Always, an overwhelming wave of gratitude fills me when I get to travel. Even more so when I travel with great company. I’ve had the privilege of visiting two exciting places at the start of this year. Two destinations, two contrasting profiles. One local, one international. One can be described as a summer paradise, the other a winter wonderland. Here’s winter.
Seoul, South Korea
Shortly after my aunts and uncles visited Singapore in March of last year, they were inspired to take more overseas trips while, as they put it, they were still young and able. Tita Wen’s lifelong dream was to experience winter and ultimately see snow so it was decided that Korea would be the perfect destination. A mere four-hour flight from Manila, the journey wouldn’t be too taxing.
Tita Gem found a tour package from a Manila-based travel agent, which I thought was great value. It included airfare, visa processing, and full board for six days and five nights, all for Php42,000 (~S$1,000). They even organized a Zoom meet for pre-departure briefing. Link for anyone interested – not a paid ad, just really impressed by their service!
I had been to Seoul in September 2017, but only for a short time. I visited the DMZ, which was a unique experience in itself – especially getting to see North Korea from an observatory and catching a glimpse of one of the tunnels the North built to secretly infiltrate the South. The South built a tunnel that ends where the North’s man-made tunnel was discovered. It is believed there are still many undiscovered tunnels, and the North continues to dig them to this day. This wouldn’t be part of our current tour, so in a way, I looked forward to seeing new places and especially to bond with my family.
The wave of cold air from the -7°C temperature that greeted us as we walked out of Incheon must have awakened our tired senses. Normally, I detest the cold, but I didn’t mind it at the time, especially after seeing the amusement on my aunts’ and uncles’ faces as they blew “smoke” into the chilly air. It was a stark contrast to the Philippines’ constant 30°C-plus heat.
Our tour began as soon as we arrived. There were 42 of us in the group, but fortunately, everyone was courteous and cooperative. Given that Filipinos are often notorious for being late (hence the term “Filipino time”), our local tour guide, Mr. Park, was impressed by our group’s punctuality.
Day 1 – Starfield Library, Namsan Tower
Day 2 – Petite France, Nami Island
Day 3 – Jilsan Ski Resort, Everland
Day 4,5,6 – Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Myeongdong
Everything went smoothly, except towards the end when my uncle tripped and fell, hitting his head on the floor at Incheon as we were about to board our flight home. It was a scary moment, but I commend the Korean airport officers for being so attentive. All was well in the end. In fact, maybe my uncle found the trip so memorable he even had our faces printed on his shirt!
