I just did a headcount of pics from Korea trip 2018 which i took with my phone, there are 3234 of them :o

Thought of sharing my fav ones here (THREAD)

TEASERS

Probably my fav part of the whole trip - me being a 5yo with the flags, so ecstatic to get to see them, even the old flags which were on my mega kid's atlas

Eg you can see the old flag of DR Congo , then known as Zaïre, pronounced Za-eer not Zai-ray

1. Prelude: 10000 KRW note which features Sejong the Great, founder of the Korean language script, known as Chosongul & Hangul ... President Grant (No. 18, 1869-77) on 50 USD note ... the plane which operated flight to destination - #9MXXB

2. Idk where this is exactly but it was shortly before start of descent, i guess its somewhere along the western coast of

3. The second airport i landed at outside Malaysian soil, after Shanghai Pudong in 2012, Incheon Airport Terminal 1 ... my arrival gate was at the concourse section of the terminal, connected by aerotrain

4. Arrived at hotel late evening, was already dark by then, got my first taste of short days and long nights during winter in the northern hemisphere ... headed straight for the N Seoul Tower after that ... took the cable car then climbed a couple more steps to the top

5. Views from the top of Namsan ... N in N Seoul Tower is short for Namsan ... it means south (nam) mountain (san) ... then walked down the many many steps back to the foot of the hill

6. Second day, visited the National Museum of Korea and the National Hangul Museum, both located next to each other, a stone's throw ... first pic is infographic of the all lines in Seoul metro system ... second pic is timeline of all Joseonese monarchs

7. A calendar at an eatery where we had late lunch ... you can see how the name for the days in Korean have Sino roots ... Sun / Moon / Fire / Water / Wood / Gold / Earth ... all named after earthly elements, looks like it ... my basic Mandarin helped me here haha!

8. Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) ... Dongdaemun translated into English means east (dong) dae (great/big/large) mun (door/gate/entrance) ... first pic is a line of Taegukgis next to the plaza on the roadside

9. First sighting of Cheonggye Stream or in Korean, Cheonggyecheon ... this is the section of the stream at Dongdaemun ft. raging rapids ... after that, stopped by Seonggwak Park, also in Dongdaemun area, which is essentially a hill ... a view of Namsan from the peak

10. Third day, visited Seoul City Hall ... very eye-catching interior, feels so green ... took a pic of the iconic logo of 'I SEOUL U' campaign, located around the City Hall grounds #ISeoulU #I_SEOUL_U #너와나의서울

11. Took a stroll in Lotte Department Store, love the design of the interior, that is the ceiling ... had GS25's Dosirak (lunch box) for dinner

12. Fourth day, we signed up for a day's tour package ... destinations include Petite France and Nami Island ... first pic is bus journey on Seoul-Chuncheon Highway (Route 60) en route to Petite France ... second and third pics are at Petite France

13. Nami Island ... third pic is that famous Metasequoia Lane

14. The ferry (only mode of transport) to Nami Island, has so many countries' flags ... can't help but take pics, the wind and lighting is perfect ... there are like dozens of such pics in my phone, all Malaysian flags ... picked the ones i like most ... in between and !

15. Dinner at Jeonju Kimbap ... had squid dish with rice #오징어덮밥

16. Fifth day, visited Seodaemun Independece Park ... Seodaemun has the same meaning as Dongdaemun as stated earlier, just that one is east (dong) and another west (seo)

17. Off to Gwanghwamun Plaza to see the King Sejong after that ... Gwanghwamun means light (gwang) shining around (hwa) gate (mun) ... second pic is Korean for Sejong the Great ... third pic is Hangul characters, both second and third pic are found at base of the King's statue

18. Street sign of a road named after Sejong the Great, which starts at Gwanghwamun ... and the start of the Cheonggye Stream, which is also at Gwanghwamun

19. Lunch at Mugyodong Bugeokukjib, i forgot what dish this is but the theme of this eatery has like a seafood vibe to it

20. Moved into second hotel that evening, first one is more like a guesthouse but second one is a hotel per se ... that night, SOLO WALK UP NAMSAN, second visit to the mountain top this trip ... stopped by a GS25 on the way back, took a pic of the famous flavoured milk drink

21. Sixth day, view of Sogong-ro and Toegye-ro intersection from the hotel ... then, yay, first hotel breakfast, I ate very well, LIKE A LOT haha! After that, off to Songpa District ... Olympic Bridge in the background while crossing the Han ... enough for today, stay tuned!

22. It was actually a wet day ... still, arrived at Lotte World Tower (556 m, fifth-tallest in the world!) ... it was just 1.5 years old when we visited then ... headed straight for observation deck Seoul Sky (consists seven floors in total!)

23. Views from the top! You can see the Olympic Park in the distance in first two pics (sorry for the lighting!) ... third pic is intersection of Songpa-daero and Olympic-ro ... fourth pic is after exiting the attraction at ground floor (in Lotte World Mall already)

24. Interior of Lotte World Mall ... and mochis, bars and a sandwich and the like for refreshment

25. Explored the outdoor open space of the mall where entrance to the tower is located ... then took the train to Olympic Park, the station we disembarked turns out to be just down Olympic-ro (a straight path, should have just walked haha!) ... was still raining very lightly

26. Finally, more than 10 years after seeing this place on TV for the first time, Amazing Race Asia Season 2, I made it! Olympic Park, Seoul, host of 1988 Summer Olympics, the Games of the XXIV Olympiad ... got my first experience of the Flag Plaza (fav hangout place!) #Seoul1988

27. Had to leave this place earlier than expected because drizzle started getting heavier ... actually disappointed how my first visit here ended ... managed to get these pics of Malaysia and two extinct countries at Flag Plaza

Mal-le-i-ji-a
So-ryeon
Yu-go-seul-la-bi-a

28. Seventh day, a much clearer day! Crossing the Han once more ... same as yesterday ... Olympic Bridge and Jamsil Bridge at each side

29. Back here again, round two, this time I beat the weather! World Peace Gate taking centre stage in my gallery at last!

30. Flag Plaza revisited ... this time with focus on the hourglass-esque monument ... it is referred to as Olympic Movement Monument, and its name Rendezvous In Seoul

31. Panoramic view of the flags on each side of the monument ... i think it is safe to say the FLAG SEGMENT of this thread has officially BEGUN!