Part 2: Seoul Series- Wearing Hanbok in Gyeongbokgung Palace & Bukchon Hanok Village

This is the 2nd part of our Seoul trip series.. click this link if you've missed the first part. 

Seoul is a city like no other. While it is one of the most hyped when it comes to modern technology.. its so fascinating to know that the City is also home to the ancient palaces, traditional houses and old temples which showcase the rich history and culture of Korea. It's a perfect blend of the old meets new. There are 5 royal palaces around Seoul which were built during the Joseon dysnaty around more than 600 years ago but we were only able to visit the largest and grandest among them.. the Gyeongbokgung Palace. From Hotel Atrium (the hotel where we stayed in).. the palace is just a short taxi ride away. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

We thought it would be a fun experience to rent out a hanbok (korean traditional dress) as we  explore the palace and if you're wondering where we rented our hanbok costumes.. we rented it here in this shop (picture below).

It is just across the left side of the palace.

entrance of the Hanbok rental shop

The hanbok rental shop does not have an english business name but it is located beside the palace. Our rent for our hanbok costumes costs 30,000 won each for two hours. We're allowed to mix and match our hanbok terno as long as it is within the price range. Hanbok rental starts at 20,000 won (the cheapest) upto 80,000won depending on the quality of the hanbok you choose. I also paid additional 4,000 won to have my hair braided to complete the traditional korean look. Hihi. The Korean woman who did my hair can speak English and Mandarin quite well. 

The matchy-matchy hanbok costumes we chose. :) 

The attendant gave us a brief history of the hanbok as well as where we should place our hands for picture-taking while wearing their traditional dress (although we didnt really follow it). We were told that the social status of the people during the Joseon and Goryeo dynasties was determined by the kind of fabric and color they're wearing. The colors red, blue and yellow are exclusive for the royalties only. While the hanbok we chose is for Aristocrat/Diplomat social class.

And because we're wearing hanbok.. we were surprised that our admission fee to the palace was free. Yey!. It was indeed a great experience to try out other country's traditional costume in a beautiful setting of a palace.
And isnt it that Korean traditional costume soooo cute?

This is my favorite picture of me in the palace under the beautiful cherry tree

After lunch, we headed next to Bukchon Hanok village (Korean traditional home) which is just walking distance from the Gyeongbokgung Palace. This village is used to be where the aristocrat resided during the Joseon dynasty. A few more descendants of aristocrats still live here but today, many hanok were already converted into guesthouses, tea houses and restaurants.

I remember Lee Min Ho oppa in this setting. :P

While strolling around the village, we spotted this cute bukchon house offering tea and other refreshment. It reminds me so much of the house from Lee Min Ho's drama, Personal Taste  

It's so cozy in here..

Jan ordered Korean Coffee while I ordered Sikhye (Fermented rice juice). Yeap, it used to be the soft drink of ancient Korean people :)

Inside the hanok house

cars parked in the village

And then we went back again in our hotel for a power nap. Glad we decided to stay longer because we get to enjoy every attraction in our itinerary in a leisurely pace. For dinner, we finally able to dig in for a sangyeopsal. Yey!

I've been waiting for this moment! :D

To be continued...

Always,

Rica ♡

Part 1- Seoul Series: Cherry Blossoms in Yeouido & Myeongdong
Part 2- Seoul Series: Gyeongbokgung Palace & Bukchon Hanok Village
Part 3- Seoul Series: Insadong & Dongdaemun
Part 4- Seoul Series: Kwangjang Market & Gangnam
Part 5- Seoul Series: Nami Island
Part 6- Seoul Series: Last day in Seoul

  

Part 1: Seoul Series - Cherry Blossoms in Yeouido & Myeongdong

It has been a week since our first trip in Seoul Korea and we could say that we had the best time of our lives in the land of Kimchi, Kdrama and Sangyeopsal.  In fact, I still have hang-over thinking about our wonderful experience and all the delicious foods we ate during our trip. We stayed in Seoul for 8 days which gave us an ample time to cover everything listed in our itinerary. A vacation to South Korea is definitely a dream come true for someone like me who is an avid fan of Korean dramas--and to see with my very own eyes the familiar places that I only get to watch in K-dramas literally gave me a surreal feeling. We came in Seoul just in time for cherry blossoms and it was indeed a sweet treat for us to see the Cherry blossoms for the first time.


Day 1: Arrival in Seoul

We arrived in Incheon International Airport at around past 9 in the evening. The travel time from the airport to get to our hotel is about more than an hour. We stayed in Hotel Atrium located in the prime area of Jongno. It is near Line 1 and 5 subway, the famous KwangJang Market is just across the hotel and Jongmyo shrine and Insadong are walking distance. 

We booked their King Deluxe room via agoda and paid around PHP26,000.00 for a 7 nights stay. Our room is quite spacious for a korean standard.. we have a king size bed, mini-bar with refrigerator, bath tub, hot & cold shower, and I specifically would like to mention the hi-tech toilet with featured buttons for bidet washing, seat warming and deodorizing just like in Japan. I love that our room is being made up everyday after a day of exploring the City. Check in and out went out smoothly and the receptionists can speak english quite well (and they are all good looking, too). The only downside is that you still have to pay their buffet breakfast separately which we didn't mind because we get up quite late during our stay and we prefer to dine outside to try local food (they serve western breakfast).

After we checked in, we went to a nearby restaurant for our late dinner. Establishments in Seoul closes early.. at 11pm, there are no barely establishments opened and we even saw some few korean men who were dragging themselves to walk home because they're too drunk just like what I always see in K dramas.  Koreans are heavy drinkers.. even women drink soju together with a regular meal. We walked to an alley across Kwang Jang Market and finally found an open restau that offers beer and KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) . As a loyal customer of Kyochon in my country.. we are so delighted to have KFC for our first meal in Seoul. The restaurant owner was so accommodating and suggested for us to order a mix of their sweet&spicy and sun flower chicken. Jan also ordered Cass beer to match his chicken.

KFC for our first meal in Seoul :)

Jan enjoys Cass Beer so much he drinks it everyday

Midnight snack. Bwahahaha

Day 2: Yeouido and Myeongdong

In our second day in seoul.. we went to Yeouido Park to see the cherry blossoms. Yeouido is the main finance and banking district in Seoul and is one of the popular places to go to during the Spring most especially when the cherry flowers are in full bloom. An annual Spring Flower Festival are being held here with various performances, streetfood and art craft stalls lined up for tourists and local alike to enjoy while admiring the beauty of the cherry trees. We noticed that koreans are very family-oriented.. we often see Korean dads play with their children, they go to the park with their family to go picnic and restaurant owners run their businesses with their family members. 

Jampacked of people in Yeouido Spring Flower Festival

But first.. a little OOTD pic. :D

Our Brunch.. Bimbimbap

Cherry Blossoms are so beautiful

Chicken Barbecue we bought in one of the food stalls in the park. See the photobomber uber sweet couple? :) 

Jan's moment

Busy Yeouido District

A more bloomed Cherry Tree

We stopped by again to try out Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cake) and Odeng (Fish Cake Soup) for the first time which are two popular Korean Streetfoods. 

We went back to our hotel after a half day of exploring Yeouido park. Later that evening , we went to Myeongdong for streetfood trippin and a little shopping. . The district is so vibrant at night and we definitely enjoy a leisurey walk while indulging to the local streetfoods and delicacies. 

Jan and his sausages :P

Sausage balls in different variant

Korean version of Takoyaki

Korean Ice cream with real honey on top. Yummy!

Freshly squeezed Lemon

And we ate Odeng again .. we were surprised how delicious Odeng is .. we like it more than Tteokbokki.

Beauty and make up stores are left and right and i  found it so difficult to pick what I want. I ended up buying tons of facial mask in inisfree for souvenir and bought a couple of nail polishes to retouch my cracked nails. 

And obviously, we went home that night with a fulfilled first full day in Seoul with another HAPPY TUMMIES.

Continuation here

Always,

Rica ♡

Part 1- Seoul Series: Cherry Blossoms in Yeouido & Myeongdong

Part 2- Seoul Series: Gyeongbokgung Palace & Bukchon Hanok Village

Part 3- Seoul Series: Insadong & Dongdaemun

Part 4- Seoul Series: Kwangjang Market & Gangnam

Part 5- Seoul Series: Nami Island

Part 6- Seoul Series: Last day in Seoul