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.

x

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)

x

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

 x

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

x

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.

x

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...

x

the armors on display - they looked super heavy.

how do people even fight in these!?

x

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.

a figurine of King Jeongjo which depicts his Highness 

paying respects to his mother, Hyegyonggung Hong.

x

the highlight of our visit - muye 24 gi (24 act martial arts performance)

Directions:

Exit the Suwon Stations and head to the bus stop just in front of the station.

Look out for buses number 11, 13, 13-3, 36 or 39. 

these buses stop by Paldamun and Hwaseong Haenggung. the bus stop opposite Hwaseong Haenggung is near this church across the street.

Day 5: Oksu Station, All Chang BBQ

why Oksu station?

we had always wanted to take a bicycle ride along Hangang river

and much to our pleasant surprise, the Korean government offers free bicycle rentals at certain subway stations near the Hangang river.

(for more info on free bike rentals and its stations go here)

Day 5: Gyeongbokgung (Palace)

Day 5: Gwangjang Market

we woke up super early to visit one of the most traditional markets in South Korea

- Gwangjang Market

Day 4: Prayer Mountain, Express Bus Terminal

we headed out pretty early to catch the free shuttle bus at Yoido FGCA to 

Osanri Choi-JaShil (prayer mountain)

Day 3: BONJUK and Lotte Super

we headed back pretty early on our third day as we were exhausted.

another good thing about Ashley's place was that it is located right opposite 

Lotte Super (grocery shopping ftw!)

I've read about BonJuk online and we decided to give it a try. they have a branch inside Lotte City Hotel which houses Lotte Super.

x

Day 3: Petite France

Day 3

> Petite France

'My love from another star', anyone?

Day 3: Nami Island

Day 3

> Nami Island (Namiseom)

Most would recognize Nami island as the filming site of Winter Sonata.

x

Day 2: Hongik University/Hongdae

Day 2

>Hongdae/ Hongik University

Hongdae, Hongdae, what can i say. (did i just make a rhyme)

Day 2: Ewha University/ Edae

Day 2

> Ewha University (Edae)

if you have been doing research on where to shop in Seoul, Ewha Womans University will be in your list already. if its not, put that in right now. close to Ewha Womans University or better known as Edae (이대), its streets are bursting with clothing shops with loud KPOP music playing the latest hits in Seoul - FYI at that time it was EXO's 'love me right', no complaints at all.

shoes are lined up neatly outside its shops, snapbacks displayed on makeshift stalls, bags going off at prices starting from 10,000 krw (*coughs rm30 *coughs),  - Edae is a shopping heaven.

Day 2: Yoido FGCA

Day 2

> Yeoido FGCA

Yoido Full Gospel Church which was founded by Dr Yonggi Cho is huge with numerous services to cater for a member count which is close to 800,000 worldwide. as it was a Sunday and we were looking for a church service to attend, we decided to attend Yoido FGCA. The reason i am adding this to my travel blog entry is that:
1. the church is (awesomely) huge and
2. i realized that the directions to Yoido FGCA are pretty scarce online, so here it goes.

Day 1: Myeongdong

Day 1

>Myeongdong

from what i found online, the main streets are supposed to be at Myeongdong Station (Exit5/6), however, we got out at Exit 9/10. Fret not, you may have to walk abit further if you share the same fate as us, but hey, it's Korea, take in the streets and sights already. 

spotted: Gabriel in action!