Date: 14/01
Stop 1: Kraze Burger (Itaewon)
*Semi-nuke burger-it was delicious and filling!*
After arrival, we felt so hungry and so ....
Stop 2: Namsan Tower (a.k.a N Seoul Tower)
Price: 14 000 won/person (Observatory + Teddy Bear Museum)
To get there, we (me & Yan Yee) took subway from Itaewon (line 6) to Chungmuro (line 3) and took a Yellow shuttle bus; No. 2. By taking the bus, it will cost much cheaper than the cable car; 800 won vs. 6 000 won (remember to take back the same bus). Suitable for individuals who are afraid of height and also those who wanna save. I would recommend to go Namsan Tower at night cuz the view is really magnificent.
*The tower not only change colour but also
it is use to showcase an
animation about.... Go find out urself!*
We went to the Teddy Bear Museum 1st as we were told to do so... And so v did, u guys would probably need to do the same if u buy this package. Don't think that its just merely teddies! By going to this museum u will be able to understand the Korean traditional culture and way of life better. One display to another, tells u the story of each period that Korea or maybe Seoul went thru to be what it is today; mostly focused on the lifestyle and also history of some places.
*The history of the word Gomapseumnida
(Thank you; the most polite form). It is related to one of the Traditional
Korean Myth*
*If I'm not mistaken he is the first mayor of Seoul;
Seong Seok-lin. The 1st Korean historical
figure u will meet upon entering...*
*How Joseon dynasty people
worked to build
buildings*
*Event and life of government officials
in the Palace*
*Daily life of Joseon people; market*
*Enthronement of the King ceremony*
*The first street light during Joseon dynasty*
*Seoul before Korean Civil War*
*Influence of Christianity*
*Modern Seoul- University Students*
*Gwangtonggyo*
*Seoul Plaza; cheering place for Koreans
during 2002 World Cup; Dae-Han-Ming-Guk! followed by
claps*
*Famous Korean musical play; Nanta*
*Korean B-boy and Koreans' way of living
nowadays*
*Wedding ceremony*
*Evolution of Teddy Bear*
*See Mr. Bean's bear? I burst out laughing
the moment I saw it!Hahahaha, it was unexpected*
*K-drama fans, remember these bears?!
Yes, yes, yes...
Its 궁*
By the way, don't jump when you start hearing sounds; as in some bears in there will talk and all moves... so don't be shocked by it like I did!The least they can do is put up signs which tell visitors that the bear will move and talk when censored movement! It gave me a fright. And NO, I didn't scream; I just jumped!
While queuing for the elevator, u might find urself force to take a picture and later... well, may wanna buy it (Genting style). Whilst waiting for the elevator, u'll get to see some parts of the animation that was shown on the tower; outside... In the elevator... well, u'll experience something like out of the world; as this the fastest elevator on earth (as according to them). So remember to look up while riding it.
*The nite view. I never knew Seoul
was actually this big! Map is really
deceiving....*
*Oh, if u don't already know... This is also where
all couples will come...
see those up there? Its the famous love locks (outside the tower) and
also I just found out that
they have love tiles (inside the tower) as well.
If u are coming wif ur love one, remember to do this!*
P/S: Love locks and love tile have different pricing.
Date: 15/01
Stop 1: Gwanghwamun (purple line)- King Sejong Museum
and Admiral Yi SunShin Museum
Price: FOC
Come out from Exit 6 and u'll see a big park across the street; that is the place! If ur in Gyeongbukgung, just walk straight ahead and u'll see King Sejong with Admiral Yi right in front.
*Sejong Dae-Wang; creator of Hun Min Jeongeum
(Correct Sound to Instruct the People) -
more known as Hangul*
*King Sejong's Mission:
To help his people to read and write, thus created
Hangul*
*Musical instruments used during King Sejong's period
and war instrument created
by him*
*Hangul is the most scientific language*
Next door, you can find Admiral Yi SunShin. He is the most well-known and respected man after King Sejong; I think. This is due to that he was not only a devoted and faithful Admiral but also a very intelligent man in terms of war. He created the Turtle warship and also the Crane-formation tactic.
*Admiral Yi and his creation; Turtle warship*
The Turtle warship displayed in this museum is not the original size. It looked like ....
Then, after ur done... Walk further down and u'll see tables set up for u to experience writing Korean characters... You can choose to write greetings or your name; but ur name maybe wrongly translated as they use the sound of ur name (pronunciation) to match the Korean letters. U'll be given tools like the following and u shall begin!
*Right top- paper for name writing.
Right bottom- paper for greetings writing.*
By the way, if u choose to write greetings, they will send it to ur home =) and this is only for foreigners.
*Admiral Yi SunShin's statue*
Though I'm not Korean, but what he did was great, sorry to say but I think even Malaysian's hero cannot be compared to Admiral Yi; faced 133 Japanese warship (Imjin Waeran) with only 13 warships of his own. Even upon his death, he insisted not to announce it as his death will affect the ongoing war. Read more about him and u'll understand what I meant.
Stop 2: School Food, Gwanghwamun
*Top right: Naegmyeom (Cold Noddle); quite hard to eat the
noodle... [8 500 won)
Bottom right: Kimbab [7 500 won]
Bottom left: Oden Udon [8 000 won]*
Stop 3: In-Sadong + Lotte Mart, Seoul Station
Bought this is Lotte Mart for Breakfast the next morning...
* Cost 8 800 won*
Stop 4: Noodle Box (opposite Kraze Burger) + Zoo Coffee (further up on the same side), Itaewon
Too tired after one whole day of walking especially when transferring lines; so far from one another... So different from Busan! And Busan is way way bigger than Seoul! Thus end our day right after dinner.
*Thai Noodle [6 300 won]- its super spicy even after I said
to add little bit of the sauce! And the mee is under-cooked
a bit; if u left it for 5 more minutes it will
taste great*
*Finally found a cafe which actually ask if u want single or double shot
for coffee; specifically Cappuccino! So long
didn't take caffeine, after that I could barely sleep
and when I do, I dreamt of
something weird and scary! And the Tiramisu
well, was little bit disappointing, was hoping to taste more
coffee than cocoa*
Tip: If ur a budget traveller, then don't go cafes too much as it is quite expensive (applicable to Malaysians; since I'm thinking in Ringgit) but if u really need coffee, u can try the subway vending machine one or u can buy from convenient marts. But then again, staying in Guesthouse; most of them provide breakfast with coffee...
Date: 16/01
Stop 1: 63 Building - Wax Museum
Price: 12 000 won/person
To get there take the subway to Daebang station (the route we chose) and from there take the shuttle bus No. 62 or u can wait for the free shuttle bus [Yellow colour]. On the way there, we stumbled upon
*MBC station! Saw some artist's cars but don't
know who =)*
Once u get into 63 building, turn to ur left and walk straight to the ticketing booth. Don't get cheated by the directions to the ticketing booth; as it makes u go one big round! Well, at least it did for us...
*1st four person u'll see once u enter
the museum*
*Followed by Madame Tussauds*
*Presidents of America (Lincoln and Obama)
some Korean politicians*
*Famous artists*
*Halloween themed*
*Korean artist bears; Beast, Rain and
Korean movie
star*
*Hollywood movies*
This Wax Museum; to me, is very disappointing. I thought that I would get to see more stars or famous people, but turns out not and, also some of the artists and famous people doesn't look like themselves [i.e. Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and Queen Elizabeth]. Real disappointment!
Stop 2: Hangang
To get there: Walk towards the right of 63 Building and u'll see Hangang. Its really hard to miss the river! You can also get here by subway; get off at Yeouinaru station [purple line].
*While we were there, SBS was filming on the site
from a drama I think and we were
told to leave that particular area. At 3.30 pm,
how is it possible that the park is empty
when older citizens like to take a walk with their dogs and some riding their bike?*
*One of the recreational activity here is cycling and there is also
playground for children. Vast
place for a family or friends outing. In addition, there are also
cruise tours along the river; day and night*
*My 1st experience of cycling; I can't cycle! But thanks
to Yan Yee, I know how it feels like to cycle on
two wheels! Yan Yee lets do this again when v come here; at least b4 I go back to Mas*
Stop 3: Apgujeong
The place of plastic surgery! Though I haven't found the street that is full of it, but I'll be back to hunt for it. In addition, we came here with 2 missions; (1) Bubble Tea and (2) SME.
A brief intro to the Bubble Tea shop in Apgujeong. It is called Cofioca and it is very famous among Korean celebs; yes, Korean celebs come here to get there Bubble Tea, and Koreans [fans]. Of course, among international K-Pop fans as well.
To get to Cofioca, come out from Exit 2 of Apgujeong station and walk all the way straight until u see Paris Croissant. Then turn right and turn right again at the 2nd alley. Walk down a bit and u'll see Cofioca. Famous celebs such as Dong Bang Shin Ki, Shinee, Secret, Super Junior, f(x), Beast, Brown Eye Girls, U-Kiss and many more will come here to get their Bubble Tea. And really the Bubble Tea is good!!! The Milk Bubble Tea really taste as good as the one in my University in Malaysia. Bubbles are really chewy!
*See all the colourful paper with writings on them?
It's the celebrities' signature
and messages for the
Bubble Tea Shop;
free advertising!*
Next SM Town.... Though we really want to find SM Town, but we really stumbled upon it while walk along Rodeo Street.
Really could not believe that SME actually looked like this. Its like a shady building and most people would not notice it. As according to Yan Yee, before the lighting are put up, she came here and could not find it at all. So without the lighting [brightly spelling SM Town] I don't think we could have find it either... SO thanks to whoever's idea to spell it out for people to see...
Hint: Its opposite SK gas station. See Cartier; 2nd building from the back.
Happy, that I got Bubble Tea, something that reminds me of home and also happy that we found SM Town accidentally. Hopefully, next time will accidentally bump into Dong Bang (specifically Min-min). HAhahahahah.... yeah, I know; its all only a dream. If they are so easy to be spotted or seen in person, then they are not stars! Hahahahahah....
