GOING PLACES: BEEN THERE...DONE THAT...: Seoul Tower

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Seoul Tower

Seoul Tower

Paris has its Eiffel Tower, New York has its Statue of Liberty, Shanghai has its Bund, Egypt has its pyramids, and the icon of Seoul would be the Seoul or Namsan Tower.

For almost two years, I only see the tower from afar but this day I decided to visit the area and climb up this world famous landmark. I rode the bus (the cheapest and easiest way) at the Chungmuro Station.

I noticed that there were so many couples bound for the same destination with some of them wearing a couple shirts because it was a Friday.

Namsan Tower is much more famous for Korean couples because of a fad of tying their vows (literally) on fancy padlocks and colorful chains complete with their names and their cheesy photos.

But what really is Namsan tower?

Viewable from almost anywhere in Seoul, Seoul Tower serves as an excellent landmark. Built on a 262 meter peak in Namsan Park, the tower reaches to 480 meters above sea level. When the weather and pollution levels cooperate, visiting the observation tower (370 meters above sea level) allows you to view the entire city and surrounding areas. Because of the vistas, many people enjoy climbing up here for early morning exercise or for a romantic stroll after dark. The complex containing Seoul Tower also contains several other attractions for tourists. Several exhibit halls display pictures of old Seoul, local birds, and towers from other countries.

Fairy Land has several exhibits with Disneyland-like robots depicting famous fairy tales and children's stories. The Global Village Folk Museum display products and handicrafts from around the world. The World Musical & Animal Land has life-sized robots similar to Fairy Land, depicting animals from around the world in a musical band.

I suggest that you should try their Korean delicacies served as you walk up the hill. I was deeply fascinated with the delicious grilled squid which is sold for KRW 4,000 (around PHP 160). It was a bit cold that afternoon but I was lucky that it did not pour. Like most crowded tourist attractions, the Namsan Tower is always experiencing congestion but it was effectively managed by the administrators. I queued for almost 45 minutes along with other foreign visitors, at the observatory; you can take a picture on the signage overlooking your country and other various cities. At the Manila area, I suddenly felt lonely for I badly missed my hometown.

I also visited the largest Teddy bear museum in Korea featuring Korean Ancient and Modern History using teddy bears as the main actors and subjects. The famous bear doll used in the Korean drama series (궁 ) attracts so many fans up to this day. The entrance fee for the Tower observatory and the Teddy bear museum is KRW 12,000 (PHP 450) not bad for a 360 degree view of the picturesque Seoul.