Pleasent/Amusing Surprises, Seoul

Fondest memory: I've been to Seoul 5 times since 1985. In '85, I was in Korea for 2 weeks with my family. It was culture shock for our family, especially for my sister and me who'd been raised in the States. 10 years later, I returned for 2 months to attend a summer Korean language session at Yonsei University in Seoul. I later realized that this was a summer party for Korean-Americans. It didn't matter, as those 2 months broke any stereotypes I had of Seoul after my visit in '85. Then, in Summer '95 I came to Korea for a year--a volunteer stint at an orphange/social welfare center in NW Seoul. It was a memorable year, I met and still maintain contact with many special caring individuals. It was also a time to enjoy and relish life, escapism really. 2 years later, in '99, I visited my sister who was attending the same summer session I had 4 years before her. I stayed in Korea for 2 weeks--during which we visited Hong Kong and Macao. Late last year, I was in Seoul for 10 days on business. I draw whatever opinions and suggestions based on these stays.

Favorite thing: My favourite thing in Seoul is defintely the kindness of people. We received a lot of help and assistance on the street and in establishments that seemed to me as 'going out of your way' without asking for it.
So even if Koreans are supposed to be rude, they certainly was not as I experienced them.

Favorite thing: I´ve been there just for a few hours. I was travelling to NZ with KOREAN AIRLINES. I´ve found out that the KOREAN people are very friendly and try to help where ever they can. I think the next time I´ll make a stop for a few days to discover this land and it´s people.

Fondest memory: Everyone in Seoul is so nice and helpful. The people here went out of their way to help when I was having a hard time with directions or trying to figure out where to go on the subway.