Two and a Half Day in Seoul, South Korea, Seoul, South Korea

On our way home from the Philippines, we had to connect through Seoul, South Korea. Neither Rootie nor I had been, so we decided on a 2.5 day layover, mostly in order to go to the DMZ which we heard was a must see.

The flights from Cebu weren’t ideal. We left at midnight and landed at 6am. We grabbed a cab at the airport and with the help of the lady operating the cab system and google translate, our driver took us to Shilla Stay Gwanghwamun about one hour away. I knew nothing about this hotel chain, so I was a little nervous until we were told it was famous. I’m unsure why it would be famous except that is conveniently located next to a few emabassies, including the heavily guarded US Embassy.

The hotel let us check in early at 8am for an extra $60 that was worth every penny. We dropped our bags, freshened up, and headed for Gyeongbokgung Palace a very short walk from our accommodations. Our guide book suggested this palace was the grandest and most beautiful of the five in Seoul, so naturally we made this our first stop.

Gyeongbokgung, built in 1935, served as the main palace for the Joseon Dynasty until it was destroyed by fire during the Imjin War in the late 1500’s. In the 19th century, it was restored under King Gojong’s reign. In the early 20th century, it was again destroyed and it is currently being reconstructed to its original form. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).