Seoul, South Korea Travel Series: Part 1
Thursday, May 24, 2018A Taste of South Korea
After completing and submitting all the visa requirements, we finally got our South Korean visa approved. It's our first time to travel out of the country and we were so thrilled to immerse ourselves on a not so peculiar culture. Apart from the K-dramas and movies we've watched, which could have been the subliminal catalyst of our interest to embark on this trip, our knowledge of South Korea is limited to what we see in social media. Though we're utterly sure that whatever is in store for us, it will not be less than fun.
My mom who is a certified Korean drama fanatic also joined us. It's also her first time, so just imagine how elated she is with the thought of finally seeing the land of K-dramas.
Travel time from NAIA to Incheon International Airport was around 4 hours. First thing we did after landing in SK was to purchase our T-Money cards. This is essential if you want to go around Seoul as almost all tourist spots can be reached through the subways. We also got our 4G WIFIs at the airport via Klook.
After completing all our starter kits, we boarded the next train bound for Mapo-gu where our Airbnb apartment is located. It's a little laid back compared to downtown Seoul, but this district will not leave you unoccupied as the area is pretty crammed with fine restaurants, markets and shopping areas.
Now, time to get down to business and have a taste of South Korean culture and cuisines.
DAY 1
ZAPANGI
You can never miss this place if you're in Mangwon, Mapo-gu due to it's famous vending machine door entrance. If you are the sweet tooth-type of a person, you can never go wrong with this place. An instagram-worthy cafe where you can relax while enjoying a cup of tea or their signature tin cake topped with creative designs.
ZERO SPACE
This one's for the artsy. A local shop in Mangwon, Mapo-gu featuring arts and everything nice from pens to maps.
GAMADEN RAMEN
Another treasure found in Mangwon, Mapo-gu. Yes we're in South Korea, but with the chilling SK weather, who can say no to a a hot bowl of ramen?
...Ramen that is best paired with a glass of craft beer.
MANGWON MARKET
This market which is located at the heart of Mangwon, Mapo-gu gave us a glimpse of what South Korea has in store for us for the rest of our vacation. It's a one-stop shop for all grocery needs and foodstuff ranging from clothes and toiletries to fresh sea foods, fruits and vegetables to traditional Korean cuisines like kimchi.
DAY 2
GYEONGBOKGUNG PALACE
They say that no visit to South Korea will be complete without a visit to Gyeongbokgung palace. This palace is located at Sejongno, Jongno-gu and was considered as the main royal palace in its heyday back in 14th century.We had witnessed the ceremony of changing of guards, which is considered as the main attraction of this tour.
Milot also dressed in the traditional hanbok as we stroll around the palace area.
TOSOKCHON
Tired and famished after the long stroll at Gyeongbokgung palace, we decided to reward ourselves with a sumptuous lunch at Tosokchon which is located just a few blocks away from the palace. This restaurant serves authentic Korean ginseng soup (Samgyetang). Certainly, one of the best dishes we had in Korea.
The long queue of customers is enough testament how delicious are the bowls of Samgyetang served here.
WHITE BIRCH STORY CAFE
After lunch, we strolled a little more at the Jongno-Gu area. After a few hundred steps, we found ourselves in front of White Birch Story Cafe. If you've seen the famous Korean TV show Goblin, this was one of its shooting locations.
Apart from a K-drama shooting location, this cafe is also known for their delightful bowls of bingsu and rejuvenating teas.
Wandering a little more, we found other shooting locations of the K-drama, Goblin.
BUKCHON HANOK VILLAGE
This village will take you back to the old days of South Korea. It showcases their rich culture from traditional green tea preparations and music to Korean architecture.
IKSEON-DONG HANOK VILLAGE
Another tourist attraction that showcases South Korean's rich food culture. It has lots of alleys packed with restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops.
Address: Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
We also had the chance to meet John and Camilla. A backpacker couple who've been to almost around the world. They sell photos of the places they've been to and the pictures have no price tags as you will be the one to decide how much to pay for it. Cool stuff, right?
Milot and I got the photo of the Grand Kremlin Palace of Russia which we hope to see someday.
JOGYESA TEMPLE
Considered as one the main temples of Korean Buddhism in Seoul, this place is surely an eye candy for tourists like us due to the colorful lanterns and ornaments layered over the entire the temple area.
My mom and Milot had the chance to have a photo op with one of the resident Buddhist monks.
HONGDAE SHOPPING STREET
Before we capped the day off, we went to Hongdae shopping street to have a feel of the South Korean night life. Indeed, it was very much alive and the district is brimming with both locals and tourists. Restaurants, clubs, souvenir shops, name it and you can surely find them here.
If you're a fan of the Japanese anime series One Piece, you surely can't miss to visit Thousand Sunny at Hongdae.
Then, finally we grabbed some late night Korean dinner. I also tried soju for the first time, yumyum!
DAY 3
YEOUIDO HANGANG PARK
The following day, first on our itinerary is a visit to Yeouido Hangang Park. It's one of the popular parks in South Korea with scenic views of downtown Seoul from afar. Locals usually come here to camp, jog or just chill while enjoying the view.
SEOUL MUSEUM OF ART
One of the shooting locations of another K-drama series, Weightlifting Fairy.
Just a few more steps and your feet will bring you to other Goblin shooting locations!
MYEONGDONG
Ah! Food haven it is. I think everyone will agree with us that this place is the food capital of Seoul. Left, right, front and back - food is just everywhere!
NAMSAM TOWER
On our way to Namsam Tower, we dropped by at one of the shooting locations of another Korean TV series - Legend of the Blue Sea
Going to Namsam Tower, you have an option to either walk your way up or hop on to one of the cable cars. We've never tried riding a cable car before, thus it was the obvious choice. Catch is, we need to endure the long queue of tourists going to the tower too.
After an hour or so, finally, we've reached the famed tower and we were welcomed by the thousand love locks teeming on all sides of the pathways.
Tons of K-drama TV series and movies have been shot here, one of which is Legend of the Blue Sea.
The viewing deck of the tower gave us a 360-view of the entire Seoul area.
We've covered lots of places on the first three days of our South Korea trip, but there's more! For the rest of our SK adventure, see our South Korea blogs parts 2-4.
If you want to see more of the first part of our South Korea trip, watch the video below.
1 comments
Your photos are so inspiring! I have a huge sweet tooth so Zapangi is on my bucklet list when I visit South Korea!
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