The N-Seoul Tower
a.k.a. the Namsan Tower is probably the most famous in Korea despite the existence of other more
interesting rivals such as the Jongno
Tower or the 63 Building in
Yeouido. However, although the last two might both have their own gimmicks to
lure tourists in, Namsan actually has more tricks up her sleeves: a Teddy Bear
Museum, a veranda full of
“love locks”, an observatory, and a revolving restaurant. Oops, I forgot the cable
car. The two skyscrapers suddenly became boring.
The tower was very
accessible for me because all my accommodations were located within Jongno-gu,
particularly in the Myeongdong area. I only had to walk to reach the elevator
going up the hill to the cable car station. Still, I reserved the tower within
the last few days of my stay. It’s weird like that, how one place so near has
to be visited last. The important thing was I was able to visit it, although I
limited myself to just some of its features, or perhaps just one: the Observatory.
I paid 9,000 won
for the admission to that observatory, which was as much as you would pay for
an admission ticket for a movie. A tandem ticket for the Teddy Bear Museum is available for 14,000 won, I
think. I wasn’t able to memorize the prices, okay. Sorry, just human. I decided
to no longer visit the said museum because from my experience at the Lotte Folk
Museum and at the
National Folk Museum of Korea, DIY museum tours take a lot of time, especially
for people who are very keen to details. It was already late when I arrived at
the tower via cable car, and I was very sleepy. What if I fell asleep there? It
would have been awkward since I don’t look like a Teddy Bear at all.
The observatory
was crowded with people. I actually enjoyed the elevator ride better. Why?
Since a lot of tourists flock there you have to wait for your turn at the
elevator. Perhaps anticipating this scenario, whoever built those elevators decided
to include a visual show for you to enjoy, just weird images of comets zooming,
a group of squares disintegrating, and a lot more abstract concepts turned into
colorful visual effects. And that’s just the elevator door. Once inside the
roof would give you a heart attack because it suddenly erupts into an array of
colors, again with various colorful displays.
The observatory is
small and on the walls you would see names of locations. I guess what this
means is that if you look straight with a powerful telescope you would be
staring directly at the said destinations. I took a picture of the portion of
the glass wall saying, “Manila, Philippines” of course, but all I could see
outside were tiny dots of light coming from urban Seoul below. At the center are various
souvenir items that are obviously overpriced. Go splurge.
One floor down is a
wall filled with square wooden tiles with messages of undying love and
admiration from various tourists. Some of them express their grief for not
being able to do the trip with someone they left back home. Some shower Seoul with well-deserved
raves. Take your pick. Some even have drawings. Well you would have to buy the
wooden tiles. You really thought they were for free? Naive much? You take the
elevator down from there, and then you either go to the Teddy
Bear Museum
or eat very expensive steak on the topmost floor so you could experience eating
in a revolving restaurant with a splendid view of Seoul’s skyline after dark. Obviously I
didn’t do that. Who am I, Bill Gates? Instead I went back to the lobby and saw
a flight of stairs behind the ticket booth. I followed the path and it led to a
balcony whose railings could no longer be seen because of the locks locked on
them. Padlocks.
That, ladies and
gentlemen, is the popular story regarding the tower that you often hear about.
Lock a padlock at Namsan
Tower and you are
guaranteed eternal love. If it doesn’t, could I get a refund? I no longer
bothered buying an unnecessarily expensive padlock from the souvenir store, not
because I’m a cheapskate but because there is no one to offer the lock to. Or
maybe both. Fvck whoever it was who thought of this pesky gimmick. I’m not
bitter! I’m not bitter! I’m not bitter! Hahahahaha.
There is an oddly
placed pavilion next to the tower by the way, used by many as a resting place
before riding the cable car back down to the city. Seoul is really proving to be a city of
contrasts, huh. There are various restaurants cum bars within the vicinity. I’d
bet they are also overpriced. Well
nobody said that being a tourist comes cheap, being a traveler maybe. Anyway
let’s leave the tower alone for now and let me introduce you to one palace that
went astray in another district, the Deoksugung.
“-gung” already
means “Palace” so saying “Deoksugung Palace” would be like saying “Deoksu Palace
Palace.” You know, not that
different from people saying “TIN Number” or “ATM Machine”. Funny. Haha. Hahaha.
As always, I digress. Haha. Back to topic! Deoksu Palace
Palace is rather small,
but this is mainly because most of the area it used to cover has fallen victim
to the urban sprawl around it. There are considerably fewer palaces and two modern
looking buildings inside, one of which has something to do with American Art.
Yes, separate entrance fee.
The palace is
pretty good-looking as a park and I enjoyed just sitting there on one of the benches
while watching the people do their thing. I forgot that there is also some sort
of party venue used for events nowadays. At least it still serves its purpose
because according to the info stand the said “pavilion” has always been used to
entertain guests and hold functions even before.
Cross the street
from Deoksugung and you’d find yourself in a huge patch of green grass with a
stage and an ongoing construction in front of it. That building being renovated
is the namesake of the Metro station you find in front of the palace. Yes, the Seoul City
Hall. The grassy area is aptly called the Seoul Plaza.
A lot of skyscrapers surround them, by the way. Head south from there and you
end up in yet another ongoing construction: The Namdaemun Gate. The said gate
is a victim of an arson attack from some random Korean citizen who decided to take
out his frustrations over the government on the helpless gate. Hmmm, someone’s
confusing nation for state.
Across the gate is
the Namdaemun Market, which is pretty much like Divisoria except that you could
eat Kimchi from some random stall and then buy winter clothes made of faux fur
from another. Shopping is not my thing so I only passed by the said market en
route to the nearest Metro station. Myeongdong Cathedral is also located in
Jung-gu’s Myeongdong area but I never visited it despite staying there for
almost a week, haha.
JUNG-GU: 04 - The Tower and the Palace
