Been more than 7 years since I last visited. This round, my mum is the one to initiate the trip after watching too much Korean dramas. Together with my dad, my BF(son) and our pet pig(my younger sister), we packed & left for a short 6 days trip to Seoul .... purely Seoul.. soulfully Seoul..
Though the weather is hot in June but it is an ideal time for us as Dad is very afraid of cold, BF is having school's break and mum must go traveling with her most beloved boy...
Asiana Air, OZ752
We left Singapore by Asiana Air, OZ752 at 2240hrs, 6hr 15min journey...
My second time on this airline, the cabin crew did not failed me , the standard of the service is still there... comparable from my first flight on OZ.
I always like to fly off at night so that I can try to rest as much onboard... for journey not more than 8hrs, usually I have a big challenge to sleep onboard.
This trip is rather interesting as BF got to befriend a Korean gal around his age group, seated next to him. Both did not sleep at all, they chatted throughout the whole flight.
****** What worries me was my parents might not able to handle the next day of activities if they got not enough sleep..
Landed Seoul Incheon International airport at 0610hrs, by the time we were done with immigration & getting back at our luggages, the sun is already hanging high up there waving at us.
The first air we breathed after coming out of the complex, surprising cool ... it was mere 20 degrees celsius I guessed it is due to early morning.. hee hee
Along with our luggages, we took AREX rail (direct non stop) from Incheon airport to Seoul station (43min) at 8000 won per adult. It is strongly recommended the day ticket where you can use for most public transports in Seoul at a better price than usual rack rate. By the way 100Won refundable deposit is needed upon purchase.
T-Money
The T-money card can be used to pay subway and bus and taxi travel. It can even be used to pay for purchases in a number of locations. Users can also build mileage points that can be used to pay fares later on.
The card sells for W2500 and can be purchased in nearly all convenience stores and subway ticket booths. Users of the T-money card receive a discount on bus and subway fares (W100) and can transfer without additional charges.
Our Temp Home for next 6 days We booked a 3 bedrooms apartment from airbnb.
The host was awesome, always was there was us.
The place is mere few minutes walk to Seoul Station and there are restaurants & convenience stores nearby. Everything is within walking distance, so hassle-free for us.
But there is a challenge for mum as the apartment is situated on an up-slope, quite tough for her... Other than this, the home is great, neighborhood is pleasant. Even there is a park nearby that housed alot of homeless men but they are harmless.
We had an early for check in at 10am, after a short rest at the apartment...
BBQ Duck
We stumbled upon this shop by chance.
It located near to our apartment.This shop was passed down by their grandfather, pure family run.
First time to wrap BBQ meat with mint leaves ... and it just taste great & refreshing.
Bukchon Hanok Village
This historical place is 600 years old!
The village is situated between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace, and its streets are lined with traditional hanok.
This is not a tourist spot as there are still people living in this village.
There are many signs put up by the resident to keep down the volumes.
Hanbok shops are scatter all over for rental.
Direction : Anguk Station, exit 2, walk 300m straight
Tosokchon Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)
The long queue already tell you how great their food is! We were lucky to be invited to their second outlet across the street.
No worries for tourist as menu is written in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese.
There is only ginseng chicken on the menu ! This restaurant is so daring !
Once we were seated inside, staff brought us wet tissue and ginseng wine.
I had a sip and it is too heavy for me...
Here come our long waited high expectation Samgyetang
Address : 5, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Direction : Gyeongbokgung station, exit 2
Namdaemun market
Personally, I like this place very much.
Everything here is so local though majority of the them are older group.
Most of the goods are made directly by the storeowners. Namdaemun Market is even open overnight, from 11:00pm to 4:00am, and is crowded with retailers from all over the country. When day breaks, the site of busy shoppers bustling around the market creates a unique scene that attracts tourists worldwide. Namdaemun Market sells a variety of clothes, glasses, kitchenware, toys, mountain gear, fishing equipment, stationery, fine arts, accessories, hats, carpets, flowers, ginseng, and imported goods.
Address : 21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Direction : Hoehyeon station, exit 5
Dongdaemun
We skip this place as mum is having pain on her leg.
Dongdaemun is a shopping district filled with many high-rise shopping malls. Some are actually wholesale malls and they are quite strict about you purchasing 3 or more items to shop there!
And the best part is, many of them are open till 5am! Yes, overnight shopping, how unique is that? Do take note of their opening hours and closing dates though. Dongdaemun is divided into 2 zones, wholesale and non-wholesale.
If you are in the wholesale mall, please be reminded that the shop transacts 3 pieces and above. By the way, it will be good if you can bargain, usually you can haggle down the price of an item by 20%.
Beside shopping here, there are other tourist attractions too;
1) Heunginjimun Gate
Due to its position on the east side of the outer wall of Seoul Fortress, it is also commonly
referred to as Dongdaemun Gate. At that time, four large gates and four small gates were
built in the Seoul Fortress surrounding the city.
2) Dongdaemun Seonggwak Park.
There is an uphill path behind the Heunginjimun Gate that will lead you to Dongdaemun
Seonggwak Park. Here at the park, you can catch a bird’s eye view of Dongdaemun
where we can observe the harmony blend of Korea’s traditional architecture with the
modern skyscrapers.
Direction : Dongdaemun Station
Coffee Break at Paris Baguette
So cute , so pretty .... taste great
Namsan Cable Car & Namsan Park
Dad and Mum were pretty tired so they decided to go back rest early while the 3 of us made our way to this place we seen in every Korean dramas.
The Namsan Cable Car is an aerial tramway that runs from the base of Namsan Mountain near central Seoul to N Tower. Each glass cable car can fit around 50 people, offering all passenger the spectacular view of Seoul. Round trip ticket at KRW9500 per person.
Namsun Park is a nice place to stroll around sunset, whether you are with family or with your the other half. It's a great view on top gives a panoramic view of the city and worth visiting once.
Japanese Dinner
J-Bang at Siloam Sauna - 5 minute walk from Seoul station
This is a 6 storied sauna, located a few hundred meters from Seoul Station. Their focus on saunas, cold rooms, oxygen rooms, and plenty of areas to relax is nice - combine that with the bathing areas for each gender, and perhaps even a body scrub from the attendant.
Located within walking distance of Seoul Station, the Siloam sauna is a great place to chill if you're on a group. There is also plenty more going on here than just your typical ‘bath and hot room’. Six floors cover everything from the gender-segregated bathing areas to sleeping rooms. The third floor contains a fitness center freely open to paying guests, a couple of different ktv rooms depending on the size of your party, and some snacks for sale to help you to stave off those hunger pangs.
There is a full-fledged Korean restaurant at level 2, or up to the fifth floor for some sleep. There's plenty of bunkbeds in gender-segregated rooms, along with a 'snore' room for deeper sleepers.
There are many different type of sauna & bath with great benefits to our well beings.
Sauna :
1) Wet Sauna
2) Jade Sauna
3) Salt Sauna
Bath
1) Mugwort Bath - best for women
2) Giok Bath - jade stone minerals
3) Salt Bath - kill germs off your skin
4) Loness Bath - medicated soil
We decided to meet at the meeting area after the bath to try foot massage
Experiencing the jjimjilbang not only improves your metabolism but enhances your blood flow, thereby releasing the body’s wastes. Here are some other good rooms as well:
Oxygen Room : 28degrees celsius
The titled of this room already tell you..
This place is always full of rich, fresh oxygen.
Hard charcoal cold room : 22degrees celsius
Charcoal blocks harmful electromagnetic waves, increases blood flow, and enhances your metabolism.
Ice room : -9degrees celsius
Drench yourself in sweat in the fire-based sauna, and then enter the ice room. No words can describe the great feeling I got.
Loess sauna : 50degrees celsius
To be precise, Loess is living soil, with 1g of loess containing more than 200 million microorganisms that create substances beneficial to the body, reenergizing and rejuvenating it. Loess is known to be especially effective for neuralgia, release of bodily waste, blood circulation and enhancing metabolism, stress relief, and fatigue recovery. To make it simple, I called it medicated soil. hahahha
Salt sauna : 60degrees celsius
It kills the germs living on the skin, giving it elasticity.
Fire-based sauna : 86degrees celsius
This sauna removes the body’s toxins and wastes, and improves neuralgia, arthritis, frozen shoulder, and backache immensely.
I am very impressed by BF who really enjoyed this.
Admission fee both bath & sauna: KRW11,000 during the day (until 8pm) and KRW17,000 won during the evening (after 8pm).
Myeongdong
Purely a day for we 3 gals while the boys prefer to rest more.
Our first stop here is to fill up our tummies at BONJUK
This is a very famous shop here in Myeongdong station. From exit 6, walk straight and turn right at the first junction, you will see 2 stalls selling socks. Walk further in and you will see this :
Turn your head facing right, you will see this :
Walk up the stairs, you will see the restaurant, it is not big at all and there is no tables available at our time of arrival at 930am. While waiting for a table, we saw this menu on the wall.
In less than 5 minutes, we got a table
We ordered 2 abalone porridge and 1 oyster & mushroom porridge. It is real big bowl..
Like Cantonese porridge, the texture is very smooth. Can tell the porridge are all slow cooked with special effort from the cook.
ps : there were 2 girls seated at the next table who wanted to order a bowl to share. This request was rejected by the staff so please note that sharing is not allow here. Each person must order a bowl.
Though the weather is hot in June but it is an ideal time for us as Dad is very afraid of cold, BF is having school's break and mum must go traveling with her most beloved boy...
Asiana Air, OZ752
We left Singapore by Asiana Air, OZ752 at 2240hrs, 6hr 15min journey...
My second time on this airline, the cabin crew did not failed me , the standard of the service is still there... comparable from my first flight on OZ.
I always like to fly off at night so that I can try to rest as much onboard... for journey not more than 8hrs, usually I have a big challenge to sleep onboard.
This trip is rather interesting as BF got to befriend a Korean gal around his age group, seated next to him. Both did not sleep at all, they chatted throughout the whole flight.
****** What worries me was my parents might not able to handle the next day of activities if they got not enough sleep..
Landed Seoul Incheon International airport at 0610hrs, by the time we were done with immigration & getting back at our luggages, the sun is already hanging high up there waving at us.
The first air we breathed after coming out of the complex, surprising cool ... it was mere 20 degrees celsius I guessed it is due to early morning.. hee hee
Along with our luggages, we took AREX rail (direct non stop) from Incheon airport to Seoul station (43min) at 8000 won per adult. It is strongly recommended the day ticket where you can use for most public transports in Seoul at a better price than usual rack rate. By the way 100Won refundable deposit is needed upon purchase.
T-Money
The T-money card can be used to pay subway and bus and taxi travel. It can even be used to pay for purchases in a number of locations. Users can also build mileage points that can be used to pay fares later on.
The card sells for W2500 and can be purchased in nearly all convenience stores and subway ticket booths. Users of the T-money card receive a discount on bus and subway fares (W100) and can transfer without additional charges.
Our Temp Home for next 6 days We booked a 3 bedrooms apartment from airbnb.
The host was awesome, always was there was us.
The place is mere few minutes walk to Seoul Station and there are restaurants & convenience stores nearby. Everything is within walking distance, so hassle-free for us.
But there is a challenge for mum as the apartment is situated on an up-slope, quite tough for her... Other than this, the home is great, neighborhood is pleasant. Even there is a park nearby that housed alot of homeless men but they are harmless.
our holiday is officially start from this point!!!!!
Though we are all very tired for not having enough rest, our mood & spirit was high. Question : What is the first thing we done when our holiday is officially start ???
Though we are all very tired for not having enough rest, our mood & spirit was high. Question : What is the first thing we done when our holiday is officially start ???
Answer : A HEARTY MEAL
Ewha Shopping street
This fashion street shopping is definitely targeted at students in Ewha University, so expect the shopping here to be trendy and affordable.There are ongoing sales, almost everywhere. The young at heart will definitely have something to buy here. If you are feeling hungry, don’t worry.
Direction : Ewha Station exit 2.
Our First Tea Break
While walking towards to Seoul station.
We passed by Coffee Bay & decided to recharge our battery here.
The "Infamous Notorious" Lotte Mart at Seoul station
See our loots here, you will understand why I will use "infamous notorious" to describe this hypermart. Here are the damages
Our First Dinner
As we were all lacked of sleep, we decided to end the day early for next day of fun..
We settled for simple Lotteria fast food.
Jungbu dried food stuff Market
At Jungbu Market, a wide assortment of dried food such as laver, seaweed, anchovies, yellow corbinas, squid, pollack, and dried filefish fillets are available at low prices. Known for both wholesale and retail sales, Jungbu Market offers goods at prices 20-30% lower than those found at other markets.
Each store only sells one or two types of seafood products, allowing for easy price comparison and top quality goods.The market opens at 4am and most stores close around 5pm. By 6pm the market grounds are quiet and inactive, so make sure to go before 3pm so that you have enough time to shop and look around.
PS: Most of the sellers cant speak English, therefore prepare goggle translator.
Address : 35, Eulji-ro 36-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Direction : From Chungmoro station
Here are two shops that I like to highlight in JungBu dried market :
1)Dried fruits & food shop
Ahjuma cannot speak any English at all. It was not easy to transact with her but we were lucky to run into one of her customer who is an Amercian born Korean who will be visit Ahjuma's shop annually to stock up his food supply when in America.
Ahjuma have been around here for more than 30years, she is well known for honesty and candid personality. She even gave us more discount and freebies just to make new friends with my parents.
Name of the shop: Shin Heung market
Address: Jung-gu, Eulgiro, Seoul, Korea
2) Fresh Ginseng shop
This is in my shopping list.
500g at near sgd40.
Staff able speak chinese n cantonese.
Knowing we are tourist, they can air sealed the bags for us too.
Staff even teach us how to prepare the ginseng.
Shop name : Seoul Ginseng
Address: #14, 272-10, Euljiro 5ga, jung-gu, seoul korea
Hongdae Shopping Area
Due to the Hongik University nearby, Hongdae is known for its youthful and romantic ambience, underground culture, and freedom of self-expression. Unique cafes, cozy galleries, accessory stores, fashion shops, live cafés and clubs, art markets, and gourmet eateries make this a popular hang-out for local youth and a fascinating place to walk around. These unique places plus the cultural events, street performances, and festivals held here make Hongdae an area that is always packed with people and excitement.
Address : Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Line 2 Hongik University Station Exit 9 (10 min walk )
Chicken Baengi
Must try food in Korea - Fried chicken.
Address : 127, Eoulmadang-Ro, Seoul, South Korea ( Hongdae )
Though the price is not cheap but the portion is very huge!
Thanks Nature Cafe
Something unusual - this is a sheep cafe.
A pen to house both sheep is located just outside of the cafe.
Both sheeps are well taken care of who respond well to people. You are most welcome to feed them with straw, pet them and they like it so much that they will return back affection.
Do drop by to visit them if you are here though there is nothing special on the food on my personal view.
Address : 486 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
BF want to go for ice skating
We thought it is such a good idea for us to rest our legs while watching him skate....
He brought us to City Hall, the location of the supposed ice skating rink is at Seoul Plaza.
We could not find this building at all, and he went to ask a security guard at the park where we are standing. The guard replied him that the place we are standing is the location of the ice-skating rink which is only available during winter.
So, we went to nearby Mcdonalds for a break .
Ewha Shopping street
This fashion street shopping is definitely targeted at students in Ewha University, so expect the shopping here to be trendy and affordable.There are ongoing sales, almost everywhere. The young at heart will definitely have something to buy here. If you are feeling hungry, don’t worry.
Direction : Ewha Station exit 2.
Our First Tea Break
While walking towards to Seoul station.
We passed by Coffee Bay & decided to recharge our battery here.
The "Infamous Notorious" Lotte Mart at Seoul station
See our loots here, you will understand why I will use "infamous notorious" to describe this hypermart. Here are the damages
Our First Dinner
As we were all lacked of sleep, we decided to end the day early for next day of fun..
We settled for simple Lotteria fast food.
Jungbu dried food stuff Market
At Jungbu Market, a wide assortment of dried food such as laver, seaweed, anchovies, yellow corbinas, squid, pollack, and dried filefish fillets are available at low prices. Known for both wholesale and retail sales, Jungbu Market offers goods at prices 20-30% lower than those found at other markets.
Each store only sells one or two types of seafood products, allowing for easy price comparison and top quality goods.The market opens at 4am and most stores close around 5pm. By 6pm the market grounds are quiet and inactive, so make sure to go before 3pm so that you have enough time to shop and look around.
PS: Most of the sellers cant speak English, therefore prepare goggle translator.
Address : 35, Eulji-ro 36-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Direction : From Chungmoro station
 |
| His great grandfather used to have a similar bike. |
 |
| Bought a pack of dried oyster at SGD8 nia! |
1)Dried fruits & food shop
Ahjuma cannot speak any English at all. It was not easy to transact with her but we were lucky to run into one of her customer who is an Amercian born Korean who will be visit Ahjuma's shop annually to stock up his food supply when in America.
Ahjuma have been around here for more than 30years, she is well known for honesty and candid personality. She even gave us more discount and freebies just to make new friends with my parents.
Name of the shop: Shin Heung market
Address: Jung-gu, Eulgiro, Seoul, Korea
2) Fresh Ginseng shop
This is in my shopping list.
500g at near sgd40.
Staff able speak chinese n cantonese.
Knowing we are tourist, they can air sealed the bags for us too.
Staff even teach us how to prepare the ginseng.
Shop name : Seoul Ginseng
Address: #14, 272-10, Euljiro 5ga, jung-gu, seoul korea
Hongdae Shopping Area
Due to the Hongik University nearby, Hongdae is known for its youthful and romantic ambience, underground culture, and freedom of self-expression. Unique cafes, cozy galleries, accessory stores, fashion shops, live cafés and clubs, art markets, and gourmet eateries make this a popular hang-out for local youth and a fascinating place to walk around. These unique places plus the cultural events, street performances, and festivals held here make Hongdae an area that is always packed with people and excitement.
Address : Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Line 2 Hongik University Station Exit 9 (10 min walk )
Chicken Baengi
Must try food in Korea - Fried chicken.
Address : 127, Eoulmadang-Ro, Seoul, South Korea ( Hongdae )
Though the price is not cheap but the portion is very huge!
Thanks Nature Cafe
Something unusual - this is a sheep cafe.
A pen to house both sheep is located just outside of the cafe.
Both sheeps are well taken care of who respond well to people. You are most welcome to feed them with straw, pet them and they like it so much that they will return back affection.
Do drop by to visit them if you are here though there is nothing special on the food on my personal view.
Address : 486 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
BF want to go for ice skating
We thought it is such a good idea for us to rest our legs while watching him skate....
He brought us to City Hall, the location of the supposed ice skating rink is at Seoul Plaza.
We could not find this building at all, and he went to ask a security guard at the park where we are standing. The guard replied him that the place we are standing is the location of the ice-skating rink which is only available during winter.
So, we went to nearby Mcdonalds for a break .
 |
| Cherry Blossom flavoured! |
We were happily chewing on our food when we felt a big commotion outside.
There were more than 10 police vehicles parked nearby. Police were patrolling in different groups.
People wearing T-shirts with similar slogan, holding South Korea or America's flags..
Oh, there is a rally going on in Seoul Plaza park. Election for local mayor.
BBQ Duck
We stumbled upon this shop by chance.
It located near to our apartment.This shop was passed down by their grandfather, pure family run.
First time to wrap BBQ meat with mint leaves ... and it just taste great & refreshing.
 |
| Take a closer look, one of the item on the menu is dog meat. |
 |
| The sauce for dipping |
Bukchon Hanok Village
This historical place is 600 years old!
The village is situated between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace, and its streets are lined with traditional hanok.
This is not a tourist spot as there are still people living in this village.
There are many signs put up by the resident to keep down the volumes.
Hanbok shops are scatter all over for rental.
Direction : Anguk Station, exit 2, walk 300m straight
Tosokchon Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)
The long queue already tell you how great their food is! We were lucky to be invited to their second outlet across the street.
No worries for tourist as menu is written in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese.
There is only ginseng chicken on the menu ! This restaurant is so daring !
I had a sip and it is too heavy for me...
Address : 5, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Direction : Gyeongbokgung station, exit 2
Namdaemun market
Personally, I like this place very much.
Everything here is so local though majority of the them are older group.
Most of the goods are made directly by the storeowners. Namdaemun Market is even open overnight, from 11:00pm to 4:00am, and is crowded with retailers from all over the country. When day breaks, the site of busy shoppers bustling around the market creates a unique scene that attracts tourists worldwide. Namdaemun Market sells a variety of clothes, glasses, kitchenware, toys, mountain gear, fishing equipment, stationery, fine arts, accessories, hats, carpets, flowers, ginseng, and imported goods.
Address : 21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Direction : Hoehyeon station, exit 5
Dongdaemun
We skip this place as mum is having pain on her leg.
Dongdaemun is a shopping district filled with many high-rise shopping malls. Some are actually wholesale malls and they are quite strict about you purchasing 3 or more items to shop there!
And the best part is, many of them are open till 5am! Yes, overnight shopping, how unique is that? Do take note of their opening hours and closing dates though. Dongdaemun is divided into 2 zones, wholesale and non-wholesale.
If you are in the wholesale mall, please be reminded that the shop transacts 3 pieces and above. By the way, it will be good if you can bargain, usually you can haggle down the price of an item by 20%.
Beside shopping here, there are other tourist attractions too;
1) Heunginjimun Gate
Due to its position on the east side of the outer wall of Seoul Fortress, it is also commonly
referred to as Dongdaemun Gate. At that time, four large gates and four small gates were
built in the Seoul Fortress surrounding the city.
2) Dongdaemun Seonggwak Park.
There is an uphill path behind the Heunginjimun Gate that will lead you to Dongdaemun
Seonggwak Park. Here at the park, you can catch a bird’s eye view of Dongdaemun
where we can observe the harmony blend of Korea’s traditional architecture with the
modern skyscrapers.
Direction : Dongdaemun Station
Coffee Break at Paris Baguette
So cute , so pretty .... taste great
Namsan Cable Car & Namsan Park
Dad and Mum were pretty tired so they decided to go back rest early while the 3 of us made our way to this place we seen in every Korean dramas.
The Namsan Cable Car is an aerial tramway that runs from the base of Namsan Mountain near central Seoul to N Tower. Each glass cable car can fit around 50 people, offering all passenger the spectacular view of Seoul. Round trip ticket at KRW9500 per person.
There are countless steps here so we were glad that my mum opted out for this trip.
Another highlight of this place : Love Lock
Pig bought this lock at KRW9500, she want to permanently lock her love here. Wish her all the best.
She start to pen her love notes on the lock ...
She found the perfect spot to seal her perfect love.
Making a wish before she seal her love here eternally.
Sealing is in the process.
Her love is locked .. All the best to her and him.
BF want to catch some good shots of the sunset. He paid KRW10,000.00 for a ticket up to N Tower.
Address : 83, Sopa-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Shuttle bus : Seoul station exit 9 - Namsan Sunhwan shuttle bus number 3
Price : KRW1200 per pax per way
Dinner near to Namsun Cable Car station
Sungnyemun Gate
This place is our pick up point to Nami Island.
Though the gate is small but it is located in the middle of the busy roads.
There is no admission fee to this place, nice place for some photos.
Nami Island
Nami island is a tiny half-moon shaped island, formed as it was inundated by the rising water of the North Han river as the result of the construction of a Dam in 1944. Its name originated from General Nami who died at the age of 28 after being falsely accused of treason during Joseon Dynasty. Although his grave was not discovered, there were a pile of stones where his body was supposed to be buried. It was believed that if someone took even one stone from there, it would bring misfortune to their house.
Your trip is not complete if you did not come here while in Seoul.
Lunch in Swing Cafe
Despite the crowd here, I still can feel the park is filled with serenity. Strolling in such
a picturesque place really makes you feel so lost in the world.
This Maple Tree lane is a bonus to us.
This is also the filiming site of "Winter Sonata (2003), thus there are statues of Bae Yong Joon & Choi Ji Woo lingering around the park.
Personally, this is the second visit for me & BF. The previous time we came was during the icy cold winter.
Address : 1, Namiseom-gil, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do
You can only access to this place via zipline or ferry from : Namiseom Ferry Dock: 1024, Bukhangangbyeon-ro, Gapyeong-eup, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
Pig bought this lock at KRW9500, she want to permanently lock her love here. Wish her all the best.
 |
Address : 83, Sopa-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Shuttle bus : Seoul station exit 9 - Namsan Sunhwan shuttle bus number 3
Price : KRW1200 per pax per way
Dinner near to Namsun Cable Car station
Sungnyemun Gate
This place is our pick up point to Nami Island.
Though the gate is small but it is located in the middle of the busy roads.
There is no admission fee to this place, nice place for some photos.
 |
| The gate, dating back to the 14th century |
Nami Island
Nami island is a tiny half-moon shaped island, formed as it was inundated by the rising water of the North Han river as the result of the construction of a Dam in 1944. Its name originated from General Nami who died at the age of 28 after being falsely accused of treason during Joseon Dynasty. Although his grave was not discovered, there were a pile of stones where his body was supposed to be buried. It was believed that if someone took even one stone from there, it would bring misfortune to their house.
Your trip is not complete if you did not come here while in Seoul.
Lunch in Swing Cafe
Despite the crowd here, I still can feel the park is filled with serenity. Strolling in such
a picturesque place really makes you feel so lost in the world.
This is also the filiming site of "Winter Sonata (2003), thus there are statues of Bae Yong Joon & Choi Ji Woo lingering around the park.
Personally, this is the second visit for me & BF. The previous time we came was during the icy cold winter.
Address : 1, Namiseom-gil, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do
You can only access to this place via zipline or ferry from : Namiseom Ferry Dock: 1024, Bukhangangbyeon-ro, Gapyeong-eup, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
Japanese Dinner
J-Bang at Siloam Sauna - 5 minute walk from Seoul station
This is a 6 storied sauna, located a few hundred meters from Seoul Station. Their focus on saunas, cold rooms, oxygen rooms, and plenty of areas to relax is nice - combine that with the bathing areas for each gender, and perhaps even a body scrub from the attendant.
Located within walking distance of Seoul Station, the Siloam sauna is a great place to chill if you're on a group. There is also plenty more going on here than just your typical ‘bath and hot room’. Six floors cover everything from the gender-segregated bathing areas to sleeping rooms. The third floor contains a fitness center freely open to paying guests, a couple of different ktv rooms depending on the size of your party, and some snacks for sale to help you to stave off those hunger pangs.
There is a full-fledged Korean restaurant at level 2, or up to the fifth floor for some sleep. There's plenty of bunkbeds in gender-segregated rooms, along with a 'snore' room for deeper sleepers.
There are many different type of sauna & bath with great benefits to our well beings.
Sauna :
1) Wet Sauna
2) Jade Sauna
3) Salt Sauna
Bath
1) Mugwort Bath - best for women
2) Giok Bath - jade stone minerals
3) Salt Bath - kill germs off your skin
4) Loness Bath - medicated soil
We decided to meet at the meeting area after the bath to try foot massage
Experiencing the jjimjilbang not only improves your metabolism but enhances your blood flow, thereby releasing the body’s wastes. Here are some other good rooms as well:
Oxygen Room : 28degrees celsius
The titled of this room already tell you..
This place is always full of rich, fresh oxygen.
Hard charcoal cold room : 22degrees celsius
Charcoal blocks harmful electromagnetic waves, increases blood flow, and enhances your metabolism.
Ice room : -9degrees celsius
Drench yourself in sweat in the fire-based sauna, and then enter the ice room. No words can describe the great feeling I got.
Loess sauna : 50degrees celsius
To be precise, Loess is living soil, with 1g of loess containing more than 200 million microorganisms that create substances beneficial to the body, reenergizing and rejuvenating it. Loess is known to be especially effective for neuralgia, release of bodily waste, blood circulation and enhancing metabolism, stress relief, and fatigue recovery. To make it simple, I called it medicated soil. hahahha
Salt sauna : 60degrees celsius
It kills the germs living on the skin, giving it elasticity.
Fire-based sauna : 86degrees celsius
This sauna removes the body’s toxins and wastes, and improves neuralgia, arthritis, frozen shoulder, and backache immensely.
I am very impressed by BF who really enjoyed this.
Address: Jungnim-Ro, Jung-gu, Seoul Metropolitan Government 49 TEL:02-364-3944
5 min. walk from Seoul Station-Exit 1Admission fee both bath & sauna: KRW11,000 during the day (until 8pm) and KRW17,000 won during the evening (after 8pm).
Myeongdong
Purely a day for we 3 gals while the boys prefer to rest more.
Our first stop here is to fill up our tummies at BONJUK
This is a very famous shop here in Myeongdong station. From exit 6, walk straight and turn right at the first junction, you will see 2 stalls selling socks. Walk further in and you will see this :
Like Cantonese porridge, the texture is very smooth. Can tell the porridge are all slow cooked with special effort from the cook.
3 bowls of porridge cost about SGD36, not cheap compare to Singapore here but for the experience, it still worth it, Mum finished the whole bowl!
Our shopping start now.
Must visit for every women to stock up cosmetic and skin care products.
There are alot of repeats shops so if you missed out something while shopping, not to worry. You do not need to u-turn back as the next same shop is coming up soon.
The charm of Myeongdong that makes it stand out from other shopping areas in Seoul, is the cluster of very different shops, ranging from mid-priced to high-priced retail stores to international brand outlets. .
One of the most popular items on all women's list is Korean cosmetics.. 99% of the shop here are complete with bilingual staff fluent in English, Japanese, or Chinese. Shopping in Myeongdong couldn’t be any easier.
Address : Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Goggle Mapping Car
BF happened to see it ... He was wondering if he will appear in the google map.. hahahhaa
Nolboo Army Stew
This is a chain shop specialise in Army Stew all over the places.
It taste so different than I had in Singapore. Taste great!
JUMP Show
JUMP is a Korean comedic theatrical performance involving martial arts, acrobatics, and dance moves. The story is set in an average Korean home, featuring an unusual and dramatically Korean family who are martial artists. The grandfather, drunken uncle, father, mother, daughter and even the daughter’s nerdy suitor all are martial arts experts. The plot thickens when two burglars break into the house in the middle of night and the fun ensues.
We had a full 80 minutes of laughter!
Ticket Price:
VIP seat KRW60,000
R-seat KRW50,000
S-seat KRW40,000
Address : Myungbo Art Hall (3F, Jump Theater)
Euljiro3-ga Station, exit 8
With the number of luggage we have, it is impossible for us to take the train to airport by our own. Our host helped us to book a van at KRW75,000.00
Incheon Airport The airport is consistantly ranked in the top ten airports worldwide and was granted the title ‘Best Airport in the World’ by Global Traveler for four consecutive years. It is the second busiest airport in the world in terms of cargo and freight and one of the busiest airports in terms of international passengers.
All check in done, and it is the time to laze around, chill around, last minute shopping like below :
OZ 751 Departing Seoul at 1715hrs for Singapore
Though this trip is barely only 6 days but everybody here are very happy.
It is not the destination counts, it is the precious family outing moment we are counting afterall.
BF is trying to coax my parents to go Japan next June...
Back home, after all the unpacking and washing...
Here are our loots...
We have come to the end of this blog, please look out for my next blog to Bali in a few weeks time.
Our shopping start now.
Must visit for every women to stock up cosmetic and skin care products.
There are alot of repeats shops so if you missed out something while shopping, not to worry. You do not need to u-turn back as the next same shop is coming up soon.
The charm of Myeongdong that makes it stand out from other shopping areas in Seoul, is the cluster of very different shops, ranging from mid-priced to high-priced retail stores to international brand outlets. .
One of the most popular items on all women's list is Korean cosmetics.. 99% of the shop here are complete with bilingual staff fluent in English, Japanese, or Chinese. Shopping in Myeongdong couldn’t be any easier.
Address : Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Goggle Mapping Car
BF happened to see it ... He was wondering if he will appear in the google map.. hahahhaa
Nolboo Army Stew
This is a chain shop specialise in Army Stew all over the places.
It taste so different than I had in Singapore. Taste great!
JUMP Show
JUMP is a Korean comedic theatrical performance involving martial arts, acrobatics, and dance moves. The story is set in an average Korean home, featuring an unusual and dramatically Korean family who are martial artists. The grandfather, drunken uncle, father, mother, daughter and even the daughter’s nerdy suitor all are martial arts experts. The plot thickens when two burglars break into the house in the middle of night and the fun ensues.
We had a full 80 minutes of laughter!
Ticket Price:
VIP seat KRW60,000
R-seat KRW50,000
S-seat KRW40,000
Address : Myungbo Art Hall (3F, Jump Theater)
Euljiro3-ga Station, exit 8
With the number of luggage we have, it is impossible for us to take the train to airport by our own. Our host helped us to book a van at KRW75,000.00
Incheon Airport The airport is consistantly ranked in the top ten airports worldwide and was granted the title ‘Best Airport in the World’ by Global Traveler for four consecutive years. It is the second busiest airport in the world in terms of cargo and freight and one of the busiest airports in terms of international passengers.
All check in done, and it is the time to laze around, chill around, last minute shopping like below :
OZ 751 Departing Seoul at 1715hrs for Singapore
Though this trip is barely only 6 days but everybody here are very happy.
It is not the destination counts, it is the precious family outing moment we are counting afterall.
BF is trying to coax my parents to go Japan next June...
Back home, after all the unpacking and washing...
Here are our loots...
We have come to the end of this blog, please look out for my next blog to Bali in a few weeks time.
