Tomorrow (February 14th) is the well-known Valentine’s day, day for loving people 💝. Well, do you know how Korean people celebrate this day? Do they also give their beloved chocolates or roses?
That would be too boring for the “crazy” Korean folks, right 😆? Indeed… That’s why they don’t celebrate the day for loving couple only once per year, but once per month 😲. That means 12 Valentine’s days a year! But how? Let’s check it out!
The winter in Korea is simply cold and windy and it’s going to be even colder. But at least the sun shines everyday. Don’t worry if you already plan to come to Seoul during the winter time. There are a lot of interesting activities to discover the city as well. Here is my list of things to do for you, just in case…
Watching Seoul from an observation deck
I love to go to a higher place and watch over everything moving below. It always amazes me, how beautiful, complicated but also tiny everything looks from above.
In Seoul there are many observation decks you should visit, especially when the sky is clear:
Lotte World Tower
The Lotte World Tower is location on the south side of the Han river but you can see it from almost everywhere in Seoul. Because this is the highest building in Korea and the 5th tallest (2018) in the world.
Have you heard that more than 60% the entire surface of South-Korea are mountains? No wonder, that there are so many hikers, rock climbers and mountain lovers in this country.
During the last months, I had many chances to go hiking and climbing, because the weather was just right for it. On my trips, I could not only enjoy the stunning landscape of Korean mountains, but also gain a lot of new experiences and knowledges about Korea. Each step was worthy!
Jirisan in fall
If you’re also interested in hiking in South-Korea, please read this post. It’s a guide for your orientation while preparing for your trip.
Remember back in May, when I first arrived in Korea, I was really amazed by the Latern festival to celebrate Buddha’s Birthday. I didn’t know that Buddhism was that common here. Well, the information online said that Buddism already came to the Korean peninsula (at that time in Goguryeo-Kingdom) from China in the 4th Century AD. It spread out through other Kingdoms and shaped it own form. Today, about 15% Korean still believe and practice Buddha’s teaching. That’s why you can still find and visit a lot of Buddhistish temples, statues, arts and events in Korea.
While visiting the Jogyesa in Seoul, I ran into a sign advertising for “Templestay” program. Because of my curiosity about the Korean Buddism, I’ve booked a two-night-three-day stay at the Naksan-Temple, to be able to experience more and also relax.
Traveling to foreign countries you can see a lot of new interesting things, check in in many awesome locations, meet new great people, enjoy new kind of food and gain a lot of new experiences. That‘s why I really love traveling. But before you get to the destination of your trip, you need to organise many other things, too, e.g. apply for a visa, think about how to get cash, purchasing a sim card, take a cab, etc.
In this post, I’m gonna share with you some good things to know upon your arrival, that might be helpful for you first visit to South-Korea.
1. Visa for Korea
You may need a visa, maybe not to enter South-Korea depending on your nationality, purpose and length of stay. The best information about that is available on the official page of Visa Korea Portal .
Please check it before you plan to come.
2. Immigration and Customs 👮🏼
2.1 Filling the forms
So, now everything is booked and you’re on the airplane ✈️ to Korea. Before landing, you may receive an Arrival card as well as a Traveler declaration form (one per group) from the flight attendants. They both need to be filled out and handed to officers when you pass the immigration.
