with the KTX high-speed train, but it is more expensive than the normal bus line. If you go by bus, it will take around 5 hours for a more reasonable price… This route will be more enjoyable for someone who travels for sightseeing. Korea is an enjoyable place for bicycle travelers, because you can travel from start to finish with special bicycle paths. Moreover, with a bicycle passport, you can add color to your trip by collecting stamps from certain points. Jeju Island, which is among the New 7 Wonders of the World and attracts attention with its natural beauty, is also a popular spot. You can reach here by Jeju Air planes or by ship from the south (after the SEWOL Ship disaster, I feel like I cannot choose this way). Finally, in which season would it be best to go? Cherry blossoms bloom in spring and create a wonderful sight. There are very enjoyable festivals in September, October and November, such as “Lantern Fest” (although there are festivals in every season in Korea, they are very active in this respect). Due to the summer rainy season, rainfall may continue until mid-August. Since it is really cold in winter, traveling can be a bit difficult. These are the first things that come to my mind about my experiences in Korea, I hope it will guide the friends who will go. I will continue with my travel articles; ) Mavimore Turizm is a travel agency registered with TÜRSAB. Document number: A-8307