SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
South Korea was the first time I’d solo traveled abroad in a long time. I visited The Garden of the Morning Calm. The name Garden of the Morning Calm originated from Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian poet. The founder and his employees have strived to embrace the natural beauty of Korea, oriental mystique, and the spirit of the Korean people in the garden. The design of the garden focused on curves, spaces, and asymmetric balance.
SOUTH KOREA FUN FACTS:
South Koreans are one year old when born. (Different thoughts as to why but people think it’s due to the baby in the mother’s womb for nine months, which is about a year, so the baby is one year old when born) - The calculator for this is current year - your birthday year +1 = Your Korean Age.
There is an urban legend / superstition in South Korea that electric fans left on while you are sleeping in a room with the windows and door closed can cause death. The word for this phenomenon is “fan death”.
Koreans are considered one of the top drinks in Asia, with Soju having 19% alcohol content, and being one of the main drinks!
PROTIP: When visiting Korea, stock up on face masks and skincare! South Korea is known for its skincare. Korean makeup began in the year 57 BC, already producing facial scrubs, creams, oils, and lotions. Ground beans were used as cleansing soap and lotions were made from gourd steams and castor oil. Fruits like apricot and peach were applied to minimize dark spots and freckles.
Jogyesa is known as the Jogye Temple, and is known for one of the leading roles of Buddhism in South Korea. It was first established in 1395, and is currently located in Gyeonji-dong, Jingo-ji in downtown Seoul, on one of the most popular cultural streets near Gyeongbokgung Palace!
Gwangjang Market, Seoul, South Korea
One of the top places to eat authentic Korean food is the Gwangjang Market in Seoul. It was first established in 1905 and is known to be the first permanent market in all of South Korea. It has more than 5,000 shops and over 20,000 employees, with around 65,000 people who visit the market each day! A few famous dishes to try at the market is mayak gimbap, which are pickled veggies and rice in a seaweed roll, and tteokbokki, which are sticky dense rolls stewed in a thick chili sauce.
Traditional Hanbok Outfit
Hanbok is a traditional clothing of Korea, which can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms of Korea period, 57 BC to 668 AD. Bright colors were generally worn by children, muted hues by middle-aged men and women, and unmarried women often wore yellow and red, while matrons wore green and red. Also, the working class were often restricted to wearing cotton. Hanbok is worn for formal or semi-formal occasions.
