Clearly, this would be a trip of a lifetime.
The traditional Hanok villages of Bukchon, a towering presence of Gyeongbokgung Palace, and an abundance of Buddhist temples. Comparing the infectious kinetic energy of Shibuya’s scramble crossing to that of Kyoto’s nightlife, only to fall into the peacefulness of Nara’s deer-filled parks.
It’s a trip that many would envy, the opportunity to explore two East Asian nations with complex, intertwined histories that share cultural and economic ties. But when trying to put a pen to planning a trip that includes both South Korea and Japan, it quickly feels like you’re the subject of some travel parable told to warn over-ambitious travelers.
Twisting our traveling arms
When the East Asian trip moved from wishful to possible, both Wendy and I were leading very busy, professional lives, which to be fair, afforded us the ability to even consider this trip. But as they say, you can’t buy time, which is ironically exactly what a trip of this scope demanded.
Time aside, we also knew this would be a physical trip of steps, stairs, and a lot of shuffling suitcases from planes to trains and into hotels. We certainly weren’t getting any younger, again life’s wicked joke about time, so with age hanging over our heads and a larger-than-life reason silently overwhelming the decision, yes, we would seek our travel fortunes in the Far East.
As for that larger-than-life reason? While not exactly a secret, a rarely volunteered fact in casual conversations, Wendy was born in Seoul, South Korea. Adopted at 14 months, her new family took her to the United States to live the American dream in Arizona and California.
If we didn’t go now, when we could afford too financially and somewhat physically, when would we?
Is Seoul South Korea, or is South Korea Seoul?
South Korea is a vibrant and modern country in East Asia, known for its rich history, cutting-edge technology, and deep cultural traditions. Once a part of the ancient kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, Korea has endured centuries of dynastic rule, Japanese colonization, and division following the Korean War. Today, South Korea is a global powerhouse in technology, entertainment, and tourism, attracting millions of visitors each year.
At the heart of the country is Seoul, the dynamic capital city. As one of the most advanced and populous cities in the world, Seoul blends futuristic skyscrapers with centuries-old palaces, bustling street markets, and vibrant nightlife. Landmarks such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, and N Seoul Tower showcase its rich past and stunning cityscape. Meanwhile, areas like Myeongdong, Gangnam, and Hongdae highlight Korea’s influence in fashion, K-pop, and entertainment.
Before we jump into our behind-the-scenes section, if you’re here for travel tips, look for those here. But trust us, you’ll want to read the rest of this article at some point.
Behind the scenes (definite spoilers)
If this is your first time reading a ‘behind the scenes’ about one of our YouTube videos, watch the travel adventure before reading any further. There are definite spoilers ahead!
In an effort to survive what could be a very physical travel adventure, we limited what made it onto the travel schedule. Still, exhaustion did plague us during our time in Seoul, with the sheer distance traveled and massive time change giving us our first ever taste of ‘time zone change syndrome’. It’s a term which pretty much means ‘jet lag on steroids‘. Add to this the incredible amount of indiscriminate walking, and you have two travelers who didn’t have the talking heads, or ‘talking to the camera’ needed for travel vlogs, at the top of their mind.
Just to give an idea of the distances we covered on foot; Wendy and I walked anywhere from 7 miles (11.26 km) to nearly 12 miles (19.3 km) a day during our time in Seoul! An example of just how tired our feet were can be seen in the scene with the cyclists at N Seoul Tower. The reason Wendy wasn’t interested was her feet were just so tired, she wanted to get down the hill to find somewhere to sit while we waited for the bus!
You didn’t miss what didn’t happen
Some viewers may ask why there wasn’t much of a focus on Wendy tracing her roots, at the very least visiting where she lived before being adopted. Decades before our trip, her brother who was adopted alongside her, researched the orphanage and any possible records that would shine a light on their lives before the adoption. He discovered the orphanage had burned down and all its records with it.
Knowing this, Wendy decided to focus on seeing as much of Seoul and learning about South Korean culture as she could on this trip. The latter has been a lifelong pursuit, to the point she managed to replicate many of the meals we had during our trip when we returned home!
Hollywood and a traveling couple
This adventure was a great opportunity to demonstrate the huge travel advantages of ‘Positioning Flights’ and based on our individual histories of living in Los Angeles, staying overnight in the film capital of the world made perfect sense. If neither of these topics make sense, you should really, really watch the video first!
Wendy and Laurence living in Los Angeles comes up in this video, however we only met each other later in life in South Florida. While it would be romantic, and certainly fun, to think our destinies were separated by miles of beautiful beaches and insane traffic while living in L.A., it was actually time that kept us apart. Wendy moved to Southern California at least year after Laurence had left for Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We finally met some years later when Wendy moved to Fort Lauderdale as well.
Interestingly enough, we did know many of the more notable places and even hung out at those same places during our separate times on the West Coast! As anyone who lived there for any length of time knows, for its size Los Angeles can be quite small.
And for the romantics out there, we both feel how we did eventually come together was definitely romantic, and hints at a relationship that we’re pretty sure was always meant to be. But more about that another time.
Too tired to take on the subway
Seoul’s subway system, or underground depending on where you grew up, is amazing. Mostly intuitive, very inexpensive, and incredibly clean. However, it’s that last part that can get you in trouble, very easily and quite quickly.
The more observant viewers may remember seeing Wendy snacking as we walked down the stairs into the subway system on our very first day in Seoul. One of the few missing services in Seoul are garbage cans, simply because the public considers them as not needed. It’s widely accepted people don’t walk and eat, to prevent discarding any wrappers or garbage in public places. That morning, Wendy finished her chips while we were waiting for our very first subway train when she saw a wheeled cleaner’s garbage can nearby, apparently a perfect solution for her now empty chip bag.
That is until Wendy saw a local commuter give her the dirtiest look as she threw the empty chip bag in the garbage can. Needless to say, we never tempted fate for the rest of the trip, either standing where we bought our food to dispose of the garbage then and there or storing it our backpacks until returning to the hotel.
Other observant viewers may wonder what we meant by ‘being too tired’ to navigate the subway on the second night, consequently choosing to walk instead. As mentioned, the Seoul subway system is incredible and definitely affordable, but the underground stations can get quite large and confusing where the different rail lines meet and allow for transfers.
It could have been our time in Seoul was still new and we didn’t understand the logic behind the signage and directions at these massive underground intersections. Maybe we weren’t paying enough attention? But on while navigating the subway transfers, we found ourselves walking further than if we walked directly to our destination using the surface streets. On this particular night, our options on Google Maps showed taking the subway would only save fifteen minutes over walking directly to our hotel, so it was an easy decision, if not only for our sanity.
Did Laurence really burn his baseball cap?
We know drama plays well on travel videos, and it certainly seems to help with the views, so maybe the story about burning a baseball cap in a beautiful whiskey bar could’ve been played out in a much more dramatic fashion. But we are who we are, and the story told was exactly what happened, albeit in a most abbreviated fashion.
Not surprisingly, by the time we found the very nice whiskey bar located in the most non-tourist part of the town imaginable, Bar Ray, we were exhausted. Between the joy of sitting down and the simple beauty of the bar itself, a wave of relaxation and calm settled on us both.
After I poured my first whiskey and had a few sips, it was time to rearrange our backpacks and camera gear. It wasn’t until smoke started filling the immediate area, we realized something was wrong. As items were shuffled around the table to make space for our organizational efforts, the cap was somehow pushed on a decorative candle, and more importantly, its flame.
A quick look around the bar for direction from the staff left us with a casual uninterested gaze, so grabbing the hat, I ran outside to stamp out the furious flames consuming my favorite cap.
Even as the flames were smothered by a well-placed foot, local restaurant workers grabbing a quick cigarette stared on with emotionless faces. It’s as if this happened every day!
Coming up!
We end the video flying to Kyoto Japan, where most of our time was spent. And there is a lot coming up!
To be fair, Seoul, South Korea is a great introduction, and more importantly for travelers, practice for Japan. Much of the Japanese culture is similar, if not slightly stricter, than South Korea. In some ways it’s actually easier.
Of course, the only way to know this is to join us on our next adventure!
