Insadong. Street of Culture, Arts and Food :)

November 25, 2015
Day 4

The original plan for this day was to go to Seoraksan and climb Ulsanbawi. We did not push through because a) it was cloudy and there was probability of rain and b) because it was so darn cooolllddd!! Temperature on higher altitudes are naturally lower so...nah! I value my precious nose, however flat it is, and I wasn't planning to let it drop off on my way up the rocky mountain.

So. Instead of that, we went to Insadong to check out shops for souvenirs and pasalubong. The street was filled with different kinds of shops. It just stopped raining when we got out of the station and the weather was perfect for a relaxed day like this to walk around and check out almost each and every shop. Haha! We even explored some of the side alleys which were lined with restaurants. Lovely way to make ourselves hungry with all the aroma coming from the kitchens of all the restos. Lol.

We checked out Ssamziegil. It's a small building with lots of cute and artsy stuff. The building itself is a work of art. Starting on the second floor, going up the building doesn't require/involve stairs because the hall slightly elevates from one corner to another, so you'll be able to pass through each and every store up to the top. That kinda sounds confusing. Lol. How do I say this? Hmm..just think spiral, with corners. Does that help? Hahaha! But, of course there's a stairway located in one of the corners of the hall. Anyway, I was on the lookout for Totoro stuff but didn't find it there. Still, it was worth a visit for those who wants to buy cute stationery items, accessories, bags, clothes, shoes, and other cute stuff for your room and even furniture and so much more! At the top floor/level, there were  also cute cafes and restos. So cool!

Chasing Autumn. Changdeokgung Palace and Huwon, the Secret Garden Tour

November 24, 2015
Day 3

Changdeokgung palace is one of the five remaining palaces used by kings of the Joseon dynasty and is the most-preserved. I don't know much about Korean history and I thought this would be a good place to start. We checked out the throne hall, king's council hall, king and queen's residence and the crown prince's study.

For international visitors, the admission fee is as follows:

Adults (ages 19-64): Regular 3,000 won / Huwon 5,000 won 

Children and Teenagers (ages 18 and under): Regular 1,500 won / Huwon 2,500 won 

Group (over 10): 20% discount offered for regular tickets only.

If I remember right, the admission to the Huwon tour was for at least 2 people only. There was a guy on the other line who was trying to buy a ticket for the tour group but was refused because he was alone (atleast that's how I understood the situation). He was the guy who offered to take our photo in front of the palace earlier and we were about to offer him to buy tickets with us for the tour so he can join, but he worked something out with the staff already. 

The palace grounds was huge. I can only imagine how many guards were in duty during those days. I haven't watched a lot of Korean dramas. Most of what I saw were only snippets of the drama Jewel in the Palace and other short trailers during commercials while changing channels, and some from facebook that my kdrama-gaga fb friends posted. Being in there made me curious what happened in those grounds, what kind of festivities and activities were held in it and wondered how the royalties lived.