falling on the Suwon Wall
A Day Out of Seoul
I wanted a day away from Seoul, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money or to sit on a bus for four hours. (For some odd reason bus rides in Korea are always four hours long, no matter where you go.)
Ring for Wishes!
Most of us took the line 1 subway to Suwon. Taryn, who lives in a ritzy part of Seoul, found a red bus in her neighborhood that went to Suwon. We met up at the Pizza Hut near Suwon Station for lunch. I wanted sushi, but everyone else wanted pizza. If only there was some sort of compromise…
We could have taken a bus. That would have been the easiest and quickest way to get to Hwaseong Fortress, but it was a nice day and we could take more pictures if we walked. We followed the road signs and got there, eventually with no problems.
The girls love the yellow hair. (Except the one at the end.)
The girls love the yellow hair. Well, most do…
Along the wall we ran into a bunch of junior high kids. Two of the little girls were infatuated with Raines and his “yellow” hair. They followed us for a little while and begged for us to take their pictures, though they only seemed interested in posing with Raines.
The third and unhappy girl in the photo above couldn’t care less about Raines or his beautiful yellow hair. Before she even introduced herself, she made it perfectly clear that she already had a boyfriend and that he was quite handsome.
Mr. Homer-shirt followed the girls trying to get their attention. When we asked the unhappy girl if Mr. Homer-shirt was her boyfriend she was quite upset. “I told you, my boyfriend is handsome!”
I wish for more wishes!
Along the wall there is a bell. If you ring the bell it will grant you three wishes. One is for your family, one is for your family’s health, and the last is for you. It cost 1,000KRW to ring the bell three times.
We found a song etched in stone. Raines is a musician. Taryn loves to sing and Mark has an abnormal obsession with 노래방. So I made them sing the song. I hope you enjoy the song as much as I did.
How to get there:
- You can enter by plane, boat, or train, though entry by train is rare if not damn impossible for most non-presidents of North or South Korea.
- Most citizens from many countries do not need to get a visa before going to South Korea.
- People of most nationalities will get a 90-day visa at the airport or ferry port.
- To be completely sure, check with the Korean embassy in your country.
Phone:
- Useful Phone Numbers when in South Korea
- Tourist Complaint Center 02-735-0101
- Police 112
- Ambulance and Fire 119
Website:
Videos:
- Eat Your Kim Chi – Life in Korea as lived by 2 Canadians
Books:
Notes:
- Korea is a generally safe country. You don’t really have to watch out for pickpockets, muggers, or scam artists.
- You should watch out when crossing the streets, beware of scooters on the sidewalk, and the little old ladies that will push you to get that last seat on the bus or subway.
- Use common sense and you will be okay.
- Things are generally inexpensive and there are many wonderful things to buy.
Enjoy Korea! I live there for 2 years and had a fantastic time.
Suwon (수원)- 37°15’56.7″N 127°00’00.8″E
From Seoul:
There are many ways to get to Suwon.
- The easiest way would be to find a red bus in your neighborhood that goes to Suwon.
- The second is to use the subway. Go to Suwon Station on line 1. Make sure to get on a train heading in Suwon’s Direction or you’ll end up in Incheon when line 1 splits. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Suwon from Yongsan Station.
- You can also take the KTX to Suwon from Seoul Railway Station. It costs 8,100KRW, but there are slower, cheaper long distance trains that are around 2,500KRW.
Websites:
- 37°16’38.6″N 127°00’42.8″E
- You can walk to the fortress by following street signs and asking for directions.
- You can also take city buses no. 2, 7, 7-2, 8, or 13 and get off at the Jongno 4-geori intersection.
Cost:
There are places that cost 1,000KRW to get into, but it is possible to walk around those areas for free. There are also activities to take part in. Some are fun, some are not.
Website:
Hours:
- Closed on Monday
- Summer hours – 9:00-18:00
- Winter hours – 9:00-17:00
- But most of the wall is out in the open and can be see at any time.
Video:
Map:
Click for Google maps
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