Why can’t we have such motivation and drive to strive for better future for us and our children? This was the main question that was lingering in my mind, while visiting South Korea as part of a business trip jointly organized by Korean and Mongolian Journalists Association.
My attention was mainly brought to how the tradition and innovation was brought together in every aspect of their daily life. Whether it is the tiny restaurant in the middle of the mountains way far from the modern technology or the endless construction of the roads and bettering the infrastructure.
There was a chance to experience both the busy city life and the relaxed and tranquil sea side with lots to see and gain. As most of the tourists visiting Korea would see this country from the angle of TV series, that drives the desire to experience the places and food by ourselves, I had the same feeling filling up day by day. Probably, it is due to the portrayal of their daily life in an attractive way that lures curious visitors like me.
Very first thought that captured my mind was the desire to experience all those moments we see in dramas, whether it is eating ddogbuki from the street vendors or visiting those graceful palaces where the emperors lived. Every detail conveys the real feel of the things we saw on screen. It was so authentic and original that one gets more indulged into discovering this attractive destination.
Aside from having a lot of historic destinations, there are many places that were just brought up from what I would formulate as “almost nowhere”. The reason is, the awe on how even the slightest piece can be turned into a tourist destination and becomes the cash cow. And this follows everywhere. The culture itself has become one big tourist destination.
Easy example would be the huge hour glass erected on the shore of the sea in Gangwon Do province. The place has become famous as the site of one of the famous and few highest rated Korean dramas “Sand Glass”, which can be referred as the beacon of the kdrama sensation and craze for the millions of fans around the world. Aside the huge wheel of sand glass, the place is filled with pieces depicting the time and the inventions to measure it, starting from the Time Museum smartly fitted into the train, as if though one can have the feeling of time travel. The place was filled with families and children.
Next what caught my attention was the tiny restaurant that was famous for its authentic taste of food. The place can be found in the middle of mountains and surrounded by crop fields and tranquil feel. Our hosts have purposefully selected this place, and they were right. The moment we have stepped out of the bus, that calm and tranquil feeling could be felt through everything that one’s eye could catch. The rice fields, the rows with vegetables planted and the old 300 year old traditional house with big jars, containing black bean paste, and of course the scenery of the place. The owner of the place, 60 something years old lady, hosted us with the most delicious food one could ever taste in Korea. She was kind enough to let us experience the 300 year old history, as the place was preserved as it was 300 years ago untouched by modern technology.
On the way back to busy city one will witness the growing city as the roads are being expanded and the highways being built everywhere on the right side and the left side. The thought that was always lingering in my mind was how the nation can be so meticulous in what everyone does and how this nation can turn even slightest detail into the tourist attraction. Next thought or question, to be more precise, that hit me was why are we not like them, how one could have such a drive to create and develop restlessly and be on the lead of one’s life each and every day.
There was a lot to learn from. I purposefully omitted the visits to the offices of the media companies as we are far more behind in this sector and there is a lot to do and a lot to aim for. One might say that the country’s economy is doing well and so on, but I was amazed by the hardworking nature of those people. Big things start from the small steps. Probably it is the habit we should incept into ourselves from the very early years and learn from others.
Why can’t we have such motivation and drive to strive for better future for us and our children? This was the main question that was lingering in my mind, while visiting South Korea as part of a business trip jointly organized by Korean and Mongolian Journalists Association.
My attention was mainly brought to how the tradition and innovation was brought together in every aspect of their daily life. Whether it is the tiny restaurant in the middle of the mountains way far from the modern technology or the endless construction of the roads and bettering the infrastructure.
There was a chance to experience both the busy city life and the relaxed and tranquil sea side with lots to see and gain. As most of the tourists visiting Korea would see this country from the angle of TV series, that drives the desire to experience the places and food by ourselves, I had the same feeling filling up day by day. Probably, it is due to the portrayal of their daily life in an attractive way that lures curious visitors like me.
Very first thought that captured my mind was the desire to experience all those moments we see in dramas, whether it is eating ddogbuki from the street vendors or visiting those graceful palaces where the emperors lived. Every detail conveys the real feel of the things we saw on screen. It was so authentic and original that one gets more indulged into discovering this attractive destination.
Aside from having a lot of historic destinations, there are many places that were just brought up from what I would formulate as “almost nowhere”. The reason is, the awe on how even the slightest piece can be turned into a tourist destination and becomes the cash cow. And this follows everywhere. The culture itself has become one big tourist destination.
Easy example would be the huge hour glass erected on the shore of the sea in Gangwon Do province. The place has become famous as the site of one of the famous and few highest rated Korean dramas “Sand Glass”, which can be referred as the beacon of the kdrama sensation and craze for the millions of fans around the world. Aside the huge wheel of sand glass, the place is filled with pieces depicting the time and the inventions to measure it, starting from the Time Museum smartly fitted into the train, as if though one can have the feeling of time travel. The place was filled with families and children.
Next what caught my attention was the tiny restaurant that was famous for its authentic taste of food. The place can be found in the middle of mountains and surrounded by crop fields and tranquil feel. Our hosts have purposefully selected this place, and they were right. The moment we have stepped out of the bus, that calm and tranquil feeling could be felt through everything that one’s eye could catch. The rice fields, the rows with vegetables planted and the old 300 year old traditional house with big jars, containing black bean paste, and of course the scenery of the place. The owner of the place, 60 something years old lady, hosted us with the most delicious food one could ever taste in Korea. She was kind enough to let us experience the 300 year old history, as the place was preserved as it was 300 years ago untouched by modern technology.
On the way back to busy city one will witness the growing city as the roads are being expanded and the highways being built everywhere on the right side and the left side. The thought that was always lingering in my mind was how the nation can be so meticulous in what everyone does and how this nation can turn even slightest detail into the tourist attraction. Next thought or question, to be more precise, that hit me was why are we not like them, how one could have such a drive to create and develop restlessly and be on the lead of one’s life each and every day.
There was a lot to learn from. I purposefully omitted the visits to the offices of the media companies as we are far more behind in this sector and there is a lot to do and a lot to aim for. One might say that the country’s economy is doing well and so on, but I was amazed by the hardworking nature of those people. Big things start from the small steps. Probably it is the habit we should incept into ourselves from the very early years and learn from others.