Getting to Nami Island: the misadventures and its reward

November 26, 2015
Day 5

Today is Nami Island day! We left the guesthouse a little late. From Chungmuro Station Line 4, we went to Seoul Station then transferred to Line 1 going to Yonsan Station. From there, we planned to take the ITX for a shorter travel time. The train comes every hour and we got the 12PM ticket. We had about half an hour left to spare so we went outside to smoke.

After a stick (or was it two?), we headed back to the station, walked to the correct platform and dropped by the 7-11 store right beside it (yes, there's a 7-11 store right along the platform!). A train arrived and we hurried out to board the train only to realize halfway to the next station that we hopped on the wrong train. Ugh. We were supposed to board the ITX, but didn't bother to check if it was the correct train. We were at the correct platform and there was a train. We thought it just arrived earlier than scheduled and it didn't occur to us (or at least to me) that it was a different train altogether. Anyway, we approached some fellow passengers, explained that we want to go to Gapyeong station, and asked if we were on the right train. They said they didn't know and moved to another side. After a while, they approached us and, in broken english, tried to explain that we had to transfer to another train. We thanked them and got off at Oksu station and decided to just wait for the ITX train there. But then I realized the ITX train won't stop at Oksu station. Oh fudge. It didn't help much either when we tried to use the customer service box where you can call for assistance. We can't understand each other so I said thanks, never mind and politely dropped the call. I was ready to give up. My best bet was to go back to Yongsan station and try to take the next train available which is an hour later. That was until a woman in uniform, a station staff who seems to be in a hurry, approached us and invited us to the office. She explained to me using a translator app that she is going to refund our ITX ticket and give us the local train ticket instead, if we agree. The commute will be quite longer but it was a much better option than to go back to Yongsan station. She was like an angel that heaven sent to rescue us, so I was more than happy to agree.

It was more than an hour long ride. I was looking outside and was content with watching the scenery. At first, I thought it was raining hard, but my eyes opened wide when I realized that it was snowing! The train window was a bit tinted, but I was sure it was snow. When we arrived at Sangbong station, we transferred to Line 7 Gyeongchun line going to Gapyeong station. And guess what? It was still snowing!!! Oh my gosh, I cannot tell you how amazing it was to witness my first snow! Awesome awesome day! It was just a light snowfall, but still, I had to take photos and some videos as well to document just in case it stops snowing when we get to Gapyeong station. Hehe.

Saw a Charlie Brown Cafe in this station and said to myself I'll try it on our way back since we were already running late. (Note: we weren't able to. I forgot why, but it's either a.it was already closed or b.we were dead tired and just want to get a proper dinner and get back to our room). Oh, and another happy discovery in this station was the musical stairs! You know..where the stairs makes a sound when you step on it. I was like a child playing going up and down making music. That was really fun!

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!

Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA)

Nov 24, 2015
Day 3

Taken from the pamphlet

After visiting Changdeokgung Palace, we went to Seoul Museum of Art. We got confused with the directions and kinda walked around in circles for like 30 minutes until we decided to use google maps and GPS. It was fun! We're like treasure hunting, walking around and trying to find the dot in the map. Hahaha! Good thing the weather was nice and it was such a pleasure walking around this area. We saw a couple of nice and cute cafes and lots of cool looking restaurants.

and we were at the right direction. yay!

art display on the street

Finally! Welcome to Seoul Museum of Art. Admission was free so we let ourselves in. There was an exhibit diplay in the gallery at the third floor. The exhibition, entitled Eternal Narcissist, featured the works of Chun Kyung-ja, one of Korea's most renowned painters of the 20th century.

The exhibition is designed to approach Chun's autobiographical paintings from the self-respective viewpoint and thus divides the exhibition into four sections: The Story of My Sorrowful Legend, A Fantasy Drama, Drawings, and A Woman of Freedom.

That's what was written in the pamphlet. So we climbed the stairs to the third floor. Understandably, taking photos inside the exhibition wasn't allowed. I liked a lot of her paintings, drawings and essays. It was very interesting, indeed!

Anyway, let me tell you a little secret, when we got here, I realized that what I really wanted to visit was Seoul Museum of History. Still, no regrets. It was a lot of fun!

PS. I just had to tell you about the Korean KFC chicken we ate after our visit in SeMA! But before that, let me tell you something first. The side of my tongue got a tear from my braces and it was really painful and was such a big bother coz I can't talk properly and worse, I can't enjoy the food! Huhu. Anyway, so like what I was saying, we dropped by KFC for our dinner and thought I can just order the regular chicken and eat it slowly. I wasn't expecting it to be soooooooooo delicious. My goodness! I wanted to cry because a) my tongue hurts and b) I can't enjoy my delicious food! Waaah! I was just so pissed about the whole situation with my tongue. Bottomline is TRY KFC CHICKEN IN KOREA! Ugh. Ranting and free advertising ends here. Hehe. That is all.

PPS. I didn't take a picture of the chicken coz well..it was KFC and I wasn't really expecting too much from it. Also, I wasn't in the mood to take pictures due to the agony I was in. Hehehe.

Hanging out in Hongdae

Nov 23, 2015

Day 2

Hongdae easily became one of my favorite spots in Seoul. It's a nice place to walk around and shop and eat. There were a lot of cute restos and cafes I wanted to visit, and shops that sell cute clothes and shoes and accessories and makeup! Lots and lots of makeup. Like..you wouldn't believe how many makeup brands and cosmetic products they have. But hey, that's Korea for you. Some people come to Korea specifically for these products.

Anyway, before entering the Trick Eye Museum, we wandered around and saw some interesting graffiti.

We grabbed a late lunch/early dinner at Noona Holdak. We ordered chicken and spicy squid heads and paired it with soda. The food was soooooo good we can't help but order beer as well. And then I understood the chicken and beer combination that the Koreans love so much. I loved it, too!

It was getting late, but this place was just starting to get busy. We saw a couple of street performers in almost every corner and people were really watching/listening to them. It made me want to sit down on the curb and just watch and listen and enjoy and just chill, basically. It's the kind of place I'd love to go to after a long day at work and just relax. That was the kind of vibe I got when I was there and if that's your thing, I'm sure you'd love it too.

We walked around some more. We saw what we think was some sort of a red light district. Sort of because when you think of a red light district, you imagine the streets to be bustling with life and party and what-nots with a lot of people trying to get you to enter their establishments. It wasn't like that at all, but we still got a feeling it was a red light disctrict. Maybe we were wrong, or maybe not, but that's what we thought it was, is what I'm saying. Anyway, there were also a couple of alleys with lots of small restaurants that were literally packed with customers who all seemed to be having the time of their lives. These restos seemed..alive. With life. If you know what I mean. Anyway, it just looked so lively and fun from someone (me) in the midst of the busy alley trying to get past the throng of people standing/lining outside these restaurants. Now if you try and read that all again, it seems like the red light district I was talking about, but it wasn't. This I'm sure of. Hahaha!

Namsangol Hanok Village

Nov 22, 2015
Day 1

After settling down and getting some rest in the guesthouse, we went out to walk around and look for a place to eat. As we decided on a restaurant that offers bulgogi, I saw this in my peripheral.

We realized that this is the Namsangol Hanok Village. Admission is free so we decided to eat later and explore this place first.

There were 5 restored traditional Korean houses inside. Inside these houses, there were traditional furniture on display as well. I find the intricate designs so pretty and the colors were lovely. We saw old pieces of things they use in the old days. Awesome. There was also a pond and a pavilion inside the village. I believe there were activities being offered for free at certain times of the day wherein you can participate, but it was all closed when we visited. The N Seoul Tower can be viewed from here as well.