Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Myeongdong, Seoul, South Korea

Your visit to Seoul is not complete without dropping by Myeongdong. It is a bustling neighborhood full of cosmetic stores, korean street food, sport shoe store, fridge magnets and more. There are also lots of restaurants and cafes.

making faces while waiting for our order!!!

K-pop merchandise

it's fun to be hungry here in Myeongdong

Christmas eve in Myeongdong

Myeongdong Cathedral on Christmas Eve

We were able to watch the Nanta Show at Myeongdong Theater. Tickets available online through Klook or KKday.

Watch this 90 minute non-stop cooking fun show with extremely talented casts. Show starts at 8:00 pm during Tuesdays and Thursdays and Saturdays at 2:00 and 5:00 pm respectively.

photo from Klook

our princess is feeling so cold

the busy Myeongdong and its neon lights

If you plan to exchange your dollar or Philippine Peso, Myeongdong has the highest exchange rate. We exchange our Philippine Peso denomination here. The location is just in front of the subway entry, the other money changer exchanging Philippine Peso is located in front of the Chinese embassy.

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Kimbap making and free wearing of Hanbok dress

Asia South Korea 6:08 PM

Trying hanboks for free after learning how to make the famous korean dish, kimbap, was our last activity before we head back to Incheon airport. It was Christmas so we really had a nice family picture on that day. There are lots of available Klook and KKday activities related to kimchi and tteokbokki making.

Bantog Gajog

Highlights of this tour are learning the Korean culture while making and enjoying everyone's favorite side dish, kimchi. During our tour, it was kimbap (korean sushi roll) that we made. We had the chance to taste our own-made kimbaps made of dried seaweeds or nori, the fillings are sticky rice, crab sticks, mango and kimbap ham. We also bought different flavors of seaweeds from Kim and Kimchi School so we can make kimbaps when we're home.

After the kimbap making, we then proceeded to hanbok wearing and took our photos.

my five children during the Joseon dynasty

Oppa!

We can't hide the men's shoes =)

Abeoji, Eomeoni

Jamae

Oppa, Jamae

Yeppeun Agassi

Yeppeun Yeoja

Jal Saeng-Jin HyeongJe

More information about this activity at Klook.

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Han River, South Korea

Asia Han River South Korea 9:56 PM

The Han River or Hangan is the major river In South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Tuman and Nakdong rivers. The river begins as two smaller rivers in the easter mountains of the Korean peninsula, which then converge near Seoul, the capital of the country.

The Hangan River and its surrounding area have played an important part in the Korean history. The three kingdoms of Korea strove to take control of this land, where the river was used as a trade route to China via the Yellow Sea. The river is no longer actively used for navigation, because its estuary is located at the border of two Koreas, barred for entrance by any civilian.

The river serves as a water source for over 12 million South Koreans. In July 2000, the United States military admitted to have dumped formaldehyde in the sewer systemc onnected to the river, causing protests.

The lower stretches of the Hangang River are lined with pedestrian walkways, bicycle paths, public parks and restaurants particularly in Seoul. In a 2011 survey conducted by Seoul Development Institute of 800 residents and 103 urban planning and architectural experts, 51.3 percent of residents and 68.9 percent of experts voted the river the second most scenic location in the city, following the Mount Namsan in the top spot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_River_(Korea)

Han River can be accessed in many ways.

1. Yanghwa District - Seoul Subway Line 2

2. Yeouido District - Seoul Subway Line 5

3. Gwangnaru District - Seoul Subway Lines 1 and 8

4. Ttukseom District - Seoul Subway Line 7

5. By Bus - From Seoul takes blue buses numbers 405, 740

The most amazing thing to do near the frozen river to is to have chimaek (from Korean chikin "fried chicken" and maekju "beer"). You can also try crusing Han River through Klook

tiktoking at Han River

buffet lunch beside Han River

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul

Asia Seoul South Korea 9:38 PM

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the grandest and one of the most important palaces during the Joseon Dynasty. It was built in 1395 by King Taejo, the first king and the founder of Joseon dynasty. The palace was expanded by King Taejong and King Sejong the Great over the next 200 years. Gyeongbokgung means "palace greatly blessed by heaven". It is enveloped by Mount Bugaksan and Mount Namsan. The palace is surrounded by lotus ponds, flower gardens, pavilions, and statues.

Entry to the palace costs 3000 Korean Won or 3 US Dollar for adults, children ages 7 to 18 are 1500 Korean Won, six year olds and younger are free. Those also wearing hanboks gets in for free. It opens at 9am everyday and is closed on Tuesdays. It is located in Northern Seoul at 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The easiest way to be here is to take the Seoul Subway Line 3 to Gyeongbokgung Station then head to exit 5 that connects to the palace. The other station that will lead you to the palace is the Gwanghwamun station (exit 2).

Within these walls are Korean series shooting location for Kingdom (2019), My Sassy Girl (2017), Chicago Typewriter (2017), Goblin (2017), The Royal Gambler (2016).

You can witness the changing of guards ceremony twice daily. It takes place at 10am and 2pm everyday except Tuesdays.

Gyeongbokgung Palace on Christmas day

We visited the palace during winter so it was freezing cold

pondering in front of the palace

Go over the four other palaces in Seoul namely Changdeokgung Palace, Gyeonghuigung Palace, Deoksugung Palace and Changgyeonggung Place, if you fell in love with Gyeongbokgung.

Friday, February 3, 2023

50 thousand books at Coex Starfield Library

Asia Seoul South Korea 10:18 PM

Coex Starfield Library's exact location is at 513, Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 서울특별시 강남구 영동대로. It opens at 10:30AM and closes at 10:00PM. Coex Starfield Library is open to all, free of charge.

How to get to Coex Starfield Mall:

The easiest way to get to Coex Mall is through the subway. Take the Seoul Metro Line 2. Get off at Samseong Station and take exit 5 or 6. There's a clear signage directing you to the mall.

The two-storey library houses more than 50,000 books from Literature to Humanities to Hobbies and Practical use. Mostly, the books are in Korean and also, it is not a quiet library. It is a busy buzzing place. The people are also continually moving in and out. It is hugely popular for taking instagrammable photos.

We got here real quick and did not even spent 30 minutes but it was worth a visit. I wished I was able to read a book here. The books are stacked so high, so I have no idea if these are for display purposes only. We got great photos good for posting to IG and FB, haha! We also went here because we saw it in Record of Youth Korean series and it looks so awesome in that run but more impressive to see the library in person.