Goodbye, Seoul.... Hello, Jeju Island!

Six days in Seoul went by just like that. There were still so many places we would have loved to visit, and revisit, but there's just not enough time. On our last day in Seoul we didn't venture far for Yongsan Electronics Market was just a walking distance away. Most of the shops in the building we visited were wholesalers but we found several shops which sold retail items and got ourselves some stuff we've been looking for. 

not in Korea but bought in Korea :)

Seoul-searching Day 5: Paju Outlet Shop

Trip to Seoul wouldn't be complete without a visit to the many outlet shops in nearby areas. I've chosen Paju Premium Outlet as it was the second largest premium outlet in Korea with 220 stores (now that's a lot of walking and window shopping to look forward to).

Seoul-searching Day 4: Learning, Earning, Enjoying at KidZania

KidZania is a place where kids (up to age 16) get to experience real-life jobs. A theme park which allows them to have hands-on "training" in different jobs, get paid for the job they do, or pay for the experience they want to go through. No matter what type of job and skills your kids have, there is definitely something that will spark their interest at KidZania.

getting ready to get our boarding passes to Kidzania

Seoul-searching Day 3: Namsan Oreumi, Namsan Cable Car and N Seoul Tower

For the final leg of our itinerary Day 3 in Seoul, we took the train to Myeongdong to explore the modern attributes of the city. We stopped by for a quick snack of hotdogs and drinks at 7-evelen before walking towards Namsan Oreumi - an outdoor elevator that runs between Namsan Tunnel #3 Commemorative Plaza and the Namsan Cable Car. The walk from Myeongdong Station was confusing. We did follow the sign towards Namsan Tunnel #3 but somehow we lost our way as we walked uphill, and seemed to be getting closer to the cable car station with no elevator station in sight. That alarmed us because we didn't really want to walk all the way to the cable car station. We asked around but got more confusing directions (and mostly blank stares). We stopped, checked our maps and sniffed our way through the streets, and finally found ourselves walking towards the direction of the Namsan Oreumi.

so relieved when we saw the cable car sign at the top of Namsan Oreumi

Seoul-searching Day 3: Cheonggyecheon and Gwanghwamun area

Following the main road from Deoksugung Palace is the Cheonggyecheon Plaza. There was a big sculpture of what seemed like a conch and in front of it was a pond where the water from the stream seemed to come from (or end in). This was actually a miniature replica of the Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Seoul-searching Day 3: Changing of the Guards at Deoksugung Palace

The rich history of Deoksugung Palace brought about the reenactment of the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony. The Royal Guards were responsible for the opening and closing of the palace gates as well as protecting the King residing in the palace during the Joseon era. After a thorough research by scholars, the Changing of the Guards ceremony has attracted much attention since 1996. Who wouldn't be enthralled by a performance that dates back centuries?

Deoksugung Palace Changing of the Guards

Seoul-searching Day 3: Korea House and Namsangol Hanok Village

We hopped on the train to the city late morning and Korea House was the first for us to see. From the Chungmuro Station we took exit 3 and from the gas station we turned left and walked up the street. There was an event (it may have been a traditional wedding) happening when we got there. It looked like a formal event and we were definitely not dressed for the occasion so we decided to just take a photo in front of the building. Then walked down the stairs to the Cultural Gift Shop to have a look at the variety of crafts by traditional craftsmen. I also asked for directions to Namsangol Hanok Village, to avoid getting lost and to save time. It was just within walking distance from there, as directed by the lady in the shop. She even showed me the map which was conveniently glued to the cashier counter (I guess it's for easy reference when tourists ask). 

in front of Korea House

Seoul-searching Day 2: Banpo Bridge

A whole afternoon of rest was enough to re-energize us. Come night time, after having our dinner we headed to Banpo Bridge. We took the train from Sinyongsan Station (Line 4) which crossed over the Han River to get to Dongjak Station (2 stops away). 

From the station take exit 1 or 2 which leads to the park along Han River. From what I've read, this should be a good vantage point to watch the light show on the bridge. There were bikers using the same road as the pedestrians so if you happen to be in this place better watch out specially if you're going at night. We walked closer to the edge of the river where other people were sitting on the benches at the park just under the bridge, some people brought along picnic mats and set them on the grass patches. There were piles of ruble that kept the kids entertained while waiting for the show to start.

Seoul-searching Day 2: Jongmyo Shrine

On Day 2, we had a sumptuous home-cooked meal before embarking on a shrine and palaces tour day, if we were to follow our itinerary to the dot. We left mid-morning, taking the train subway Line 1 to Jongno 3-ga Sation. The train rides really get the kids excited. They always look forward to tapping their T-money cards and waiting for the trains (specially if there are TV screens that show where the train currently is). They even enjoy comparing the types of seats for every train we take. When the kids are a bit older, like in their primary years, they are also more involved in getting to know what route we take every time we go out. They help check the train system map and count the number of stops to get to our destination. Ira is also inclined in checking the balance of his card whenever he taps in and out, helps in his math skills I guess.

First on our list was Jongmyo Shrine. From exit 11 of the Jongno 3-ga Station we weren't sure which street to take so we followed the traffic signs pointing to the shrine. I had a feeling though that we were going the wrong way so I stopped by a police station and asked for directions. The police officer kindly drew a simplified map to show me the way. When you're in an unfamiliar place you can easily get lost if you don't have your bearing yet, and that was what happened to us. After receiving directions and hand-drawn map from the police officer, we were more confident we were heading on the right track. 

Seoul-searching: Day 1 of 6 (May/June 2014)

Our Korea adventure started with our flight to Busan. We flew in via Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia on-board Airasia. We left Singapore on a Thursday night at 8:45pm, transiting in KL for about 3hrs, leaving at 1:15am the following day (Friday), arriving Busan at 8:30am. We chose the night flight so the kids don't need to take a day off from school (Friday was results day, no classes). Arriving early morning also gave us enough time to travel from Busan to Seoul where we would be meeting up with in-laws coming from the Philippines (yes, that's a total of 4 adults and 4 children ages 6 to 14 on this trip).

South Korea in 2 weeks (May/June 2014)

If you're not into tour packages which usually just hops and skips at popular tourist destinations, you can consider my family's customized travel itinerary. 

It's not an extensive coverage of all brochure-worthy tourist attractions but a combination of sights and scenery that caters to our family's interests and budget (and maybe yours, too!), as well as energy. And since we've missed out a fair number of places during our first visit, we are definitely looking forward to returning to South Korea sometime in the future.