of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 1

Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

well, here i am, at home, feeling pathetic cos i am down with a stomach flu. grounded. cos they say it is infectious. so i am alone with Ronnie and constantly running to the toilet. shit. what a new year eve...

so i decided to start blogging about my long waited korea trip. we took a 8d6n package tour from Namho that covers Jeju and seoul. the trip i can say is fantastic and we both are very satisfied with the itinerary offered by the Korean guide Allen and also our SG guide Diane. we had lots of fun during our 8d there. food and accommodation is gd. this is my second trip to Korea since 10 yrs ago and korea really change alot. i would want to go back there again soon lol

our trip started last sat mid nite. boarded SQ 608 and landed at incheon airport at approx 8 hrs later. greeted by our Korean guide Allen and also a representative from KTO - korean tourism organisation - Kelvin also our photographer. we were given some time to change into our winter clothings plus wash up and also some light breakfast.

then we took the bus ride to a restaurant near DongDaemun Market for lunch. our first lunch in korea is their famous bibimbap. they also gave us a steamboat for some pork shabu...we love it! FYI, i dont take kimchi stuff when i first came but this time, i finish them all too. i din know that kimchi is so gd lol

after lunch, we went shopping for some winter stuff ( for those who did not bring enough winter clothings or wishes to top up ) . to me , the weather is ok, not so freezing la. maybe is due to the heat packs i had in my pocket lo. for those who are also going to winter countries, heat packs are a must - the hand type. for the feet one, i dont find it useful. i only use them twice and i gave up already. oh, also winter leggings are gd too. i m glad that i bought 2 winter leggings ( with skirts ) and 2 winter leggings ( with sole covered) at gmarket. they really came in handy. for the next coming days, i only had 1 winter leggings with sole and then additional ( with skirt) on top of it . it keeps me really warm..better than jeans. but for the first day, i still can tahan the cold la.

after shopping, the korean guide change the itinerary by going to other places planned for day 5 cos is along the way. i like Allen cos he really did his best effort on time saving so that we do not need to spend time on the road.

so we went to Buckhon Han'ok Village first instead

Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) 
Address
Gahoe-dong, Jae-dong, Samcheong-dong, Gye-dong, Wonseo-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul-si 

Directions

Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2. Go straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village.

we spend approx 30 minutes walking around the village and we set off for our next destination. currently Buckchon Han'ok Village is a residential premises for Koreans. so we only managed to take pictures outside the houses. the buildings are very traditional like those you see in Korean dramas.

our next destination is Gwanghwamun Square

Gwanghwamun Square (광화문광장) Address Sejong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul-si Directions Take subway (Line #5) to Gwanghwamun Station >> use exit of #2 and 3 min walk straight

some information about Gwanghwamun square - taken from visitkorea.or.kr website

Introduction

On August 1st, 2009, the redesigned Gwanghwamun Square opened to the public. With the inauguration of the square, Sejong-ro, located at the center of the 600-year-old historic city of Seoul, was transformed into a human-centered space that harmonizes with the beautiful scenery of Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukaksan Mountain. The close to 20,000 m2 Gwanghwamun Square is located at the center of Sejong-ro which connects Gwanghwamun Gate and Cheonggye Square. The square is divided into the sections, “Recovering the History of Gwanghwamun Gate Plaza”, “Reenacting Yukjo Street Plaza”, “Korea Main Plaza”, “Civil Participation Urban Culture Plaza”, “Downtown Plaza” and “Cheonggyecheon Stream Connector”. The “Recovering the History of Gwanghwamun Gate Plaza” section is at the entrance of the plaza, where a stone base called Woldae and a statue of Haetae, a mythical unicorn-lion that is said to protect palaces from fire, have been restored. Near Sejong-ro Park is“Reenacting Yukjo Street Plaza” where Yukjo Street, the main street of old Seoul (Formally known as Hanyang) was recreated. On the side is also a miniature depiction of Yukjo Street. The Statue of King Sejong the Great has been relocated in the “Korea Main Plaza” where Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, is projected on a fountain water screen. Between the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and the Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin is the “Civil Participation Urban Culture Plaza” with its range attractions and services including accommodation facilities for visitors, exhibition halls, elevators, Rendezvous plaza, and art galleries. “Downtown Plaza”, located near the Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin, symbolizes Sejong-ro. The Square has water facilities such as a pond and pop-jet fountains. The“Cheonggyecheon Stream Connector” functions as a connecting walking path between Cheonggyecheon Stream and Gyeongbokgung Palace. In addition, there is the “Memorial Waterway”, flowing underground water, which goes from both Gyeongbokgung and Gwanghwamun subway stations to Cheonggyecheon Stream. Plus, behind the Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin is “Sunken Square” which connects Gwanghwamun subway station and the ground allowing people to access the Square more easily. after that we went for a quick dinner before boarding the domestic flight to Jeju. our first dinner is the korean dumpling steamboat. actually, i prefer the fried dumpling instead of soup cos the fillings were all over the soup by the time we ate them -_-". still, it is just as nice la

after dinner, we flew off to Jeju...

PS: all pictures are taken using Nikon D90.