Korea | Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

City Skyline Seoul South Korea

Myeongdong Seoul South Korea

Myeongdong Seoul South Korea in September 2015 was my first visit, in the three days I covered a lot of ground & convinced myself to return in the future to see more of the country.

One of 29 bridges in Seoul South Korea

One of 29 bridges between Incheon International airport and the city.

Myeongdong Seoul South Korea

I stayed at the Savoy Hotel in Myeongdong which is a very lively part of the city and one of Seoul’s main shopping and tourism districts.

The Savoy is in the heart of the action, right outside the door are shops, restaurants and crowds of people day and night. The room was good and the location perfect, use this link for a very good room rate.

Love this sign at me room in the Savoy Hotel

I was on the 7th floor so I hope it is a long rope. 🙂

Savoy entrance

The hotel was a little hard to find so make sure you have the right directions.

Lots of hotels here with great room rates.

Kinnor Cafe Myeongdong Seoul South Korea

Not far from my hotel was this delightful cafe with a good breakfast and exceptional coffee. However you must visit Itaewon, one of the best restaurants streets I have ever been to in the wonderful world.

Cafe Kinnor

I quickly became a regular customer here.

Itaewon

The restaurant choices are simply mind boggling at Itaewon.

Choong Ang High School near Bukchon Hanok Village

A very attractive school building near Bukchon Hanock village.

Paris Baguette cafe

Probably the most expensive sandwich I have ever eaten. Halfway through I broke a front tooth (crown) and for the next 10 days had to endure rather unattractive photos whenever I smiled. 🙂

JD, my terrific taxi driver

I had a stroke of luck finding this friendly interesting taxi driver who spoke perfect English. He was a wealth of information regarding people and places in Seoul. Here are his phone numbers, from outside the country, 82 10 5396 8225 or within Seoul 010 5396 8225. Apart from being so helpful he has wi fi in his taxi, what a find.

Parliament house Seoul

We stopped on the way to the airport to take some photos.

What a monstrosity

This strange looking sculpture is near the airport, I had no idea what it represented when I first saw it. The JD my taxi driver explained it was a ballistic missile pointing at North Korea. He also added many females had quite a different explanation for it. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my Myeongdong Seoul South Korea post

For a hotel in a great location just use this link for a very good room rate.

Here are some more posts to check out

Sydney Paris Bangkok

Tokyo Rio De Janeiro Budapest

London Beijing Capetown

Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you

book through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Plus free cancellation .

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Pattaya live webcam

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That’s all folks

Counter only started June16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

Bukchon Hanok Village Seoul

October 24, 2015 by David Herd

Traditional Korea village

Bukchon Hanok Village Seoul

Bukchon Hanok Village Seoul with it’s narrow streets showcasing restored traditional homes from the 14th century. Originally the residential quarter for high-ranking government officials and nobility.

Very narrow streets

Th village is home to hundreds of traditional houses called ‘hanok’ which date back to the Joseon Dynasty. The name, ‘Bukchon,’ which translates to ‘northern village.

Wonderful old door

Many of these hanoks operate as cultural centres, guest-houses, restaurants and tea houses.

And another one

I have always had an attraction for interesting doors, perhaps a psychologist could explain the reason why?

Lots of hotels here with great room rates.

Another door & a beautiful roof line

Subway, Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2.
– Go straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village.

Bukchon Hanok Village Seoul

Distinctive Korean roof lines.

Local cafe

A short taxi ride from Bukchon Hanok Village takes you to Changdeokgung Palace, here is my photo blog link.

Nice coffee shop opposite village

Here is where I stopped for coffee before visiting the palace.

What a monstrosity

Bukchon Hanok Village Seoul, thanks for visiting.

The village is in the northern part of the city, I was staying at the Savoy hotel in the middle of all the action. Use this link for a very good rate.

What a great year for travel

Istanbul Budapest London

Mostar Dubrobnik Split

Saigon Zagreb Vung tau

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Brazil Hotels

Pattaya live webcam

That’s all folks

Holiday Inn

Fabulous views, excellent restaurants & a very good room rate if you book through THIS LINK.

The building in the middle is the Holiday Inn, on the left is the Amari Hotel which is another very good five star hotel. Use THIS LINK to book for a very good room rate.

Counter only started June16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

Changdeokgung Palace Seoul

October 23, 2015 by David Herd

Donhwamun Gate Changdeokgung Palace Seoul

Changdeokgung Palace Seoul

Changdeokgung Palace Seoul was built in 1405 and was completed in 1412. It was burnt to the ground during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when the royal family fled during the Japanese invasion of Korea, it was then reconstructed in 1609. What an incredible history of conflict these two countries have had over the centuries.

Changdeokgung Palace Seoul

The Palace has been treasured by Koreans for centuries, and was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site by the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Committee in December of 1997. How lucky was I to have this beautiful blue sky to make my photos look so much better.

Chong-jon hall

Changdeokgung Palace was one of the places visited by the first ladies of the Seoul G20 summit during the G20 conference in Seoul in November 2010. It is one of the most historically significant attractions that represent the beauty of Korea.

Inside the hall

Lots of hotels here with great room rates.

The main Hall

It is fascinating to think these rooms have not changed for centuries. You can just imagine the pomp and ceremony.

A warm welcome

A warm welcome from two pretty ladies in traditional dress. Their outfits look absolutely fantastic. 🙂

Now listen carefully

School kids having a history at Changdeokgung Palace Seoul. What a terrific outfit and hat the teacher is wearing.

Outside the Palace

A very peaceful setting yet so close to the city. Seoul was a surprise packet for me, so many interesting places to enjoy.

First of two short videos

Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul

Watch this video on YouTube

My apologies for fouling up the pronunciation but languages have never been my strong point. 🙂

Second short video

Changdeokgung Palace part 2

Watch this video on YouTube

This is the main hall.

Thanks for visiting my Changdeokgung Palace Seoul photo blog. Follow THIS LINK to see my favourite part of Seoul, Itaewon, such a fantastic area for bars and restaurants.

What a great year for travel

Istanbul Budapest London

Mostar Dubrobnik Split

Saigon Zagreb Vung tau

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Brazil Hotels

Pattaya live webcam

That’s all folks

Holiday Inn

Fabulous views, excellent restaurants & a very good room rate if you book through THIS LINK.

The building in the middle is the Holiday Inn, on the left is the Amari Hotel which is another very good five star hotel. Use THIS LINK to book for a very good room rate.

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 3 photos

Itaewon Seoul bars restaurants

September 24, 2015 by David Herd

A world class restaurant street

Itaewon Seoul bars restaurants

Itaewon Seoul bars restaurants, people lights, it’s all there. This street in Seoul looks very ordinary through the day but it comes alive when night falls. It is the best bar restaurant area I have ever seen anywhere in the world.

Fat Albert’s

There are many small lanes branching off the main street that are worth exploring. There are several red light districts in Seoul, some with the classic red lit windows that have become so famous in Amsterdam. These areas are mainly for locals, so it is best to have a guide if you plan on finding them. Itaewon however is home to a foreigner friendly red light district which welcomes all. The main area in Itaewon to find escorts is called Hooker Hill. This street is lined with bars with sexy girls standing outside, tempting gentlemen to come in and “buy them a drink”.

Many varieties of food

Itaewon used to be considered the trashy part of town, however recently it has been developing with upmarket restaurants, bars & designer stores.

Bee

Another nice spot to sit and watch the passing parade in Seoul.

Just before dusk

Sunset in Seoul and soon the crowd will arrive at Itaewon bars restaurants.

Lots of choices

The street is about 600 metres long.

Maple Tree Korean BBQ

The difficult part is deciding where to eat. 🙂

Thousand of bottles

Maple Tree Korean BBQ is the restaurant featured in the header of this post.

Prost pub and grill

A nice pub where you can watch the passing parade, the later it gets the busier it gets. 🙂

Opposite Prost

Many thanks to these guys for posing for my photo.

Le Comptoir

Nice French restaurant in Itaewon.

Le Comptoir

I originally wanted to eat at an Italian restaurant close by but it was so crowded with people waiting in a queue to get in I decided on French at Le Comptoir. Avocado & prawn to start then steak tartare.

Avocado & prawn

Delicious. 🙂

Above Le Comptoir

Away from the maddening crowd in Itaewon.

Oreno Italian restaurant

This was the night before I wanted to go there, when I arrived the following evening the place was packed as you can see from the photo below.

Oreno was booked out, I should have gone last night. 🙂

Lots of hotels here with great room rates.

Borie’s cafe

A good spot to watch the passing parade while drinking cold German beer.

And here it is. 🙂

Beer from Munich, it does not get much better than this.

Fabulous Itaewon

Itaewon really is one of the world’s great restaurant precincts.

But I hardly know you

A classic photo of boy meets girl, if I return in an hour they will be sitting much closer. 🙂

The master chefs

Hard at work in Itaewon.

This is a magic street

So much to see and so little time.

Lavo Itaewon Seoul good bars restaurants

Too many choices, you really need to spend a month here.

Lavo pub & lounge

The biggest problem in Itaewon is deciding which restaurant and bar to visit.

Lavo one of Itaewon Seoul good bars restaurants

Koreans certainly enjoy the night-life.

Restaurant Bee

This is another favourite photo of life at Itaewon.

Dillinger’s

Not a bad bar situated on the opposite side of the road to where all the action is, Jack Daniels 6,000 or a double 9,000 so you can guess what my choice was. 🙂