Next up, South Korea, this is country number five of this trip! We had a flying visit to Seoul, and it stole my heart in that very short time. We landed really late at night as we had an evening flight anyway, and it was delayed by over an hour, so by the time we landed and made it out of the airport and to our hostel it was around 12:30am. We were super tired but headed to the 7/11 down the road to grab some quick snacks and a drink before jumping into bed ready to get going the following day.

Day one started slow, we were super tired so just explored around the local area for the afternoon before visiting Namsan Mountain and Park, we went on the cable cars to the top and also saw Namsan Seoul Tower. Super cool, and we were up there in time to watch the sunset too! At this point, we realised that South Korea was significantly colder than other countries we’d travelled too. As soon as the sun went down the temperature dropped and we noticed it! We didn’t realise in the day as it was still warm but we were hurrying to get some layers on.

The park was lovely, had some temples, was part of some mountains too so had insane views over Seoul. Imagine it would have been even more insane from inside the tower but we didn’t get tickets for this. We explored the top part and the cable cars provided some wicked views too, we do love exploring like this and again, another sunset to add to the list, this was stunning. There was like a whole shopping bit and restaurants at the top too so we grabbed some dinner, in the form of korean fried chicken in a wrap with kimchi, which was insane, before heading back down to the ground. We also went to the shops that evening to try and find some layers as we now knew the next day was going to be cold with what we were doing! We were not successful though, so we were braving shorts in 5°C for at least the first part.

Next day we had an early start. We were heading to the DMZ! We had to be at the bus station for 6:50am to get picked up and it was going to be a long, but very exciting day. This was something that had been on my bucket list for forever! It’s not something you get to do really is it, and it’s probably a once in a lifetime thing let’s be honest. The likelihood of doing it again isn’t very likely and no one knows what the future holds, especially for stuff like this.

First stop of the day was Gamaksan Mountain and Suspension Bridge. This was included as part of the tour we did as it’s near to the DMZ and I’m so glad we got to experience it! It was insane. We were there at like 9am so it wasn’t too crowded and it made for some beautiful pictures and videos. As well as some stunning views, and hearing nature. It was a steep climb to reach the bridge from the bottom, but so worth it to get to the top. We forgot all about the climb by the time we saw the views and it was yet another pinch me moment. How am I lucky enough to experience this?? We walked across the bridge (slightly wobbly) and back again and checked out a temple that was at the top as well as some other little bits before climbing back down and heading to the next stop.

From here we headed to the Korean De-Militarised Zone (DMZ), exciting! We had to first go through a checkpoint where the military checked your passport and made sure it matched who you are, and from here, could drive through to first stop, which for us was Imjin-Gak Park. Here we got to see things like Freedom Bridge and some of the memorials that were placed for recognition of things like families and lost loved ones. There was a chance to walk around and see the train track that used to exist between the north and the south and it was cool to see that we were closer to the first city north at this point than south! We grabbed some lunch here before heading to stop number two of our DMZ trip.

We traveled to the Dora Observatory, no pics allowed here! Our guide was amazing and told us where we could and couldn’t take pictures throughout the day, which was super helpful, especially after seeing signs that the fine for taking photos where you couldn’t was up to ₩30million (around £16k) and up to 3 years imprisonment. This was really cool though, you could see North Korea in the distance from the observatory and there was huge windows that showed as much as could see. On the 3rd floor there was an open deck area with telescopes to be able to see even further but due to some recent events and to keep people safe, this area was closed today so we couldn’t go up there. We learnt so much about the history though, it was really cool to be able to see here.

3rd Tunnel was next up on today’s adventure. Again, no pics! Here was even more strict, before entering the tunnel you put all of your belongings into a locker and then you have to walk through a detector to make sure you have nothing on you, no phones allowed, no bags, no nothing. Just you, your locker key and a hard hat! This was super cool though as the closest point you’ll get the the north without actually being in it. There is a tunnel that was discovered underground by a defector who told the south about it, and we went down and explored it, you could get so far before a wall (around 75m underground and 350m walk) and you could also try some of the spring water down there too. Amazing opportunity even if we did have to spend most of our walk bending down as it was so small!

Unification Village was the final stop of the day. We learnt about the people who live here and that they have to be back in their homes by 7pm and that at 10pm a soldier comes and checks the homes to make sure all the families are there, quite insane really. We just had a 40minute stop here to explore some of the different areas, there was a lotus farm but unfortunately not the right season, as well as some little shops and a traditional Korean restaurant. It was a nice way to finish off a very busy and tiring day! We hopped back on the bus and before I knew it I was sound asleep napping en route back to Seoul.

We had the best day and did I also manage to technically tick off North Korea?! We’ll never know as we weren’t officially in the country but I’m never really going to get the chance to actually go there, so going to take this as my chance to say I’ve been as far as I can go without actually being in the country and use it as a win.

Final full day in Seoul and it was a *busy* one. Lots of things we wanted to see and not lots of time left! First up was a quick stop to grab a coffee to fuel for the adventures ahead. We then headed to Gyeongbokgung Palace to explore and we also wanted to watch the changing of the guard which was interesting, it didn’t feel similar to what happens in the UK at all so it was nice to see a countries own way of how they do this. The Palace and surrounding park was stunning, there were little ponds, pagodas, grand areas and more, it was so easy to get lost in and my camera roll quickly filled with lots of different snaps!

En route we passed Seoul Plaza and outdoor library, it was great to see. Loads of beanbags and chillout areas with a huge range of books to choose from! It was a really peaceful area and it was nice to hangout here for a little bit and just experience the surroundings. We kept walking and saw some other cool bits, Gwanghwamun Square and some cool statues, Seoul City Hall and more.

From here we headed to Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong Street which was cool. It was a combination of really traditional and super quirky and cool, I liked it. The street is famous for having loads of different food options which are all incredible as well as good coffee, good photo spots and some real traditional Korean houses and areas and vibes, which was great to see. I loved it here, as the quirkiness was super cool too. Some of it really reminded me of Camden, cool graffiti, street art, random areas full of super quirky shops and just ‘things’ and I really could have spent a whole day wandering around here if I had the time.

We made a quick stop at Jogyesa which is a Buddhist Temple near here too. It felt like a really random placement as it was just in a side street of the city but when you entered, there was like a whole complex! We were really fortunate that we could take our shoes off and go in to explore, it felt surreal. It didn’t feel like other temples we’d be too that are more there to show visitors, but it was a real practising temple and it was insane to be able to see close up more about it. The intricate designs on the outside were stunning and I just had to take some photos. We explored the outside area where there was different parts full with flowers, trees with decorations and more and it felt like a little bit of a haven tucked away inside the hustle and bustle of the city life.

We also passed by the Myeongdong Love Sculpture so had to grab some snaps whilst we were walking back towards the main centre. We ended the day with the best korean fried chicken and kimchi I have *ever* had, and a trip to Myeongdong Night Market, which was insane! So many cool things to try, Tanghulu (the fruit covered in cooked sugar), ice cream smores on a stick (insane), cheese waffles, dumpings and so muhc more. We honestly could have had a whole meal and more just from the market and it all smelt so good, as well as being able to see some of the little stalls with gifts and souvenirs on sale too. Times like this you wish (as always) that you had more space that just a backpack

Lots of steps and very tired it was time to head back to the hostel to pack for travel day tomorrow! Today also meant saying goodbye to someone I’ve travelled with solid for around six weeks now. We’ve been together pretty much everyday since Kampot, Cambodia and today we departed to go separate ways for the next seven weeks or so before meeting up in Malaysia in December. The goodbyes are hard!

Off to the airport now and heading back to Thailand for quite a stretch of my trip. It’s huge there and UK citizens get visa free entry for up to 60 days so wanted to make the most of it as much as possible. I’m really excited to get back to Thailand as my few days in Bangkok back at the beginning of October were wild, I’m planning on being there for around seven weeks, and flying into Chiang Mai in the north so I can slowly work my way south, where I will reach mid December time. See you there! Mads x