Lonely Planet Korea Guide
by Martin Robinson, Andrew Bender, Rob Whyte, John Banagan
Lonely Planet
ISBN: 1-7410-4558-4
416 pp
At first glance, one would think it would be impossible to feel lonely in Korea, being the intensely dense country that it is. However, after spending a day trying to navigate around the sometimes bewildering concrete megalopolis that is Seoul, endless streams of people pushing past you and cars honking constantly in your face, a first-time visitor to Korea will be thankful for the Lonely Planet’s new guide to this, oft overlooked, country.
Many tourists often jump between more well-known China and Japan but they are missing out and this comprehensive guidebook helps to tell them why. Of course, everyone who visits Korea spends time in Seoul and the capital and its offerings are extensively covered. As a long-term resident of Seoul, the book is perhaps not aimed at people like me but I found much of the information useful and I was inspired to try one of the walks suggested and I am very happy that I did, I was even happier with the amazing restaurant that I found on the way, though I may keep that to myself.
The rest of the country is covered in impressive detail, as you would expect from Lonely Planet. There is quite a comprehensive and interesting section on visiting North Korea which certainly whetted my appetite as did the section of Korean food which offered a useful introduction to the nation's colourful and fiery cuisine.
One minor quibble is that the locations for Seoul attractions and facilities are shown on maps only, while the information about the attraction is listed on another page. So, if you are looking for good pubs and clubs you have to constantly flick between pages. The nearest subway station in the information section would be helpful as a quick guide to where the place was.
The strength of the book is in the little nuggets of background information and the enthusiasm of the writers that is immediately apparent and which provided me with a new-found determination to explore the fascinating, maddening and unique country that is South Korea.
Buy this book from Amazon USA UK Japan
