Text and photos by Cecille Santillan-Visto
Korea is popular for dramas, pop music, trendy fashion and makeup — come-ons for young and the middle-aged tourists. But even senior citizens can enjoy what Korea has to offer. Seoul, the capital city, has something for everyone, regardless of age, physical fitness, and tastes.
In an earlier article, I focused on how the different sites of the Land of the Morning Calm could bring hours of joy to children. Exactly a year later, I returned to Korea for a quick respite with my 64-year-old mother, Cely.
We only had five days and four nights. It was a short trip, considering the travel time from Manila to Incheon and then to Seoul. As spontaneity brings more excitement, we packed our bags on April 19 and headed to Seoul on board Air Asia with almost no plans save for the plane tickets, hotel reservation, and 3G access.
Two weeks before the trip, I tried my luck and entered the Korea Tourism Organization’s promo, “Enjoy Mobile Korea For Free,” and several days prior to departure, I received an e-mail from KTO informing me that I won. I picked up my Samsung Galaxy Note 5 from the KT Mobile booth at Incheon Airport upon arrival. For five days, I enjoyed one gig daily mobile data, local calls and text messages for free. It made navigation in Seoul and contacting my Korean friends easier. Plus, my travel buddy and I took great selfies. Best of all, my mom Cely, who recently discovered the wonders of social media, was able to immediately post her adventures on Facebook.
There were no expectations before the visit. My mother was not immersed in anything K-pop as she hardly watches television save for the news. But she was curious, what with her grandchildren’s stories about going around Nami Island on bicycles; trying the exciting rides of Everland, one of Korea’s biggest theme parks; and shopping for merchandise featuring their favorite Korean artists.
It was clear that my children’s interests are very different than my mother’s. But as the opportunity to travel is rare, I had to make sure that her Korean itinerary would be just as enriching but less strenuous and done at a far more relaxed pace.
Speaking of “strenuous,” a quick tip on transportation from Incheon to Seoul, regardless of the district you plan to stay at. If you are with a senior citizen, it is better to take the limousine bus or to arrange for transport service to take you to your hotel. I was better prepared in my last three trips and had the hotel pick me up at the airport. This time around the train ride to Seoul provided a great first view but the lack of elevators forced me to carry our baggage up and down endless flights of stairs. It was not a pleasant experience.
Although rather inconvenient, the mistake did not ruin our trip. Upon our return to Manila, mother’s verdict was clear. She loved Korea and is already planning a return trip. After her initial immersion, here are the top five Seoul picks of my sexagenarian:
KOREAN FOOD TRIP
When our first Korean meal included fish cakes on stick with steaming soup, red bean buns, and tteobokki (spicy sticky rice cakes) — all bought from the streets of Insadong — it was clear that the next five days were going to be an exciting food adventure. And it was.
An audacious foodie, Cely was willing to try everything but the extremely spicy. Unfortunately, she couldn’t appreciate kimchi as much. Apart from this, there were no dull delicacies — from the kyoja (Korean dumplings) of Myeongdong Kyoja to the fresh squid from the pojangmacha, Two-Two Chicken to the katsus (rice meals) of some quaint, no-frills Asian restaurants in Jongno. The outing was definitely a gastronomic delight.
Pojangmachas are makeshift orange tents which are popular drinking joints in Korea. These are their version of our turo turo or carinderia (roadside eateries) but are frequented by white-collared workers. There were no seondae (blood sausage) the night we dined, but fresh seafood was abundant. Although pojangmachas are not known to be the cleanest of dining options, one must try them out at least once. It is also a great venue to talk with the locals, including the ahjummas (old ladies) running the eateries.
There were also several Two-Two Fried Chicken restaurants in Seoul and roughly 500 scattered all over the country. Two-Two caught Cely’s interest and she was curious as to its taste, particularly whether it can give our own Jollibee a run for its money. While Two Two’s boneless chicken was delicious and juicy, my sixtysomething concluded that it didn’t come close to the local Chickenjoy.
One of the highlights of our food trip was the visit to Mugyodong Bugeokukjib Restaurant. Listed as No. 2 out of over 121,000 Seoul restaurants reviewed by TripAdvisor, it was almost a sin to miss this place. Finding this small restaurant was a bit of a challenge but once in the Jung-gu area, the long line will confirm that you are at the right place.
The famous Pollack soup is the sole item on the menu. For only 7,000 won (around P325), diners can enjoy unlimited serving of soup, rice, and condiments. Pollack is supposed to be the perfect hangover soup but it can be taken at any time of the day. We made the mistake of going at lunchtime when hungry office workers were waiting for their turns. The customer turnover was, thankfully, quick. We both had free refills, were in and out of the place in less than an hour, and returned to the hotel happy and full.
HAPPY IN HANBOK
After eating to our hearts’ content, we were wondering whether we can still fit in the traditional hanbok. Thankfully, the traditional garment is wide and airy, and can be worn with grace even on a full stomach. Cely looked as fine as any royal in her Korean costume, complete with a simple head band. It would have been nicer if the Seoul Global Cultural Center had the full headdress worn by queens from the Joseon era, but the modest pink-and-blue number nonetheless made mom feel like a member of royal families of years past.
MY JEWEL IN THE PALACE
Continuing our fascination with historic Hanguk, we also visited Gyeongbokgung, the main palace in the heart of Seoul. Just a stone’s throw away from Gwanghamun Square, Gyeongbokgung was a bit gloomy that Wednesday morning following a sudden downpour. We decided to return the following day but as the weather still refused to cooperate, the traditional changing-of-the-guards ceremony was postponed. However, tourists were still allowed to take photos with the Palace guards in their colorful traditional garb. Cely had fun posing with the ahjussis (old men) in their full military glory.
NAMSAN IN BLOOM
Namsan was in full bloom when we visited last month, with multi-colored tulips lining the path leading to the tower. Sadly, the delicate cherry blossoms petals had fallen following torrential rains.
We took the bus going to the N Seoul Tower, instead of the usual cable car ride. From the bus we saw the hiking trails and the groups of elderly folk who were leisurely taking their morning walk. There were a few teams doing the meditative exercise tai chi, which made Cely think about her Zumba mates back in Manila.
Amused by the love locks of Namsan, the high-speed elevator that brought us to the top of the tower, the colorful foliage, and the cool cable car ride back, we capped the visit with cool drinks and tasty pastries from the nearby Deete Expresso at Mom House, owned by the family of Super Junior member, Kyuhyun. We were welcomed by singer’s father and after brief pleasantries between the elders, Cely quietly enjoyed her cold green tea concoction while checking out the boy band’s memorabilia that peppered the coffee shop.
STROLLING BY THE HAN
The Han River is one of the most popular picnic sites in Seoul on weekends. But it is surprisingly serene on weekdays. There were more birds flying than visitors.
The weather was just right for bird watching and the cool breeze made the stop comfortable. We relished the still waters of the fourth longest river in the Korean peninsula, which Cely described as somewhat like the Pasig River, only wider and way cleaner.
Yeouido, through which a portion of the river traverses, is a central business district just like Makati. Enjoying the lack of pollution and city chaos that we are used to, we found ourselves just sitting in a park on a river bank for more than an hour until it was time to move to another site.
There were plenty of sites no less special, like the quirky Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Gwanghamun Square, the man-made Cheonggyecheon Stream, and even the shopping mecca that is Myeongdong.
Korea is truly a health and wellness destination, as Malaysian carrier AirAsia endorses it. The budget airline recently held a “Travel To Wellness” campaign where it partnered with leading fitness brands to provide treats to Korea travelers. “To relieve stress, recover from fatigue and the need to relax are just some of the reasons why most of us travel,” Philippines AirAsia CEO Joy Cañeba said, adding Korea was the perfect place to do just that.
We only saw the tip of the iceberg during our five-day visit. We did not even have time to visit the famed Nami Island or try the soothing hot springs near Seorak Mountain. The traditional houses and cultural activities in Andong and traditional healing center of Gyeongju have been reserved for the next trip.
One is never too old to travel. My mom believes that 60 is the new 40. With the ease of travel and the refreshing order to which Koreans deliberately adhere, the Land of the Morning Calm is the destination of choice of tourists. My senior citizen is no exception.
