One Afternoon in Bukchon Hanok Village

After our Gyeongbok Palace and Insadong visits, we decided to check out Bukchon Hanok Village since it was just around the area and we had a whole afternoon to kill. We found out later that it was quite a long walk from Insadong, but we enjoyed looking at the interesting shops along the way.



Coffee shop / tea house




Crafts store



I initially thought that this area is a tourist spot, but it turned out to be a residential area. You can see locals walking home with grocery bags, or parking his car into a traditionally-styled garage gate.

Beautiful Houses




  

A very peaceful village

 

Among the alleys of hanoks (traditional house), one will also find several small museums or cultural centers. For a reasonable fee, one may enjoy several activities or crafts that are unique to Korea. Talk about cultural experience overload! :D

I wish I could own one of these hanoks!

We turned left, right, straight, right, left, left, wait.. or was it right? Hmmm simply said, we got lost among the maze-like alleys (despite having a map!). But YO! Look, where we arrived at many moments later. A very beautiful school!

Does it seem familiar? Yes, is THE school where Bae Yong Joon shot Winter Sonata!

Choong Ang Middle and High School

On our way back, we saw some tourist buses parked near an alley entrance. And quite a number of people flocking around it. It was very different from the quiet village that we just saw. Volunteers were waiting to give out maps and instructions to tourists and lost people like us.

One even came up to offer help, then she suggested that we visit one place...

I have a small confession to make. The real reason why I wanted to see Bukchon Hanok Village is because I was hoping to find one specific house - SANGGOJAE, the shooting location of Lee Min Ho's Personal Taste.

Now, I really applaud the Koreans for taking good care of their tourists. (And for reading my mind, of course) :p



Lee Min Ho's Sanggojae

It is JUST a house. Yes, I know that. It looks no different from the hundreds of houses around it. Yes, I know that too. But since I was there, I might as well take some photos of it. And for your information, there were also several k-razy fans happily snapping at the house!

Tips for Bukchon Trips:

1. Ask for a Bukchon Map at the tourist information booth in Insadong.

2. It is a residential area after all, so keep in mind to contain your excitement and to tone down a bit. (There are signs, several of them to remind you, just in case you forgot.)

3. Look out for the suggested photo spots where the best photos angles can be taken. The signs are bronze-colored metal on the ground.

4. If you want to see Lee Min Ho's Sanggojae, it is on 31 Gahoe-dong, on the left area of the map. Look for alley nearest Donmi Pharmacy and Gahoe-dong Catholic Church.

5. When lost, ask for directions. They are all so willing to help!

6. Time to spend: 2-3 hours max

A Journey to the Past - Gyeongbok Palace

One thing I love about Seoul is its rich culture and history. Amidst the modern structures, there lies one of its beloved ancient palaces – Gyeongbokgung.  



Hyeungnyemun



Don’t miss the COLORFUL changing of guards ceremony in front of the gate Hyeungnyemun. I suddenly decided to take this photo in a sepia/black and white mode, for that "ancient feel".



It was colorful, trust me.



The majestic Geungjeong-jeon or Hall of Diligent Government. This is where the king performed his formal meetings and discussed daily state affairs. I would have wanted to try the throne, but it is off-limits. :D



The throne inside Geungjeong Hall.



The inner court houses the private quarters of the royal family.

The royal residence

The palace grounds is huge, but not all house are open for public viewing, and the insides are more or less the same. So after snapping away at those tradtional halls and rooms, you may opt to visit the souvenir shop where you can borrow traditional costumes for FREE! Yes, it’s free, but you have to return it within 15 minutes. They have lunch breaks I think around 12:00 pm -1:30 pm so try to schedule your visit accordingly. The souvenir shop is located on the left side of Geungjeong-jeon - (the throne hall) No. 3 on the map below, and near the toilets.

Finish your palace tour with a relaxing walk along its vast gardens and lakes. The two best photo spots are Gyeonghoe-ru Pavilion and Hyangwon-jeong.



Take a rest at Gyeonghoe-ru Pavilion



Gyeonghoe-ru Pavilion



The breath-taking Hyangwon-jeong





Spend quality time with Mother Nature



A trip to this palace will make one realize that everything in this world is so inconstant. People just come and go, but at least there are things and places that can withstand time and change to serve as proof of our existence.

Map of Gyeongbok Palace:





Photo from Gyeongbokgung brochure

 

Directions:

Ride the subway to Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3, Exit 5) or Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5, Exit 2)

Operating Hours:

March to October 9:00 am to 6:pm

November to February: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

* Closed on Tuesdays

* Tickets are sold until one hour before closing time.

Admission Fee:

Adult: 3,000 Korean Won

Children: 1,500 Korean Won

Tips:

1.      Optional museum tours: Upon exit from the Gyeongbokgung subway station, you will find the National Palace Museum. -or- Near the rear end of the palace grounds, there is the National Folk Museum of Korea.  Admission fee is separate.

2.       It is best to visit the souvenir shop earlier so you can check its schedule for costume renting.

3.       3-4 hours is more than enough for a visit. Don’t forget that there are still so much to see in Seoul!

Calling Coffee Prince Fans

If there is an award for the best country in terms of promoting its tourism, I think the award will no doubt go to South Korea. Every year, millions and millions of tourists flock to this country. Their secret? Well, who doesn’t love their cry-your-eyes-out, laugh-til-you-drop, and envy-our-uber-mushy-romance drama series? And I haven’t even started with their flawlessly attractive lead actors and actresses!



Having this said, a trip to Seoul would not be complete without following the traveled path of these “K-razy” fans, right? So, we scheduled a short visit to one of the shooting locations of the popular series First Shop of Coffee Prince. (I love you, Gong Yoo!)

shop entrance

It was an old coffee shop located in Hong-ik University Area (Hongdae) that was especially renovated for this series. It is hidden in a quiet street, but you'll know you're there when you see a bunch of Japanese and Chinese girls doing poses and taking photos of the entrance.

Fans, relive the drama scenes as you enter the shop! J



nice cozy interiors



You will love their cozily designed interiors with wide glass windows overlooking the garden. The mismatched seats and tables were accented with touches of pastel-colored pillows for a more homey feel.



look for your idol's autograph

 

Walls and even lockers are covered with autographs and photos of the Coffee Prince cast.  Everywhere you look, there is some artsy thing to catch your eye. 

 

 



 

If you have seen the drama, then you would recognize this wall painted by the Han Kyul and Eun Chan.



flowers on the wall



And who would forget their famed gorgeous waiters?

 

face the camera please...



 After enjoying their beautiful interiors, we had to taste what they offer of course.

 

menu

Their food and drinks tasted good. But a bit more pricey than others'. Oh well, there's always a price to pay for being "k-razily" addicted to Korean dramas! Har har..

enjoyed our drinks and cakes while daydreaming of Han Kyul



Before heading home, take one last photo of Gong Yoo's autograph. J



gong yoo's autograph!



For directions to the Coffee Prince Shop: 

Visit the Official Korean Tourism Site 

My Jimjilbang Experience: Baring It All at Dragon Hill Spa

It was THE day. After having a nice breakfast, my mom and I were on the subway heading to Yongsan Station. We’re finally going to experience the Korean bath house or jimjilbang! We had the whole morning to spend at Dragon Hill Spa, one of the largest jimjilbangs in Seoul. (Directions to this location at the end of this post.)

almost there

From the entrance, a beautiful walkway leads to a beige building.

a short walk to the building

dragon hill spa

Upon entering, we were greeted by friendly receptionists who speak good English and Chinese. They gave us a short orientation on what to expect inside. Entrance fee for the common facilities like sauna and bath is 10,000 won (around Php 450). Other special services such as facials, massages, body scrubs, food, arcade games, etc. will incur extra charges. These will be charged to an electronic plastic bracelet which will serve as our “credit card” and key holder inside the spa.

reception area as seen from the shoe lockers section

these electronic bracelets are water-proof and heat-proof (photo from dragonhillspa.co.kr)

First thing to do once inside: leave your shoes inside the shoe lockers. Look for the locker whose number corresponds to the number on your bracelet. This will also be the number for your clothes locker upstairs.

shoe lockers

We rode the elevator to the ladies’ floors. The third floor is like a big changing room. You can find rows and rows of locker, vanity tables, plus a counter selling toiletries. In here, we saw women in all stages of undress :p

elevator to ladies' floors

buy toiletries here

We changed into the uniforms provided before entering the sauna/bath area in the second flooor. Actually, you may also leave your uniforms in the locker and just bring a towel and your toiletries with you. You save yourself the trouble of carrying your clothes all around when transferring from one pool to another. We should have done this, but we were not sure when to remove our clothes. Or should I say, we wanted to postpone walking around stark naked up to the last possible minute!

not the most flattering shirt :p

The most important thing to do is to take a shower before entering any pool.

don't forget to shower!

Aside from the shower area in the photo, we found another area with low shower heads and small chairs and started to shower while seated. (Better this way because only half of our naked bodies will be exposed :p) Halfway through our bath, we suddenly realized that we were showering in the wrong area, when some ajummas (old ladies) started giving us weird looks. Much later, we learned that it was the back scrubbing area. Haha, sorry for that, but regardless of shower location, we did shower until we’re squeaky clean J.

Now, it’s time to try the baths. By this time, not a piece of clothing should be on you! If you’re shy, you can use the towel provided and casually hold it in front of you. It is big enough to cover your whole front body. As for your back side, well, it is not every day that other people get to see your bottom. Do allow them the honor to admire it :p

one of the indoor baths

We tried the indoor baths for several minutes each. Digital thermometers indicate the various temperatures of these pools. Try getting into the hot tubs then moving to a cold one. The change in temperature is good for body circulation. :) After that, we went to the open air baths. There is a ginseng bath and also a sea water bath. We spent a longer time there because we had the place to ourselves and the gentle breeze of the outdoors felt good with the hot waters of the pool.

if I remember it correctly, this is the ginseng bath. (photo from dragonhillspa.co.kr)

Then, we got into the uniforms and explored the rest of the area. Dragon Hill Spa is really big. It has 7 floors of amenities that include:

The main hall. It is a co-ed meeting place. In here, we saw several people lying asleep on the floor. There was also a Chinese-inspired throne for the guests to feel like emperors and empresses. The luxurious interiors has been used as a shooting location for several Korean series. Perfect for picture taking. J (I think you can rent traditional costumes from the convenience store – not sure about this though). You can also try the salt room, facials, hand and body spa, and nail art services. (at additional charges.) Or you can just watch TV.

common area / main hall

A sleeping room. While my mom tried the massage chair (3,000 won), I explored further and saw a small stoned path to a Japanese styled room. It turned out to be a sleeping room. I peeked inside and heard some snoring haha.

they call this the winter sonata walk

sleeping room (photo from dragonhillspa.co.kr)

sleeping room

Saunas/steam rooms. There are several steam rooms of different designs. One is Egyptian-themed with pyramid structures. Another is designed to look like interiors of old English castles. There is even an area called womb cleansing wherein women sit on toilet-bowl-like chairs and get steamed from under! Eeww!

pyramid sauna

steam rooms

Ice room. If hot steams are not your thing, you may opt for the ice room and freeze yourself into an iced statue hehe kidding.

Arcade area. The jimjilbang is also a kid-friendly place. Kids or adults can get occupied for hours in the arcade area. (all with additional charges.) In their website, there is also a computer room and a fitness center but I did not find them.

arcade

Canteens. I don’t know how many there are, but I saw a couple of them during our tour.

canteen

Swimming pool. There’s a real outdoor pool with lounge chairs (swimming suit needed). We relaxed there for a while to people watch.

outdoor swimming pool

Sky Garden. On our way to this sky garden, we passed by the sleeping quarters. This is a bigger sleeping area for overnight guests. A restaurant is located at the topmost floor, and a small door led us to the sky garden.

welcome to the sky garden

parties can be held at the sky garden

It was past lunchtime when we showered and changed. At the vanity tables, we used their hair dryers and lotions. I also got to watch the Korean women dressing up and putting on their make-up. J

vanity/dressing area

Autographed photos of celebrities who have visited dragon hill spa

My verdict: Visitng a jimjilbang is a must-try activity in Seoul! For me, our trip was a very “liberating” and wonderful experience. I was surprised to find myself comfortable walking around with nothing on at all! One thing I learned: Flaunt your bodies while you still can :p

Dragon HIll Spa

Open 24 hours

Admission: 10,000 won for weekdays and 12,000 won for the evenings and weekends

Website: www.dragonhillspa.co.kr (in Korean)

Tips for visiting Dragon Hill Spa or jimjilbangs in general.

1. Go there on weekdays and on early mornings to avoid the crowd. We went to Dragon Hill on a Friday morning, not much people were there. The place will get crowded in the evenings and also on weekends.

2. Shower first before dipping yourself into any pools, or else you risk being scolded by ajummas/ajushis (old ladies and old men). There are many of them inside!

3. For those on a budget, you can stay overnight in a jimjilbang instead of hotels. The price is much cheaper, plus you get to enjoy the saunas and baths.

4. If you have to visit other places after the jimjilbang, do yourself a favor, don’t bring too much things with you. Shampoos, soaps, and even lingerie are being sold there. Towels are also available. So just bring your essentials and you can enjoy your city tour afterwards without lugging a big bag around.

Directions to Dragon Hill Spa:

1. Ride the subway to Yongsan Station.

Yongsan Station

2. Look for exit 1 and go down the escalator. You will see the I-Park Mall to your right.

I-park Mall (right) and My Wedding Hall Buffet (front)

3. Turn right and walk for 250m toward the white western style building. That is My Wedding Hall Buffet and Dragon Hill Spa is just beside it. (You will find some big circle structures along the way.) Then cross the road. You will see a big clock and the big “welcome to dragon hill spa" sign.

cross the road and you will find a car passageway. that is the entrance to dragon hill spa.