Puyo (South Korea)

Advantages: cheap, friendly, people, my apartment!
Disadvantages: the food (ahh red pepper), distances between dongs,

...I loved South Korea. I taught over there for a period of time. When I first got to South Korea I was a bit dismayed. I stayed in Ulsan, right down the bottom. It was very industrialised and hugely commercial. My apartment was in darkness when I got there and resembled a bad neighbourhood in south london. I got to admit I really wanted to go home at this point. Woke up the next day felt awful. Felt that oh my god what have I done now feeling. Rang my family then decided to pull myself together and go out! Silly idea I walked a few miles in general direction I came in by to try and find a district I had seen previous night! Not speaking a word of Korean nor beingable to read the Hangsul characters I got lost within an hour and had to phone my new boss. This is where I found out that the Korean people are amazing. So understanding... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Tasty. Not too Expensive. Korean dining etiquette
Disadvantages: Not well known in Western countries

...Korean cuisine, although arguably less well known internationally than either Chinese or Thai cuisine, is among the tastiest and healthiest in Asia and certainly should not be under-rated. I have only visited South Korea once but my ten days there were memorable on account of the very tasty food I enjoyed.Additionally I have eaten Korean food on a number of occasions in UK, Singapore and Malaysia and have thoroughly enjoyed my meals in Korean eateries. Of course you do not have to travel to East Asia to get Korean food,to the best of my knowledge there are a dozen or more Korean restaurants in London and probably a few others in the larger provincial cities. In common with most other countries in Asia dining-out in Korea can range from delectable first-class food in a deluxe hotel to a small bowl of steamed mussels... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Cheap way to see North Korea, and taste Korean food.
Disadvantages: You only see a little bit for a little while.

...seen the country fall foul of a widespread famine that threatens to topple this time-bomb country into chaos. Talks with it’s southern neighbour (South Korea) have foundered and a legacy of military threats clouds diplomacy. To make matters worse, heavy rains have returned and filled badly maintained North Korean dams to breaking point, threatening to spill billions of gallons south of the border. It is fair to say that North Korea’s future look uncertain – hardly surprising given that in North Korea even the past is subject to flux and change on a daily basis. It is a textbook publishing company’s heaven – a new edition goes to print every other week. Despite North Korea’s problems, tourism is on the increase in this diplomatically isolated country – 200,000 people visited last year, and government officials, keen to reap the tourist... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful