phoebe's travels: August 2015

Tuesday, 4 August 2015

Travelette: Korea - Itinerary

posting my itinerary on our Korea trip. it was a free and easy one.

and here are a few tips (based on personal preferences) on what to (or not to) do.

it was a wonderful one, despite several 'lost' moments.

but it was these 'lost' moments when we stumbled on the best food and lovely shopping streets.

feel free to drop questions and i hope you'll enjoy Korea through my posts as i did!

also, we stayed at this really cozy and sweet place we got through

airbnb (get RM95 worth of credit by opening your account through this link)

we nested up in this lovely abode at Ashley's place

- to put it simply her place was clean, convenient, comfortable and

every reason you should stay at Ashley's place already.

A brief itinerary of our trip (click on links for individual posts!)

Day 1

Airport > Ashley's place> Myeongdong

Day 2

Yeoido FGCA> Ewha University> Hongik University

Day 3

Nami Island> Petite France

Day 4

Prayer Mountain> Express Bus Terminal

Day 5

Gwangjang Market> Gyeongbukgung> Bukchon Hanok> Oksu

Day 6

Suwon> Haenggung Hwaseong (Suwon Beef)> Korean Folk Village

Day 7

Gongdeok Food Market> Airport

Gongdeok Food Market - Home

it is our final day in Seoul (SOBS) and what else more to do before flying home?

eat! (i mean EAT!)

as Ashley's place was in Gongdeok and super close to the famous

Gongdeok market (well known for pork trotters and bindatteok),

we decided to go for it on our last day.

Gongdeok market did not disappoint.

Directions:

Take exit 5 of Gongdeok station and walk straight on.

you should see the Gongdeok market soon.

if you ever get lost, just ask for Gongdeok shijang (공덕시장) and the locals will point you towards it

we had great food at Mapo Grandma Bindatteok (마포할머니빈대떡)

you will want to try this when you're in Seoul!

i think this shop might be popular in the area as

this lovely halmeoni (grandma in korean) has her own logo

and bus advert

and a list of shows halmeoni's shop has been on

a portion of the scrumptions spread laid before our eyes

what we had (plus rabboki - tteokbokki plus ramen)

and sikhye (traditional sweet Korean rice beverage - yums)

last but not least - halmeoni herself!

this marked the end of our trip in Seoul.

it was wonderful, but it will definitely not be my last.

until next time Seoul! and thank you for the lovely memories.

okay, so maybe our eating did not end at Gongdeok market.

we had beautiful donuts at the airport

and traditional korean desserts (this is worth it. trust me. serious.)

the end.

Monday, 3 August 2015

Day 6: Korean Folk Village (KFV)

Korean Folk Village

oh my, how i love this place.

we were super blessed to have a discount on our entrance tickets

(remember to print some useful discount coupons

on the Korean Tourism website here before each trip!)

it was truly a travel back in time here at the KFV.

on a side note, the KFV runs free shuttle buses at different times from the Suwon Station to the KFV. so no worries about transportation fees here!

the whole village was built in an ancient time manner and i loved it to bits!

it was so authentic that their gardeners were also dressed like how they would back in time.

even their souvenir store looked like this - super on point.

they even had an olden day trader selling his goods in the village

and how can we miss the healthy crops that can be found behind one's backyard

*mandatory(?) selfie!*

i really liked this woodcraft shop

and practically every house looks similar to this

- but will still vary in size and patterns depending on the class of the house owner

for example, peasants and noblemen live in very different houses (duh)

spring water! - i guess you drink from these last time...

it was truly beautiful inside

and the highlight was...*drumrolls*
the horse show!
- i wouldn't want to spoil it for you so i won't be uploading any photos.
but it was basically acrobats performing stunts (breathtakingly) on fast galloping horses

x

Thoughts:
as we arrived after noon, we didn't get to spend much time at the KFV (edit: let me rephrase, KFV was lovely, it was the fact that our trip there was cut short which was a disappointment!) which was a little bit of a let down. thus i would advise that you go there earlier in the morning to catch more performances and absorb the whole ancient vibe all together. all in all, a one night stay in Suwon would have been perfect to cover more of Suwon (and its unforgettable beef!)
x
Until next time,

Day 6: Haenggungjeong (Suwon Beef)

when in Suwon, a must eat is *drumrolls* Suwon beef!

we had ours at this lovely (and by lovely i meant HEAVENLY) place we stumbled upon

(much thanks to the info booth next to Hwaseong Haenggung)

- Haenggungjeong

we were super blessed as we had our meal at lunchtime and they served set lunches

we had Suwon beef (2 servings of plain beef and 1 serving of marinated beef) and two servings of bulgogi. after a brief comparison, the set lunches cost much less than what it would if we had had our meal at some other time.

back to the meal.

this was truly a feast.

the side dishes (correction: refillable side dishes) were a lavish spread.

the set consisted of these side dishes and three bowls of doenjjangjigae (bean paste soup) plus rice

- it was an overkill (in the best way possible)

but note that the lady boss would require you to order one portion for each customer and hence the more-than-we-can-have spread

specific shoutout: i don't know what this is called but it was sooooo good

(lotus with black sesame sauce topped with pumpkin seeds and almonds and raisins)

Directions:

Talk the path forward from the info booth just located outside the Hwaseong Haenggung

the street will look something like this

take a turn at the first turning on the right

the turning is opposite Gongcha

directly opposite this building

upon turning right, you should be able to see this building on your right

walk straight along this road

you will be able to see the Hwaseong Haenggung car park on your right soon

soon you will be able to spot Haenggungjeong (self named: Suwon beef heaven!) with the colorful signboard as in the photo

Enjoy!

Thoughts:

i've done some research on places to get Suwon beef and stumbled upon a few such as Bonsuwon Galbi and Kabojung. I don't know about those places but this one is really good. plus it is really near Hwaseong Haenggung, unlike the other places which needs extra travelling to get to.

TBH i would frequent here in a heartbeat if i could.

Day 6: Hwaseong Haenggung, Suwon

woke up super early to get to Suwon via subway as the journey took about 1 hour.

Suwon is know for its Hwaseong Fortress built by the great King Jeongjo.

as the fortress was huge, we decided to visit the palace only - Hwaseong Haenggung.

a 'haenggung' was mainly used by kings as a shelter during wartime or during retirement.

hence as you can see, the Hwaseong Haeenggung is very different from the Gyeongbokgung

the model of the palace floor plan

it was also the filming site for daejanggeum (大長今) among many others.

they even had this place where you could try out traditional Korean games such as Tuho which Gabriel tried (you basically try to throw arrows into pitch pots)

even the on site helpers were dressed as guards!

TBH this was one of my favorite spots as you really feel as though

you are transported back in time here.

i really dig these delicately painted designs which you may recognize in most ancient Asian architectures. it makes you feel as if the builder put in tons of time, passion and attention to the design - why can't we have more of these nowadays!

*psstt* this is the administration office!

mandatory group shot...

the armors on display - they looked super heavy.

how do people even fight in these!?

moving into the palace - it is somehow more laid back in comparison to the Gyeongbokgung but its 'grandness' is no less than any other palaces ever built.