On my first day in Seoul, Korea I had six hours to kill before the start of a five-day tour. I decided to take a walk around the hotel. It was 1.30pm, about 4°C and foggy.

Almost all the cars on the road were Korean makes but there were a number of luxury cars like the Mercedes Benz.

The pedestrian lights turned green and as I crossed the road, a car zoomed by, ignoring the red light. Ah, feels just like home, where running the red light is quite common.

I walked into a bread shop, spoke English and got a blank look. I managed to buy bread using hand gestures. I noticed people seemed to be very busy but they were all well aware of my 'foreign' presence. I wanted to call home but couldn't locate a phone booth.

Seoul did not leave a good first impression on me. Mind you, I was staying in a five-star hotel in an upscale city area. But my perspective of the city improved from then on and I began to enjoy the sights and sounds, as well as the food.

One place I liked most was Cheonggyecheon (Stream), a pedestrian walkway by a stream that runs a good 5.8km through the heart of Seoul. It has attracted more than 40 million people, mostly Koreans, since opening on Oct 1, 2005.

I did not mind walking along the stream in frigid conditions, watching Koreans in winter wear strolling, hopping across the stream on stepping stones and just relaxing on the bank after a hard day's work.

There were mini rapids and even waterfalls on the stream, with water flowing in and back to Han River. But what caught my attention was the 186m-long tiled mural depicting the eight-day ceremonial procession of Joseon Dynasty's King Jeongjo to his father's tomb in 1795.

Our guide, Cho, pointed out the king in the mural to us but he was invisible astride a horse. The reason: no one was allowed to draw his picture. There were also fountains here, but our guide said they had been switched off because it was winter.

Walking in Seoul: Pedestrian-friendly Myeong-dong where you will find designer labels.

Next, we visited the shopping areas. We checked out the Insadong and the Myeong-dong areas. The first is a must for those who love antiques, handicraft, traditional restaurants and roadside food.

We stopped at the 500m Ssamziegil Alley where we saw several colourful Hanbok (Korean traditional costume) hanging at the entrance of the Ssamziegil Complex, which had 60 shops. The prices of locally designed clothes and handicraft were a bit too steep for me. When I asked if the prices could be reduced, I got a flat no.

We also visited Dongdaemun Fashion Town where 37 shopping malls and 35,000 shops deal in fabrics, fashion accessories, shoes and clothes for people of all ages. I was told some 400,000 people, including 10,000 to 18,000 foreigners, browse through the fashion town daily.

Our next destination was Han River which runs some 38km through Seoul, taking up 6.6% of the city. The Han River cruise was a good way to enjoy the scenery, especially at night, although it was very cold. As the ferry passed Jeoldusan Park, our guide told us that many Christian missionaries and their followers were executed there. Today, some 30% of South Koreans are Christians.

There are 12 parks along the 1km-wide river, attracting 140,000 visitors daily. There are jogging paths, outdoor swimming pools, roller-skating rinks, floating restaurants and cafés.

Seoul would be a good place to visit from April 28 to May 6 when the Hi Seoul Festival is held. Besides concerts, fashion shows and cultural activities, the 1st Trans-Han River Global Tightrope Walking Competition will also be held at Seonyudo Park, Han River from May 2 to May 5.

I enjoyed the three performances I attended: the JUMP comic martial arts show, the Marionette (which integrated B-Boy dance with pantomime and marionette) and a enchanting Korean traditional dance, plus an exuberant West End presentation at a theatre restaurant.

We also visited Changdeokgung Palace and walked on Geurncheon Bridge, a stone bridge that was constructed in 1411 during the 11th year of King Tae-Jong's reign. At the palace, we saw the royal audience chamber, the king's garden and fishing pond, and 300-year-old trees.

We dropped in on Hanbok designer Kim Hae Soon, who was in charge of the costumes of a popular soap drama. She explained that the showroom opened the year before and catered mostly to Japanese tourists who are fans of Korean TV shows.

You can try out the costumes here, but they are not cheap, costing between US$1,000 (RM3,500) and US$1,500 (RM5,251) each.

Standing atop Mt Namsan in the heart of Seoul is the N Seoul Tower. It is Korea's first integrated communication tower, transmitting TV and FM radio signals for the metropolitan area. The tower offers a 360° view of the city.

We were also taken to the Seoul World Cup stadium and the World Cup Park. The 60,000-seater stadium is open to tourists for just US$1(RM3.50). Here, you will find a cardboard cut-out of the Korean team which entered the semi-finals of the FIFA 2002 World Cup.

Thanks to the shopping and leisure activities it offers, the stadium is still making money five years after the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The World Cup Park which opened in 2002 was once a 15-year-old landfill that held over 92 million tonnes of garbage. Today, there are five ecological parks here. There are, among other things, ponds, children's playgrounds, sports facilities, picnic areas, places for nature study and lookout points offering views of the city and the mountains.

On the whole, prices were a little steep at the places I visited, however, a Korean youth at the Incheon International Airport told me there were places in Seoul where one could get things at bargain prices if you knew where to look.

Despite the relatively high cost of living and the language barrier, I thought the five days in Seoul was not enough, as there were more sights and sounds to take in.

Before this trip, Seoul was never on my list of must-visit cities with the family. Now it is.