Monday 30 June 2014

Seoul & Jeju Day 8: Insadong, Samcheongdong, Bukchon Hanok Village, Gyeongbokgung Palace, To Sok Chon

Day 8
Summary: Insadong > Samcheongdong > Bukchon Hanok Village > Gyeongbokgung Palace > To Sok Chon

A cultural and historical walk to embrace the past, present and future.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staying at Jongno-3-ga give us so much convenience of being close proximity to many cultural and historical sites in Seoul. All attractions were within walking distance to each other. The first site we have visited was Unhyeongung, a royal residence of emperor Gojong and his father. It looked much smaller when compared to Gyeongbokgung the royal palace but stand tranquil and gracefully. If you are staying around Insadong, dropped by to have a good glimpse of how Korean royal family lived in 19th century. There is a small museum where you can understand some history about Korea.


You can also try the Hanbok experience at Unhyeongung. They charged 3,000 won for 15 minutes. Isn't it cool to take photos in traditional clothing with royal residence as a background? If given a choice again, I will definitely rent the Hanbok over here.
 
A random street view at Insadong

We headed to Insadong tourist information centre to get a walking map for Insadong area. Our advice is always try to get a walking map from the nearest tourist information centre to avoid getting lost. ;) The staffs were extremely friendly. What's more was they have the traditional hanbok experience here! 3,000 won for 20 minutes! Selection of costume was quite limited at Insadong tourist centre but costumes are generally pretty and colorful.


Went outdoor to do some photoshoot around the garden. 

"Chiak", right in front of "Insadong Tourist Information Centre".


You probably could imagine how excited were we taking photos at every corner of the building...


 
We were so happily posing here and there until we exceeded the 20 minutes time limit. However, the staffs were kind enough to allow us continued with our photo boom... *thank you*


And that's a wrap.



Let's continue our journey!

Insadong, which represent the Korean traditional culture and crafts has dozens of art galleries and shops selling wide variety of traditional goods, antiques and handicrafts along the main street. It also contains many traditional tea and coffee shops. To sum up, you can find anything related to the culture of Korea here.




Spotted Starbucks in Insadong, the only branch in Korea with "Starbucks" written in Korean.

Street snacks! The cone of the ice cream looks kinda weird... We ordered a double flavor at both ends, vanilla and chocolate. To our disappointment, it tasted normal.  


Another must visit place in Insadong would be the Ssamziegil mall, being marked as "special Insadong within Insadong". Although Insadong is famous for its traditional cultural street, Ssamziegil is unmistakably modern. There are over 70 quaint little shops including handicrafts stores, souvenir shops, art galleries, restaurants etc. The building was designed in such a way by connecting the alleys in a form of unique spiral stairway.



Something interesting at the top of the Ssamziegil Mall. 




The fences were filled with love pads and locks. Looking at the crowd, it was no doubt the busiest corner in the mall!



Strange! Both me and Jeff were craving for pizza in Korea! We spotted a banner advertising thin crust pizza thus entered without any hesitation.



We ordered a four cheese pizza. No chili or tomato sauce to go with the pizza, but HONEY! I have to admit that the pizza goes along well with honey! Satisfying meal~



Bukchon Hanok Village is within walking distance from Insadong. Hence we took our own sweet  time walking over there. Bukchon Hanok Village is home to hundreds of traditional houses called "hanok" that date back to the Joseon Dynasty. Today, there are still people living inside the houses, while some have been turned into galleries or shops.



Bukchon Hanok Village consists of many hilly slops and small alleys. Put on a pair of comfy shoes, you would need to do uphill most of the time! Remember to get a map from the tourist centre at the main street!



This quaint neighborhood with beautifully preserved traditional housing was just a turn away from the busy street... The houses and streets here are well kept and beautiful. It is still a residence area, so remember to keep your volume low when visiting. 



Amazing contrast between traditional and modern development.


There are 8 photo spots at Bukchon which can be easily found. Just follow the map and find the sign below to take the most representative photo of traditional Seoul.  

Bukchon 8 Views
  
Next up, Gyeongbokgung, the Royal Palace. Gyeongbokgung Palace was the first royal palace built by the Joseon Dynasty.  

We were lucky to be able to catch the last session of guard changing ceremony (daily from 10am-3pm). It was definitely a sight to be seen. Oh, don't forget to take a picture with the guards after the ceremony. They are super tall!



Entrance ticket cost about 3000 won for a non-guided entrance. You can take your time to appreciate the beauty of nature and old Korean architecture at your own pace. The palace is huge. It will be easier to get a guided tour. 

We didn't enter the palace. Our legs were giving way after a long day walk...
 

Right beside the ticket purchasing counters, there is a small booth providing Royal Guard costumes experience. It is free!! Each tourist were given 5 minutes for photo shooting with costume on around the area. It was fun dressing up like a Royal Guard! (>.<)



Finally, a good meal at To Sok Chon to end our day!

To Sok Chon is one of the most famous restaurant in Seoul. It used to be a favorite food of late president, Noh Muh-hyun.


The restaurant is best known for samyetang, ginseng chicken. Tok So Chon's Samyetang is made up of 30 different types of herbs and grains. The young, spring chicken is stuffed with chestnut, gingko nut, garlic, glutinous rice and GINSENG! The soup was tasty, flavorful, sweet and soothing. I felt the "heat rush" immediately after finishing the dish. POWER! The pancake was however quite normal. 


Alright, the hype is well-deserved.  :)