A Visit to the Hallyu City (Part III)

Yup! More on Seoul! For those of you who may have missed out the previous posts, look out for A Visit to the Hallyu City (Part I) & A Visit to the Hallyu City (Part II). This will be the final post on my Seoul trip. To cap it all, I truly had a delightful time in Seoul!! Will I be going back to Korea?? Oh yeah! I definitely will! I'm already missing the place, food and people there! It's a pretty awesome country. I'll definitely love to go to Busan and Jeju too someday! Probably in the near future. ツ 

This post features on :-

♥ Namdaemun Market ♥ Yeouido Park  ♥  Jjimjilbang (Sauna) ♥
♥ Bukchon Hanok Village  ♥ Myeongdong  ♥ 

Namdaemun Market

This was the market that I visited a couple of times during my stay in Seoul. It’s mostly due to it’s huge variety of goods and the prices which are more reasonable than you can get anywhere else. It’s also one of the largest traditional market. It offers goods that ranges from souvenirs, kitchenware, clothing, smartphone accessories, bags & luggage, and many more. If you love shopping, this is the place to come. The shopping malls are pretty expensive in Seoul. 

Here are some photos on the market. Unfortunately I had googled and compiled them as I have forgotten to take snapshots of this market ☹

Some of the goods sold in the market. Mind you there are way more than these!!

Operating Hours: 6AM~ 9PM
During the night, there will be stalls opened that serves BBQ and liquor. There are also stalls that offer a selection of seafood where the hawkers will cook your choice of food for you and you can have it with some side dishes and pancakes. If you are looking for restaurants around the area for dinner, unfortunately they are quite difficult to find within the vicinity of the market.

Food Stalls at night

How to get there?
The nearest subway station to this market is Hoehyeon Station (Line 4, Exit 5).

Yeouido Park

It’s a big park located at Yeouido. The park is divided into themed-based sections; Traditional Korean Forest, Grass Square, Culture Square and Nature’s Ecosystem Forest. It so happened that I came here during spring when the cherry blossoms are yet to bloom in Seoul (they have started blooming at the southern parts of South Korea) but I was really lucky! The whole park was filled with them and it was a spectacular sight. I really thank God for his awesome timing! 

This park is a good recreation place for families to bring their children and have fun. There were many people who brought along their pets for a good walk and it’s also a good place for picnics. To reach from one end to the other, you can choose to rent a bike or just enjoy walking through the different themed sections. For me, I chose walking as the bikes were mostly rented out and it was a really enjoyable walk plus the weather was just nice.  

Sky scrapers from the park

Cycling tracks in the park. Imagine cycling on a path filled with Sakura trees in full bloom.
Hmm, just blissful. 

Korean Traditional Forest 

Sakura trees. If only I could freeze this moment in time, I would. 

There are also vendors selling some street food around the park. I found the dish in the photo below to be quite unique. This is a local delicacy called beondegi 번데기. If you are wondering what are they, oh yeah, they are silkworm larvaes!! It may definitely sound bizarre to you but the locals love snacking on them. They are known to be packed with protein. I myself, however, did not have the courage to try it out. 

Beondegi 번데기 (Silkwork Larvaes). A popular snack among the locals.

This particular vendor had a long queue and we were pulled over by curiosity. As we came closer, the scent hit us! It smelled so good that we couldn't wait to get our hands on it. 

Grilled chicken kebabs?? In our country, we call them "satay". But these are definitely huge!

Succulent meat, grilled to perfection. So yummy! The seasonings were perfectly balanced.
One of the best street food we had. 

Jjimjilbang (Dragon Hill Spa, Yongsan)

Experience the jjimjilbang/ sauna. This is a place where families, couples and friends come to hang out during their free time. I often see this scene in dramas as well and couldn't wait to try it out for myself. We went to quite a popular Jjimjilbang, Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan, where many celebrities have visited the place before. If you look at the walls at the entrance, you will be able to see the pictures of celebrities who have visited the place. I spotted one of my favourite groups, SNSD members Sunny, Yoona, Taeyeon and Yuri!

Make sure you bring your change of clothes. With the entrance fee, you can utilize all sorts of sauna rooms, cold room, salt room, and hot springs. They have separate changing rooms for men and women. Just don’t get a shock when you go into the changing rooms as they are like the bath houses in Japan where everyone walks around in their birthday suit. It was a sight I definitely cannot get used to. (⊙_☉)

Dragon Hill Spa Jjimjilbang, Yongsan. 

Bukchon Hanok Village

A small folk village somewhere near the Gyeongbok Palace. It wasn’t easy finding this village if you do not have a map which shows you which exact street to go to. There is a nearby tourist information centre which provides directions and helpful maps. The houses along the streets are still preserved from old times and their architecture is gorgeous. You can actually stay at the guesthouse in this area to experience living in these traditional houses. Outside of the village, there are many creative concept stores and coffee houses. 

Experience living in the traditional houses.

The folk houses

The streets of the folk village

Mural art on the wall of a concept store

It's like taking a step back in time.

One of the unique decorations

Myeongdong

Myeongdong is one of the busiest places in Seoul and is well known as one of the premier shopping destinations. For ladies, this is a good place to do your cosmetic shopping as the shops of various brands are lined up one after another. There are also stalls on the street that sells food, clothes, accessories and etc. 

Apart from shopping, you can also go for the Nanta show which is a musical with some slap-stick comedy. It was really good and I highly recommend it. There is an online website where you can book the tickets for the show or directly call up the contact number provided on the webpage. 

Nanta Show. A musical with some slapstick comedy.

Another activity you can do is to sign up for learning how to cook Korean dishes. Go to the 5^th floor of M Plaza and browse through the packages. I attended the Kimchi Making class package which includes wearing the traditional clothes, Hanbok. It was really fun trying on the clothes and putting on a few poses before the camera. The kimchi we made was also packaged and sealed properly so we can bring it home. Can’t wait to taste how it turns out!

Our homemade Kimchi! The packaging is nice isn't it? 

Our 32cm Ice Cream feast!

There is also a comic(manhwa) street somewhere in Myeongdong.

There was a drama based on this manhwa and it's one of my favourites. 

What should you do if you get lost?

This may happen if you are travelling on your own. If you are really lost, do look out for people dressed in red uniform and a hat. They are the portable tourist information centre and they are able to converse in English, Mandarin and Japanese. They will be able to direct you to your destination and provide maps in your spoken language. So far, I’ve seen them in quite a number of places I’ve been to. There are also tourist information centres in some of these areas too. Do keep an eye out for them. However, if you are in a desperate need of direction, you can try asking the locals. Most of them are really friendly and will try to lead you to your destination. If they know that you can’t understand them, some would even try to find people who can converse with you to guide you. Hope this information helps!☺

How to get around in Seoul?

I think this is quite an important information for those of you who will be travelling to Seoul especially for first timers. You can purchase a T-money card which can be used for subways and buses. You can either get them from the hostel or 7-Eleven shops. All you need to do is to pay a deposit for the card (which you can get it back after returning the card). Then, you top up some money into the card using the machines available in the subway stations. One ride costs around 1100Won. Using the T-money, entitles you to a discounted price of the transport.

T-money card for transports.

My Accomodation

Yellow Brick Hostel 2 , Jongno-gu [nearby subway station – Jong-no 3(sam) ga]

This was the place that I stayed throughout my trip in Seoul. It's a very cosy and well-kept place. The rooms are really clean and the staffs are friendly. They have around 3 staffs to rotate about and all of them can converse in English. Some even in French, Mandarin and Japanese. On top of that, the location of the hostel is really strategic. It's situated in the heart of Seoul, which makes travelling definitely much easier. 

Yellow Brick House 2

Summary

To sum it all up, it was definitely a fun-tastic trip!!! I had a great time, visited great places, lovely weather and last but not least, awesome food. It was an all-in-one trip. Seoul is a great place if you are looking for a trip with a little shopping, good food and a nice city environment. That's all from my travels in Seoul~! 

Stay tune for more of my travel blogging. Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Bonus Posts:
Seoul, A Food Paradise
Simple Korean Survival Phrases! (Sufficient to get around Korea)
Pronouncing it the Right Way ~ Sequel to Simple Korean Survival Phrases