Seoul

Six days in Seoul was just the tonic we needed after a few weeks in Central Asia. We were lucky enough to be hosted by Ashley in his spectacularly spacious 35th floor apartment and this set the tone for our visit to the city.

Seoul is a bustling, vibrant city, full of energy and anxious to take its place as a leading Asian economy. It has grown quickly and dramatically, acquiring many of the hallmarks of a global consumer society while trying to preserve its unique heritage. And we liked the combination. We had the chance to spend time at two of the most historic palaces in the Seoul area - huge compounds containing buildings from different periods and with different architectures. It seems that buildings were repeatedly destroyed (by fire or the Japanese) and then rebuilt. Despite their ancient heritage and simple design, some of the buildings remained occupied as recently as 1989. Now they are all open for visitors to enjoy. Especially appealing was a very large "Secret Garden" behind one of the palace complexes - so tranquil (an ideal environment for contemplation by the reigning monarch, not to mention the poetry writing which seemed to be an essential skill) and yet within the city limits.

We learnt more about Korea's history at several excellent museums. Not only the main palace museum with a comprehensive range of exhibits relating to the monarchy and its practices but also the Samsung museum, a leading edge architectural masterpiece dedicated partly to early historical artifacts (especially ceramics) and partly to the latest in Korean and international contemporary art. Even Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst were featured.

Aside from the museums, we walked the modern sections of the city - tall office buildings with captivating designs - and the more traditional sections - small shops in low-rise buildings where the pace is no less furious. We marvelled at the transit system, especially the surprisingly large metro. And we used it a lot, since the rain at times forced us underground.

With Ashley's help, we sampled many of Seoul's food options. Great Korean barbecue food at a local sidewalk restaurant, Vietnamese, Italian, Indian ... we tried them all. But the prize for the most enjoyable meal goes to Ashley for cooking up his own steak specialty for us. It was exactly what we had been craving.

Two other activities stand out for us. First, our climb up the Seoul Tower from which we got fantastic evening views of the city as the lights came on. Much better than the daytime views which were inhibited by the haze that hangs over the city at this time of year. Second was our attempt to "get away from it all" with a peaceful hike in a national park on the outskirts of the city. We inadvertently chose a Sunday to do this and found that apparently most other residents of Seoul do the same thing. We had to almost jostle our way to the peak - we shared the experience with thousands of locals, many in large groups and all equipped with the very best (and most fashionable) gear. The hike itself proved more demanding than we expected as we clambered up ropes and handrails. But, if all these locals (many of them not so young) could do it, then we were determined to do it too. And so we did. But we did not follow the locals in their post-hike activity - getting very drunk on a Sunday afternoon.

Seoul exceeded our expectations. It is a very exciting city. And we were happy to be back to some "first world" comforts and food options (much of which we owe to Ashley).

Next stop Tokyo.

Simon

PS: So many thanks to Ashley for being an incredible host giving us rides, touring the city with us, feeding us, drinking with me, and providing the best "shelter" we've had in our trip so far. We were feeling lazy in Seoul. Instead of rushing from one site to the next as we usually do, I was sleeping in, and enjoying every part of the city with all the time in the world. It felt great. It was so great to catch up with Ashley. Oh, I miss my friends!! Mercedes