Kids’ take on Pacific Travel: A visit to Korea

Layla Jade Danao in Korean traditional clothes.

Layla Jade Danao (Photo by Layla Jade Danao/Stripes Japan)

Editor’s Note: This story is written by an Andersen Elementary student and appeared in the school’s Dolphin Star Newspaper.

Korea is a destination with so many exciting places to visit and such great places to eat! There are many fun amusement parks to enjoy. There are also giant walls and beautiful temples to visit.

Everland, Lotte World, LEGOLAND and Seoul Land are great amusement parks. These places are cool to experience and have so much fun. Everland has a roller coaster called the T Express, a ride that has step drops that may feel a bit scary but it is so much fun to try. Lotte World has a ride called Gyro Drop, a ride with terror that goes so goes so fast you should try counting to 10 and it’s over. One of the most popular rides is Black Hole 2000. This ride is so high in the sky you might see stars. In LEGOLAND, on the best rides is The Dragon. It is so cool because the ride is medieval-themed with castle and dinosaurs roaming around. These parks have all kinds of neat playgrounds, rides and roller coasters for everyone to enjoy.

Other places where visitors can go are malls and temples. The malls are massive. They have pretty buildings, with awesome entertainment and really good food. Some of the best malls are The Hyundai, Lotte World Mall and COEX Malls. The malls are so neat to go to because of the different activities they have. There’s a library that has books that are never ending. There are aquariums with whales and sharks. There are many different items to shop for that cannot be found on Guam like K-pop merchandise, different flavored nuts and beauty products. Then there are temples to visit. There are thousands of temples in Korea because of its 1,700 years of Buddhist history and practice. There are many activities that include opportunities for ceremonies, meditation and overnight temple stays. Koreans usually wear hanboks, which are traditional clothing in Korea. Women wear a jacket with a shirt and men wear a jacket with trousers. A couple of popular temples are Beongeunse Temple and Gainsa Temple. The malls ad temples are a great experience to enjoy something new while there.

Korea has so many places to eat tasty food. Some Korean foods are Korean BBS, bulgogi and kimchi. These are so unique and good to eat. Street food is also very popular. Instead of sitting, customers have the unique experience of buying food from the street, then stand while enjoying their treats. There are japchae (glass noodles), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), mandu (dumplings) and kimbap (rolled meat). Don’t miss the Korean corn dogs, cream bread and long 32-cm ice cream cone. It is highly recommended to try while visiting along with other delicious items.

The weather can get very hot to super cold. One of the recommended times to go is fall or spring because it is not to cold or too hot. In the fall, there will be red, green, yellow and orange leaves all around Korea. Hile in the spring, there are pretty cherry blossoms everywhere. But whatever season visitors decide to go, they will be treated with awesome shopping, great experiences and delicious traditional food.