Korea day 5 - DMZ half day tour + Gangnam underground shopping

DMZ tour - the only way to have a glimpse of North Korea without stepping foot there (Google map doesn't count). We took a half day tour to DMZ. Why tour, because only registered tour groups can go into DMZ via the tour buses. We even got to bring our passports for identification due to the very strict security there. DMZ stands for 'demilitarized zone', a stretch of land that separates North and South Korea and demarcates their borders.

In the tour we were told the history of how Korea became separated, the discovery of infiltration tunnels and business cooperation (Kaesung Industrial Region) between the North and the South. In the vicinity there's an observatory, historical relics of the war, the Bridge of No Return, slips of prayers for reunion on fences and the mid-bridge wall by families who got separated and fences that prevent civilians from going into the landmine fields.

We explored the third infiltration tunnel which proved to be a more physically challenging on our legs than the rail bike we had yesterday. No photo-taking was allowed in the tunnel. It was well-lit, several storeys deep and at some parts pretty narrow with low overhead.

The Bridge of No Return

What is my after-thought on the DMZ tour? It's like a sad story of history with repercussion into present and the future.

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Later in the day we explored Gangnam. It is the district south of the Han river, the name literally translates to 'south of the river'.

The mission is not to get plastic surgery or meet some Psy-like oppa but to... SHOP.

There's many 10000 won boutiques at the underground shopping arcade (Express Bus Terminal Station) - at that time 10000 won is around SGD12. What a steal!

The clothes are all of better quality than what you could get at that price in SG. I got myself a few dresses (find them a bit too short though), a cardigan, and a top. There are many worth-to-buy items in Korea if you know how to shop at the right places eg. ear rings, snacks, skincare products. 'Suaku' me just realised the all famous Peppero sticks is from Lotte and Lotte is a brand from Korea. Lotte mart is popular through out Seoul. Pop by one and you could have your fill of snacks and other food stuff. I like the honey milk chips, banana milk and chewy rice puffs.

There were skincare shops around every street corner in Seoul that you can't miss. I would recommend buying at outlets out of Myeongdong because they were generally less pushy and more generous with samples. Innisfree, Faceshop, Etude house products can be as cheap as half the price in SG. I got liquid foundation at below $10, facial cleanser at around $5, facial masks below $1... *gasp*

My treasures from Seoul

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Day 1 Here we come Seoul!
Day 2 Palaces tour
Day 3 Ewha and Hongdae
Day 4 Gangchon rail bike and Nami Island
Day 5 DMZ and Gangnam shipping
Day 6 Gwangjang market, Changdeok gung

Korea day 4 - Gangchon rail bike + Nami Island

This is one of the more exciting days because we got to take ITX train and explore out of Seoul. Due to time constraint, we didn't get to go Petit France and Garden of morning calm (looking at the plants around us when we go Gangchon, I don't think there's much to see at the garden in this time period) as initially planned.

Here's our route from Seoul to Gimyujeong:

Take ITX-Cheongchun (booked online, 4000 won per person)
Myeongdong -->30mins Dongdaemun -->30mins Cheonggyanni (ITX 9.17am departs)-->40mins Gapyeong

Gapyeong Station  ⇒  Gimyujeong station (bike rail)
Gapyeong to Gimyujeong Station.

ITX is the express train which travels out of Seoul to other cities. We almost boarded the wrong train from platform because ITX shares the same platform as the normal train. The trick is to look out for the posh-looking train (occasionally double-deck) with two seaters inside. The train even have snacks and drinks for purchase on board.

From Gimyujeong Station (Gyeongchun Line) go by Exit 1. It's about 4 minutes walk away.

Bike rail start point: Gimyujeong Station - Rest stop - Gangchon Station

Temple-like Gimyujeong station

The Gimyujeong bike rail course for a two-seater cost 25,000 won. The reason we chose this route is because this is the easier route with less uphill. We are not exactly paddling fanatics.

Themed after this famous author - thus the giant books

Bikes are ready for us

I love the auto-rail tunnel. Can rest from paddling a while...

Nice view of river and mountains

A little stopover for kopi and odeng

Paddle along with winds in your hair, view of the calm nature and surprises when the bike zoomed into the 'Gangnam style' music tunnels. The Rail bike experience was real fun. Just a word of caution not to bike in winter time.

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Next we hopped over to Nami Island. It's not exactly a hop away cos we kind of lost our way finding the Gangchon station which we wanted to take a train from there to Gapyeong. We later discovered that although it looked nearby on the map, it is a freaking far walk from the Rail bike place. We should have taken the shuttle bus back to Gimyujeong station. Oh well...

We had lunch of dakgalbi in lettuce wraps and rice (you know like what you see in Korean dramas?) at this cosy restaurant which was kind of along-the-way. After all the walking, frustration and hunger, it was soooo nice to sit down to a warm place. The menu was in Korean so I used my trusty google translate to order the food. It was plentiful and cheap (sub-urban restaurant style).

We took a taxi to the terminal in the end to save some time in catching the Nami ferry.

In memory of Winter Sonata

The place is famous due to the filming of Winter Sonata there, supposedly romantic right? That day we went it was pretty crowded with tourist and it just felt a little over-rated. To describe the scenery very simply it would be - ostrich, tall bare pine trees and many 'willow' cherry blossoms. It was cold and drizzling so I didn't have much mood for pictures.

Cropping the crowd below the tree away - now that's what I call scenery

***

Day 1 Here we come Seoul!
Day 2 Palaces tour
Day 3 Ewha and Hongdae
Day 4 Gangchon rail bike and Nami Island
Day 5 DMZ and Gangnam shipping
Day 6 Gwangjang market, Changdeok gung

Seoul day 3 - Chilling out at Ehwa and Hongdae

The good thing about having no pocket wifi or Google map is the wandering around and taking in the sight of more Seoul streets (yeah, we so gung-ho). However, there were times when we failed to decipher our trusty physical map and have to ask the passer-by for directions, albeit me trying to speak in a not-at-all-fluent Korean. Most of the time we managed to be on track. :)

Ehwa Women University is a renown university in Edae, Seoul - not only for academics but also for its beautiful scape and gardens. Spring is the time when the school bathes in plum, peach and cherry blossoms. I just couldn't get enough of blooming flowers everywhere! *run excitedly* 

Educational tag board about the plant species.

The contemporary architecture stood out magnificently in the Edae district. These giant block stairs looked too physically challenging for me, so I took the easier route through the garden slope.

I think these bright pink flowers are peonies. They were lining the garden paths in pretty bunches on short bushes. How they stood out amidst the dried shriveled grass - stark contrast.

It was Saturday when we visited and the school ground is very quiet. The place does not look as big as NUS which requires shuttle bus to navigate, or maybe we didn't really go far inside. Legs were already tired.

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Lunch is jigae + ramen at a street restaurant. Had a taste of korean tradition... and stuffed pig intestines (the plate right in the middle). Yeah, we have strong stomachs. My favourite Korean food is what they serve in every dish - Kimchi! It's always the spice that got me addicted just like tom yam and wasabi. ;)

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Ehwa and hongdae street shops did not quite fit my budget so I skipped them. What did I spend my money on in the end? Coffee! And ice cream!

Have you guessed this place?

If you got it wrong, you are not fan enough of Korean dramas. This was the filming place of the famous drama Coffee Prince, which I think was 8 years ago?! I guess the fad has faded. I wasn't intrigued by the coffee they sell (sipped a cup of American latte) but rather the circular brick wall interior with tall windows that looked out to the Hongdae street.

I finally got some free-WiFi time here to find the right bus to take us out from the alley way. I believed it was a 20-30 minutes walk out to the main street where the subway station was. Not kidding because we walked all the way here.


Another nearby cafe not to be missed... The Hello Kitty Cafe. ♥

It was sweet from exterior...

...to interior. How could I bear to bite into these intricacies?

The kitty princess bedroom

It's simply cuteness and sweetness overdose! From walls, lamps, chairs to utensils; big to small, everything here were of Hello Kitty motifs.

They have a souvenir stores downstairs and we found more 'treasures' - Hello kitty soft toys in lovely Hanbok. "Keopda!" ♥

***

Day 1 Here we come Seoul!
Day 2 Palaces tour
Day 3 Ewha and Hongdae
Day 4 Gangchon rail bike and Nami Island
Day 5 DMZ and Gangnam shipping
Day 6 Gwangjang market, Changdeok gung

Korea Seoul day 2 - Gyeongbok gung, Deoksugung, Myeongdong street

Day 2

[Click here to see my Day 1 itinarary.]

Craving for Korean Ginseng chicken? This is the place to go, Tosokchon.

Here's how to get there: Gyeongbukgong stn(yellow), Exit 2-->walk for about 3 min after passing a fruit store.

It has quite a big serving so it is good for brunch. The soup is served with kimchi and a small cup of ginseng wine. There's glutinous rice inside the chicken so it is filling indeed.

Gyeongbok gung

Guard changing ceremony at the gate

The palace is actually nearest to Anguk station. Being here is the reason why we need to have a filling brunch - the palace ground of Gyeongbok gung is HUGE. It can get quite warm and sunny in the afternoon, so bringing along an umbrella or a cap would be a good idea.

Besides relentless browsing through the various royalty quarters in the palaces, we also explored the museum which gave us great insights to Joseon's history and the rise of this dynasty.

Gyeongbok gung is one of the best palaces for cherry blossom viewing this season. The pictures say it all isn't it?

Pretty pretty white petals.

After the palace tour, we popped by Dongdaemun along the way. Artsy stuff.

Dongdaemun Plaza

Deoksugung

Not tombs. These are rank stones.

The palace ground is not very big, so almost behind every wide view photo-shot here you could see high rise buildings framing the ancient roofs. I call it the place of past-meets-present.

In the picture above, you could see many carved stones lined up in a neat row. That is a part of the morning assembly ground. In the olden days when the emperor gathered his subjects, they would stand in order of ranks as per carved on the stones to make their daily reports.

Back to myeongdong

In the day time, Myeongdong street is relatively quiet. You would have shopkeepers from the arrays of skincare shops beckoning you to go into their shops as you stroll by or trying to entice you with samples. In the evening, the whole street would come alive. You would be able to get cutsie ear-rings for less than SGD$2 from street vendors.

The street food may be a little on the expensive side but they are good stuff. Bought a cup of honey-comb ice cream and big strawberry mochi.

Mochi bunny.

Amongst all things cute in Myeongdong, we saw more cuties at Lotte town.

Lee Min Ho meets Kim Soo Hyun.

How I wish I could see them in real person. *drools*
The merchandises at Lotte town are more high-end than Lotte mart so I don't really recommend shopping there unless you are have a fat wallet to part with.

Stay tune for more upcoming posts!

***

Day 1 Here we come Seoul!
Day 2 Palaces tour
Day 3 Ewha and Hongdae
Day 4 Gangchon rail bike and Nami Island
Day 5 DMZ and Gangnam shipping
Day 6 Gwangjang market, Changdeok gung

Korea Seoul day 1 - Myeongdong, Namsangul, N Seoul tower

First trip to Seoul, Korea and the first time to catch Cherry blossoms live. The trip was planned in early April this year with our fingers crossed that we would get to see the full blossom in time. And very lucky, we did!
Flew by Vietnam air for less than $600 with a transit at Vietnam airport.

The itinerary was a little touch-and-go which aimed to cover these places within 6 days:

1 Myeongdong
2 Namsangul hanok village
3 Seoul tower
4 Ehwa women university
5 Hongdae cafe hopping
6 Palace tours - Gyeongbukgong, Deosukgong
7 Changdeokgong, Huwon
8 Yeouido cherry blossom festival
9 Gangchon rail bike park
10 Nami island
11 DMZ half-day tour
12 Express bus terminal underground shopping
13 Gangnam
14 Dongdaemun
15 Gwangjang market
16 Namdaemun


Incheon Airport

The Airport bus ticket to our Myeongdong hotel costs 10000W each. Tickets can be bought at the ticket booth inside the arrival hall (1st Floor) near Gates 4 and Gate 9. After you get out of the arrival halls, the ticket booths are near near Gates 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, and gate 9C. Payment is with cash.

The power card to get you everywhere with subway is the Seoul City Pass Plus or T-card. It costs 3000 won and is available at Convenience stores (GS25, CU, Mini Stop, Buy The Way, 7-eleven) bearing the T-money logo. The subway stations all have English sign boards and location names, same goes for the road signs in Seoul. This made navigation much easier.

Namsangul Hanok Village

This is where our first official sighting of cherry blossoms took place, not with-counting the fleeting ones we saw en route hotel. It is near Chungmuro Station (Seoul Subway Line 3 & 4), Exit 4, just walk along Hanongmaeul-gil st. for 5 minutes. This place is a preservation of the ancient Korean village known as Hanok village amidst the bustling Seoul urban landscape and is also a popular tourist spot.

Doors within doors. Watch the low beams.

The perfect picnic spot.

A must-go place to experience the beauty of nature and Korean traditional houses. If you walk all the way along this trail, I think it will lead you right to Seoul tower.

N Seoul Tower

If you want to have a bird-eye view of the city-scape, this is the place to go. For couples, you may have your promises to each other locked here on the 'lock christmas trees'.

You could stay here for a nice sunset view too at the Observatory tower before heading back to town. I was in a rush to catch the Yeouido cherry blossom festival before sunset so I skipped that.


Yeouido cherry blossom festival 

The exact location of the festival is not the easiest place to find in Seoul. We had quite a hoo-ha encounter at the train station when we found out that Express peak hour train would skip the station that we want to alight at (National Assembly Station Brown Line 9). The tip is, look out and board the next train when the signboard shows a green train icon and not the red one.

When you see cherry blossom streets on TV, this must be one of those places. The entire street was lined with the full-bloom cherry blossoms here. Strolling along this street with cherry blossom petals falling on my head is a magical feeling, erm minus the noisy traffic that is.

We didn't forget to have a taste of some red bean cake and other snacks at the street vendors along the way.

At the cherry blossom festival location (a 15 mins walk from the station), we could see the cherry blossoms lighted up in shades of blue, red and green in the evening time. The flowers looked like colourful blobs of cotton attached to branches. The interesting thing which I failed to understand was - why do the trees have only flowers but no leaves.

The crowd in the vicinity was simply unimaginable perhaps everyone's rushing here after work. All the way at the end of this road is the festival stage performance. Yeouido festival was indeed the big thing in town.

***

Day 1 Here we come Seoul!
Day 2 Palaces tour
Day 3 Ewha and Hongdae
Day 4 Gangchon rail bike and Nami Island
Day 5 DMZ and Gangnam shipping
Day 6 Gwangjang market, Changdeok gung