DR. KHALID AL-SEGHAYER Once the school year was over, my wife asked where we would be spending our summer vacation this year. I replied immediately, without even thinking, “South Korea, my dear!"My wife was surprised by my answer and, in a rather disapproving tone, said that none of our relatives or friends had ever visited South Korea before and added that she hoped that I would reconsider my intention to spend our summer vacation in a country that neither of us knew anything about. I spent several days gathering data about South Korea, and read comments posted on the Internet by people who had spent their summer vacations there and checked reviews, photos, and travel offers. Although my wife was still not completely convinced she agreed to think outside the box, and we both began planning our two-week trip to a country which was a mystery to us. We both viewed our trip as an adventure to discover a hidden gem that none of our friends had ever visited. Finally, the planning was over and our adventure began and late in the afternoon on a rainy Tuesday, July 3, we arrived at Incheon International Airport, the World's Best Airport 2012, according to Skytrax, in the sprawling metropolis of Seoul, South Korea. Seoul is the governmental and cultural epicenter of the Republic of South Korea and home to more than 10 million people. After the magnificent view of the airport, I was preparing myself for wonderful scenery. However, on the way to our hotel, located in the Gangnam-Gu area, I was not very impressed by the infrastructure outside the window of the bus. We were rather tired the first day and stayed at the hotel. The next day, we took a city tour to learn more about the sights to see and places to visit later. During the tour, my breath was taken away by the state-of-the-art modern facilities, stunning modern skyscrapers, hyper-modernity and infrastructures. Indeed, Seoul is South Korea's largest, most densely populated city. It is a gigantic mega-modern metropolis, which has no similarity to any other place I have ever been. Filled with fresh impressions about Seoul, we returned to the hotel where we talked with a number of staff while relaxing in the coffee shop. I also visited a number of restaurants and shops nearby. I noticed that all of the people we met or talked with were very helpful and sincerely kind to us. My overall impression of South Korean people was very favorable, and this perception was confirmed many times as the days went by during our short visit to the country. I found South Koreans to be smiling, warmhearted, friendly, polite, welcoming, and honest people. This conclusion was re-confirmed on several occasions. In particular, one day we decided to venture out of Seoul and see life at a slower pace, so we headed for Jeju Island, known as South Korea's Hawaii, which lies at the southern tip of the country. While there we decided to take a day-long tour to see the entire island. We spotted a nice, family-run restaurant called Chicago Pizza. As we were hungry for pizza, we ordered two large ones. We were then surprised when the owner of the restaurant came to us and said, “You ordered more than you really need. I suggest that you get only two medium pizzas instead." It would be rare indeed to hear such a comment in a restaurant in other countries of the world. In addition to this, people offered us their seats on buses or grabbed our kids to carry them down the stairs. When we asked for directions on the street, people were always obliging and willing to help. Because of these and many other incidents, I can confidently state that this fascinating country is more foreigner-friendly than any other place I have ever visited. Another element adding joy to our trip was the fact that South Korea has numerous tourist attractions as well as a unique natural beauty. During our trip, we had an opportunity to experience both the classical and modern aspects of Korean culture. We enjoyed a myriad of entertainment opportunities at various tourist attractions, including historical sites, national parks, natural landmarks, rivers, beaches, islands, shopping centers, and world-class indoor and outdoor amusement theme parks. Our children were fascinated by Lotte World and Everland theme parks, and my wife and I were impressed with the Seoul World Cup Stadium and the panoramic views of the city from 63 City building and N. Seoul Tower. Even though the city is truly large in size, travel is made easy by networks of railways, highways, bus routes and taxis of all kind. The prices for public transportation are affordable, while the routes are well planned and developed, squeaky clean, and well organized. However, one factor which may discourage tourists from spending their vacation in South Korea is the high cost of accommodation, food, goods and services. Equally bothersome is the rather low English language proficiency of staff working at the attractions, airports, and hotels, as well as the taxi and bus drivers. Sometimes, getting help and directions was complicated by the language problem, while high prices discouraged us from using a number of services. However, overall, after two extremely uplifting weeks in South Korea, my mind still continues to replay all the memorable moments of our trip to this beautiful country. This holiday indeed expanded my appreciation for other cultures and, most importantly, confirmed my belief that my spontaneous choice of the destination was truly a lucky one. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the people of South Korea. They should take pride in their blessed country with a proud past, modern present and a bright future. – The writer is a Saudi academic who can be reached at [email protected]
