So, for the first two days, I explored a small part of Seoul which is Dongdaemun and visited the well known island, Namiseom. Day three was a little different. It was all about visiting historical places and experiencing their traditional culture in Korea.
The very first destination was Gwanghwamun. Basically we were there to fill up our empty stomach before we could start exploring places. We walked for some time to hunt for an old small restaurant recommended by some online posts. You wouldn't believe how hard was it to just look for that restaurant. We passed by quite a few times without noticing it.. truely hidden.
(picture taken from the web because I didn't snap any)
This was the one we were looking for, Gwanghwamun Jip. I didn't communicate much with
the shop owner.. because I couldn't speak Korean. But I guess most of the people who visit this
place would eat the same things. The owner probably already knew what I wanted since I first
stepped into the restaurant.
The well known kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew)
And gyeran mari (Korean-style rolled omelettes)
I couldn't list the specific price of these dishes because I got confused by of the total amount we had paid. Supposedly our meal costed around 14,000 won as we only ordered two dishes and two rice (according to the prices listed in certain blog posts), but our bill turned out to be 19,000 won. Wasn't sure if the prices had increased, we had ordered the wrong stuff or they just charged us more as we appeared to be tourists. Nevermind, the portion was really big. At least, our stomachs were satisfied.
Next stop, headed to Geongbokgung, one of the must-go palaces in Seoul. This place got
nothing much but all the small houses, big gardens and lake. Most of the small houses inside
were locked up so there was really nothing much to explore. I saw many people walking around
with Hanbok, yup they probably rented at the store nearby.
Oh, and the entrance fee for Geongbokgung Palace is around 3,000 won each. Not pricey at all, because to be honest, with that amount I couldn't even fill up my tummy in Korea.
After 30 minutes inside, and I got completely bored because everywhere seemed similar.. Just red buildings and trees in all corners.. HAHA.. therefore, we decided to take picture of ourselves instead. Anyways, I did not explore all of the palace as we wanted to have a walk at Bukchon Hanok Village ("hanok" stands for Korean traiditional houses), and it was already three in the afternoon.
No one was there to snap a photo for us... But we brought monopod heh!
While we were still busy taking photos, these guards at the main gate, Gwanghwamun Gate had the Guard Changing Ceremony We saw it! But we didn't snap any photo of the event.. all attention was given to the ceremony. Walked out of the palace and found more guards. I felt really proud of them, it was less than 8 degrees and they could remained in this position. I couldn't even stand still for more than 5 minutes!
Went to Samcheong-dong area, and we explored the beautiful street where many well renovated and big cafes could be found. You couldn't imagine the amount of steps I've walked. Seriously, I could spend a day there just to walk around and try the cafes. Too bad, we gotta spend some time to visit the famous Bukchon Hanok Village which is few minutes away. Then, we bumped into this Godiva store and Daniel suggested to stop by and try their ice-cream.
Eating ice-cream in cold weather felt awesome!
On the way to the most visited hanok area and this bear left outside of a cafe caught my attention.
Basically, there are many small streets in this village. We only visited the one that the local people told us to go. We were so lucky to bump into a sweet lady and her boyfriend who were going to the same place and she just asked us to follow her as she would be going to the most visited street. The street was kinda silent although many people were walking around.. you will see signs everywhere requesting you to be silent as these houses are owned by families and obviously they do not want to be constantly disturbed by noises from tourists and visitors.
Some houses are now used as art museums. Look! The red painting is definitely Jesus.
Finally, found a store to rent Hanbok. As you can see, it's a small Hanok with many choices of Hanbok inside. Most of these Hanbok stores close at 5:00 PM. The rental price for the store above would be 10,000 won per person. I heard there's another one located at other street that charges 7,000 won only, nah too lazy to walk so decided to go for the one above.
Picking our Hanbok...
Heeeheee this is how I look in Hanbok. Initially I wanted to pick a yellow top and pair it with a red or blue skirt as the shop owner told me that's what the young ladies wear before they are married. But then, she saw me holding a light pink top and a translucent floral skirt in grey, and she thought these were gonna match better. She even made my hair for me and I could pick my own hairband.
Perfect match with the cold weather!
Daniel wanted to wear like an Emperor and the shop owner got him a purple Hanbok. We were given 10 minutes to walk around the street before returning the garments.
Credits to Daniel.
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