Today we went to Namsangol Hanok Village, since it is Chuseok Holiday, so i was planning to immerse myself in some cultural stuff.
Met up with Ericka and Jenessa to go to Gyeongbokgung Palace as we wanted to take photos in hanbok costumes. While stoning in the train, some salesmen were peddling goods in the train. It intrigued me because you dont see such stuff at all in Singapore.
cant remember what he was selling LOL
By the time we reached gyeongbokgung, there was a huge crowd. We wanted to watch the guard changing ceremony but it was cancelled as there were too many people. SAD . But nontheless, it did not stop me from going to the palace entrance to take photos with the stony faced guards!
OMG im so tanned!
We wanted to try the female hanboks but to our dismay, the costumes they had were of guardmen costumes which we werent interested in. So it was like… we came for nothing. I was quite sian by that. So we decided to visit the museum that was right beside the Palace to make our trip to Gyeongbokgung Palace worthwhile. I mean like, you travel so far then do nothing , quite wasted, as compared to finding something to do there eh.
Because all the exhibits were in hangeul, i had no idea what i was looking at. So i rented the translator(yellow device) for 1000won. Yes its in english. All you need to do is to present your student card. At that time i have yet to receive my Student ID, hence i used my home university matriculation card. And they accepted it eh ^^v
Often when in the museum, the people look at the exhibits a tad too fast, i tried listening to the explanation for each exhibit quickly but the visitors moved faster than me. Im like, ‘ do the visitors just look see look see or they really read the words on the explanation panels in each exhibit?’ cuz i try to read it as much as possible. in this way then you would acquire more knowledge about the museum you have visited ,imo, and i think thats the purpose of a museum.
i still cant believe that the Korean King actually sat in this.
Review: 2/5
Go if you like museums about Palaces, King and Queen’s clothes,history etc. It was a quite boring for me, only a little parts were interesting. Like there was one exhibit, when they explained that the Queen wears more magnificent robes for important events, and 2 borders of patterns on the hanbok means important events,something along that line(that was a little interesting).
Directions:
Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 5, The Museum is just a few mins walk away. The museum is right beside/in the Palace.
For more info, please refer to the website
After that we decided to go Namsangol Hanok Village, but on the way, we passed by Seoul Metro Art Center.
While browsing through, i was quite surprised to find my boys featured in it. SHINee!
Its just a small area where they showcase the artsy crafts.
We browsed for at most 1/2 hour before we made our way to the Namsangol Hanok Village.
Here we are , at Namsangol Hanok Village!
the beautiful scenery.Land
and Air.
a performer dressed in traditional robes
i think this is the study room
traditional kitchen
steps to make the doll
we passed by it but werent too interested in these
namsan tower in the background, love the view. See the crowds? All watching the performances
Most of the activities arent free, but as we are budget students, we searched for free activities to play. And this was the only one.
hitting the cloth continuously. the children who tried it were easily bored out. admire the ahjummas stamina, they had to do it the whole day!!
i saw that they were giving out free rice cake so i went to kope some with my tissue. bad idea. i regretted it, i should have asked them to put it on my hands then the food wouldnt stick to the tissue sooo much
it tasted so-so. like peanut powder covering the ddeok.
one cant resist taking photos . omg i just noticedmy tan lines near my big thigh. thats how scary Korea’s sun is.
till now i dont know if these barrels contain wine or spices like salt, etc.
kitchen! makes me think of Jewel In The Palace drama.
We wandered around and saw the time capsule, it was meant to commemorate Seoul’s 600 Year Anniversary., buried in 1994 and to be reopened in 2394. Ill be long gone by then.
me and julie
jen and jiali
At the time capsule, they put all sorts of languages. i like the time capsule, like travelling in time. things that has got to do with time in the past and now, im kinda interested. like visiting ancient palaces, looking at ancient stuff. super interesting like im using a time machine.
leaving the time capsule
haha jen and julie 2 jokers, both same pose. first photo at time capsule is both put peace sign. now is both pointing in the sky.
when we were leaving the place, there was some broadcasting events. radio? i guess. I had no idea what they were saying
Ratings: 4/5
Review:
I didnt give it 5/5 as there werent much free activities to try out. It was basically just photos photos. Not much of trying out cultural stuff like tea session. Perhaps i was expecting a bit too much, but being the poor and budget me. I had to be as thrifty as possible.
Despite not being able to try the cultural activities since have to pay money, we got to see how the interior of hanok houses are like. Though we arent allowed to enter, i was fine with it. As it was Chuseok holiday, the place was frigging packed.
Overall it was a good experience. The village is very near to the station.
Directions: please click here
Since myeongdong was rather near, we decided to go there for dinner. I had cravings for bbq and as Myeongdong is a tourist area it was hard to find cheap food. But with the cheapo me, we managed to find one 😀
those who are lazy, can take a lift up ! We are the lazy ones hehe
basically free flow= awesomeness
When we were eating, i spotted a girl wearing the exact same top as me. Apparently the moment i noticed it, one of the girl’s friend noticed it too. Damn lol at the korean girl’s reaction. I was chuckling while the girl looked embarrassed. C’mon its just that ive similar taste with you yo !
Review:
There is a wide variety , pasta, sushi and usual Korean bbq meat. Different parts of the pig. And its free flow!!! It was less than 14000won per pax. I cant remember the exact price, forgot to take photo of it. Jen was saying that it was the cheapest meal she had in Myeongdong. Previously whenever she ate with her mom, all her meals were averaged around 20000won per meal. Atas life eh.
The interior design was rather classy, casual dining.
Directions: Myeongdong station exit 8 , we stumbled on this restaurant so i cant remember how we walked to the restaurant. Just look for the red shirt tourist guides who are stationed around and ask them for directions! They will definitely know. If you cant find them, then ask those staff who are working at the cosmetics shops, usually they will know. Cos i always look for those staff when i lose my way. Myeongdong is like a maze to me.
Address: The 3rd floor, Samyoung Tower, 3-35, Chungmuro 2 ga, Jung-gu, Seoul
Tel: 02-318-5892
Website: www.hongbar.co.kr
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