Another lazy start saw us begin the day with early lunch. We ate at Yoogane, a famous restaurant chain which specializes in dak (chicken) galbi. We ordered their Marinated Chicken Galbi Fried Rice and it was something. Each table had a frying pan in the middle where servers mix, flatten and flavor your chosen dish to perfection. Our fried rice tasted sweet and a whole lot spicy. Thank goodness they give a pitcher of water on every table, and even that wasn't enough! Aside from the the taste, Korean fried rice is different from Chinese or Japanese fried rice in that it isn't as dry as Chinese but isn't too sticky like Japanese. Overall I enjoyed eating at Yoogane, it's a solid choice for a meal in the city, it was good different.
Yoogane has many branches in Seoul, it even has one in the Philippines. We ate at the Myeongdong branch. To get there, take the subway to Myeongdong station and head out to exit 8. Walk for 5 minutes along Myeongdong-10 gil, Yoogane is on the left side near the GS 25 convenience store.
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| Super hot galbi fried rice at Yoogane |
Today we head over to Seoul's grandest palace, Gyeongbokgung. It is the oldest and largest of the five palaces, and the main palace used during the Joseon Dynasty. Must see sights inside Gyeongbokgung include: Gwanghwamun Gate, Heungnyemun Gate, Geunjeongjeon (Imperial Throne Hall), Gyeongheoru (Pavilion in an Island), Hyangwonjeong (Frangrance Pavilion) and Geoncheonggung (Emperor's Residence). Also inside the palace grounds are the National Palace Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum (Visited during Day 1). There are guided tours in English for visitors. Admission costs 3,000 won each.
If you're only going to visit one palace in Seoul, make it this one. It's the most beautiful and most visited among the five. With Mount Bukhansan as backdrop, the views at Gyeongbokgung are picture perfect. I especially liked the Pavilion in the middle of an artificial island (Gyeongheoru). Overall the whole place is like a big treasure chest of Korean history If you've ever watched a Korean epic depicting ancient, majestic palaces, Gyeongbokgung is exactly like them. From the large wooden roofs, to minimalist designs, Gyeongbokgung showcases the best of Korean architecture. We were also able to witness the Royal Changing of the Guards which is actually a lavish ceremony and an experience not to be missed out.
To get here, take the subway to Gyeongbokgung station and head to exit 5.
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| Love the cave theme of this subway |
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| National Palace Museum |
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| Gwanghwamun Gate |
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| Changing of the guards ceremony |
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| Jewel in the Palace? |
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| Gyeongbokgung |
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| Gyeongheoru |
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| Mount Bukhansan |
The next place we went to was Insadong, a place where shopping and sightseeing are rolled into one. It is Seoul's culture street stretching 700 meters from the Angguk station to Tapgol Park. It's a street where Korean heritage is proudly on display, anywhere you look there are galleries, tea houses, traditional restaurants and cafes, and shops selling local crafts. You will be able to find paintings, ceramics, traditional clothing and other antiques. The best part for me were the local food fare available like pajeon and manjoo. During weekends, Insadong is closed to vehicles and there are always various events and demonstrations held on the street.
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| Insadong |
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| I had no clue what the rally was for |
An eye-catching addition in the middle of Insadong is Ssamziegil, a covered shopping mall continuing the culture theme in the area. It's an architectural masterpiece which blends seamlessly to the surrounding area. Here you'll find edgy designer shops, local artworks, a few Korean restaurants and vendors selling Korean snacks. On the rooftop is a garden and a viewing deck and the whole complex just seems like a living work of art.
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| Ssamziegil |
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| Bumili ako dito ng milk tea, paso ang dila |
I have mixed feelings about Insadong. On one hand, it's an excellent place to soak in Korean culture and is commendable for promoting and preserving Korean heritage. The area is a good one-stop place to look for whatever local stuff you might fancy. On the other hand, it has been heavily commercialized and has been a magnet for tourists in recent years which has made it lose some of its appeal. The souvenir items and traditional handicrafts are overpriced and most establishments are bending backwards to accommodate foreign tourists. It's still worth a visit; it just feels a little artificial to me.
To get to Insadong, take the subway to Angguk station and head to exit 6. Walk about a 100 meters then take a left (second corner) at Insadong-gil.
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| The National Center for Souvenirs |
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| The only Starbucks of its kind |
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| Yakitori! |
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| Just some random eye catching building |
For the rest of the day, we embarked on a no holds barred shopping spree at Dongdaemun. Dongdaemun is a large commercial district with countless malls, underground shopping centers, wholesale markets and street side shops. This is the place to go for the serious shoppers (female) as the latest trends in fashion are always for sale and because shopping here is literally 24/7. In fact, some of the shopping malls are open until 5 am! If you're a guy, you may spend three hours tops, but for girls, be prepared to be here the whole day / night! Among the places to go to are Doota, Migliore, Good Morning City, Hello APM, Pyeonghwa Market and the Dongdaemun Shopping Complex. Also, check out the side streets and alleys for hidden shops and stalls nestled from plain view.
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| Continuation of the Cheonggyecheon Stream |
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| Underground shops |
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| Hulaan niyo ano binili ko diyan |
One of the standout shopping malls in Dongdaemun is Doota. It's an upmarket mall with 10 levels of designer shops, luxury brands, fancy restaurants and lifestyle accessories. It is an elegantly designed mall both inside and out and where you'll see salaried Koreans spend fortunes on the latest fashion. The crowds are more relaxed and the prices are fixed. Most of the items are exclusive and expensive, but the quality is top notch and the choices plentiful (especially women's clothing).
On the 7th floor is a food court offering mostly standard Korean fares. We decided to eat dinner here. We regret doing that. We tried most of the stalls but the food throughout were consistently awful.
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| Crap crap crap! |
Right besides Doota are three similarly themed malls, Migliore, Hello APM and Good Morning City. These malls cater to the younger generation with the hottest fashion clothes and accessories at cheap prices. Sellers are cheerful and persuasive in attracting customers to check out their stalls. Haggling is required along with a nice smile and a keen eye for bargains. The items for sale are practically identical in each mall, it's just a matter of finding the shop with the lowest prices. These malls open late and stay open until the wee hours of the morning. If you love 168 Mall in Divisoria or MBK in Siam then you're gonna love these malls in Dongdaemun.
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| Dongdaemun malls |
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| Ladies, excited? |
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| waiting for Sandara... |
Some of the sights which are not shopping related that you can check out in Dongdaemun include: Dongdaemun Gate, Dongdaemun Design Plaza and a section of the Cheonggyecheon Stream which cuts through it. Also called Heunginjimun, Dongdaemun Gate is one of the Four Great Gates of Seoul and one of it's most prominent landmark. Alas, the bad luck continued as the gate was also under renovation when we visited. Aside from Myeongdong, Dongdaemun is a good place to exchange money. The Forex rates offered here are competitive.
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| Potatodog |
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| My Dongdaemun gate view :( |
I like Dongdaemun. My mom loves Dongdaemun. It's my second favorite place in Seoul. The shopping opportunities are truly limitless. There are also lots of restaurants and street food on hand. Every night there seems to be an activity on its streets, it redefines the concept of night shopping. The only drawback I see is that it gets repetitive. For someone with a short attention span such as me, seeing the same stuff over and over again gets boring. You can only buy so much of the same stuff from different stores. It's the perfect base for people who love shopping, but I prefer Myeongdong which offers more but my mom would certainly disagree.
To get here, take the subway to Dongdaemun station and head to exit 8 or 9.
The Day's Expenses (P) (Per Person):
Trasnportation 155 (Subway)
Food 800
Shopping ?
Total P 955
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