I wake up at around 8:00 AM of March 18th. I want to start the day early so i can go and visit all the places that I planned on visiting during my 2nd day in Seoul. Since my hostel is around 15 minutes walk to Gyeongbukgong Palace, I decided to go there first. I arrived at around 9AM in Gyeongbukgong Palace and there's not much tourists when I lined up to buy the ticket going inside the main palace grounds. It is an advantage to go to places frequented by tourists earlier because you don't need to wait in line getting ticket or surrounded by tour groups, you can also take pretty pictures without any obstructions. Ticket going inside the main palace grounds costs 10,000 Korean Won or 10USD.
Above and down right: The main entrance and the largest gate to the Palace, Gwanghwamun Gate. Down Left: One of the towers i passed by from the hostel to the Palace
Entance and ground going to Gyeongbukgong Palace
palaces and houses inside Gyeongbukgong lower right: Gyeonghoeru (The Royal Banquet Hall). Upper right: Geunjeongjeon Hall
My random pics inside the Gyeongbukgong
Top left: The Blue House, Korean president's official residence (just outside the Gyeongbukgong). Top Right: just a random shot of the walls. Lower left: the gate on the other side of the palace. Lower Left: a random shot inside the palace grounds
Changing of Palace guards! and the guards outside the Gwanghwamun gate
After an hour of strolling around the Gyeongukgong (actually 1 hour is not enough if you really want to go around and check all the houses and palaces), I decided to leave and go to my next destination, the Cheonggyecheon stream which is around 10 minutes walk from the Palace. During that time, a lot of tourists and tour groups are also coming in and going around the Palace. I headed towards Gwanghwamun square which is just across the Gwanghwamun Gate and Gyeongbukgong. The huge square/plaza have less tourists at that time. A huge statue of a sitting King Sejong can also be found here. I took a few shots and asked a fellow tourists to take a pic of me in front of the statue. The subway line, Seoul subway line No. 5 Gwanghwamun station can be accessed from the plaza. There's also a museum just below the plaza.
Top left: a shot of Gwanghwamun Square from the gate. Top right: a shot of the Gate from the Square. Bottom pictures: far view of the Gwanghwamun Gate.
Left and center: Statue of King Sejong the Great (the King that invented the Korean language, Hangul). Right: Underground to Haechi (Seoul Tourism Mascot) Museum and to Line No. 5 Gwanghwamun Stn.
I noticed that the area around Gwanghwamun Square are surrounded by government buildings.
After walking pass the Gwanghwamun Square, I decided to to look for a place to eat since i was really mad hungry that time (i dont have breakfast and it was already noontime). And because i'm hesitant eating in a Korean restaurant (because of the price or the kind of food) or any other unfamiliar eatery, i just decided to play safe and headed to a KFC branch i saw in a street across the Gwanghwamun Square. Ordered myself a burger and fries.
After walking pass the Gwanghwamun Square, I decided to to look for a place to eat since i was really mad hungry that time (i dont have breakfast and it was already noontime). And because i'm hesitant eating in a Korean restaurant (because of the price or the kind of food) or any other unfamiliar eatery, i just decided to play safe and headed to a KFC branch i saw in a street across the Gwanghwamun Square. Ordered myself a burger and fries.
My KFC meal!^^
After finishing my "lunch" i walked towards the direction of the Cheonggyecheon Stream, just about 5 minutes walk from Gwanghwamun Square.
My pictures of the Cheonggyecheon Steam!
it's really fun walking around this lovely stream and hoping from one side to another. \O/
View of the Jongno Tower from the Cheonggyecheon Stream
buildings around the stream
After a few minutes strolling the Cheonggyecheon Stream (there's nothing you can do there really except walking and taking pics^^), I decided to go to Insadong street where traditional items, galleries and such can be found.
Start of the Insadong-gil
Nature Republic and Starbucks written in Hangul (su-ta-buk-su ka-pi)^^
The place is good for sight seeing, shopping for souvenir items and eating in those quaint and traditional restaurants in the alleys along this road.
Souvenir items lining up along Insadong gil
Ssamziegil: a multi level cute shopping complex @ Insadong
Finished walking down the Insadong-gil at around noontime, I then decided to go back to the hostel, pick some stuffs to bring over to Incheon where I'll be meeting Ran. She gave me instructions on where i'll be getting off and fortunately i don't need to make transfers as the subway line no. 1 from Jongno Station will be heading all the way to Juan station in Incheon. The travel time takes around 30-45 minutes. Good thing Ran arrived at the station just a few minutes before i did and so she don't need to really wait for me. She told me that we'll be going to her school, Inha University. I am so very excited since it is one of Korea's top universities and also Super Junior's Ryeowook and Siwon's alma mater. Rode a city bus, (for the first time in Korea) from Juan Station all the way to Inha University. The travel time takes around 15 minutes.
Entrance to Inha University (Ran told me that this is actually the back gate and the main gate is all the way on the other side)
I was surprised to see this plane in the school grounds. This is actually donated by Korean Arline, Inha University's main benefactor. She told me this is Korean Air's very first airplane.
We went around the school a little bit and she then take me to meet her 2 friends (forgot their names) and we decided to go out to eat late lunch and drink coffee. Of course, it's their treat!^^
Upper picture: Inha University's huge library, one of the biggest in Asia and #9 in the world. Bottom picture: Inha University's symbol/mascot, The Flying Dragon Tower or Biryong.
After meeting her friends and spending some time around Inha, they then take me to this restaurant across Inha that serves really delish chicken galbi <3 Was really full after several servings.
Her friends are really nice, accommodating and would try their best to talk to me in English, they would ask how did Ran and I met and why and what i am doing in Korea. ^^ They were surprised and happy when i told them that i am a huge Super Junior fan, cuz they are actually SJ fans too! hehe one of them was able to hug Siwon during the filming of Running Man. Lucky girl^^ They also taught me some basic Korean words!^^ After our lunch we went to Inha again and she toured me around her college building (Education), walked around the halls of Inha University. It was around 5PM when I told her that I need to go back to Seoul as it was getting late and colder. She then took me to the bus stop going back to Juan station. We bid each other goodbye. Hope i can see and meet her again!^^
Juan Station in Incheon. Subway line no. 5
It was dark when i arrived in Seoul, i guess time is around 6 or 7PM. I don't know what got into me but I suddenly decided spur-of-the-moment go to Myeongdong! Hahahaha. Myeongdong is very very lively even at night. Lots of people walking around, most are Japanese tourists. Stores have sellers outside calling and luring in people to go to their shop and offers freebies and sample products. It's in Myeongdong where you can find several branches of all Korean cosmetics brands. I did not go farther from the main intersection in Myeongdong since i was really tired from the whole day of strolling and it was really getting very cold. Decided to take some snapshots before heading back to the subway.
Main Myeongdeong intersection from Myeongdeng subway line exit 6.
B1A4 store display in a PUMA store
Korean cosmetic brand A-Pieu with B2ST as endorsers^^
and yeah...just few steps from Exit 6 is the huge SPAO store, a Korean clothing brand with Super Junior and f(x) as endorsers. I went inside the store and check some clothes but since the clothes are bit pricey, i was not able to buy any.
Myeongdong is really a huge maze of stores and boutiques bringing out the shopaholic in you. But for someone like me who is on a tight budget for this trip, going around is such a torture as i gotta need strong resistance from temptations of buying everything i find nice and cute. haha~ But it's really nice to go around and window shop.
Went back to my hostel after a few minutes of walking in Myeongdong. My tired body fell asleep really fast because of the warm cozy bed. Day 2 of my trip done!
Went back to my hostel after a few minutes of walking in Myeongdong. My tired body fell asleep really fast because of the warm cozy bed. Day 2 of my trip done!
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