NUS Gang in Korea Day 7 (3 April 2015) - Part II

After a satisfying lunch, we continued onto Samcheon-dong neighborhood from Tosokchon (the place marked with a red pin at the bottom left corner of the above map).

In my previous trip 2 years ago, we walked the other way round, from Samcheon-dong towards Tosokchon.  Either way is fine, depending on your schedule.

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.com/2014/01/mr-missy-in-korea-day-13-28-may-2013.html

Samcheon-dong

We took a stroll from Tosokchon, back to the main gate of Gyeongbokgung, and along the palace walls on the Eastern side. Then cross the road into Samcheon-ro street, marked in the above map with a red line.

Alternatively, you could take subway for 1 station from Gyeongbokgung to Anguk and begin the exploration of the area from Anguk Station, Exit 3. That was our starting point of the Bukchon+Samcheondong stroll during Mister exchange student days. 

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.com/2014/01/mr-missy-in-korea-day-13-28-may-2013.html

Samcheon-dong is a quaint area dotted with many unique museums (Owl museum, anyone?), cozy cafes, organic beauty shops and pretty boutique stores. 

Spring was admittedly more beautiful. This was taken 2 years ago in May 2013.

NUS Gang in Korea Day 7 (3 April 2015) - Part I

After a couple of days of simplified breakfast at our Airbnb accommodation,we went back to the small eatery located inside the Yeongdeungpo station for breakfast around 9am. Their menu is limited to stews, udon and kimbab but food is pretty tasty!  

Gyeongbokgung Palace

We reached our first sightseeing spot slightly after 10 as we did enjoyed our leisurely breakfast. Construction of the Gyeongbokgung Palace was completed in 1395, 3 years after the Joseon Dynasty was founded by King Taejo. The Palace as the heart of the capital city of Seoul flourished as a small city, with over 500 buildings covering 64 hectares at the height of its glorious past. Sadly, it was destroyed by the Japanese invasion not just once, but twice in 1592-98 and 1915. Since 1990, there has been an ongoing enormous effort (a 40-year project) to restore this once-stunning palace grounds to its former glory. 

NUS Gang in Korea Day 4 (31 March 2015)

A ha! Finally the day that we 2  girls were looking forward to!  DMZ tour was the perfect distraction for the guys, which allowed us to enjoy the whole day of shopping! mwahahaha 

After dating me for a couple of years, Mister knew me well enough (at least about my tendency to go a bit overboard while on shopping spree) that he lent me his cabin luggage to bring on our shopping day!  My friends were shocked and surprised but we both utilized it so well! I was thinking we couldn't fill it up and yet, we did! 

Ewha Women University (Edae)

A busy day for us started with shopping at Edae.  Being located in the university area means clothes here are trendy and in style for the youth and are relatively cheaper. Trust me, clothes on offer here are more fashionable than those found in other shopping zones (which could be tacky sometimes).  Except for Dongdaemun, I guess.  Clothes in Dongdaemun are chic and stylish but they are on the pricey side.  Remember to explore the narrow side alleys of Edae which are littered with pretty boutiques!

Hongdae, Sinchon & Edae are 3 neighboring university towns, bustling with youthful energy of college crowd.  Hongdae is known for busking, bars, clubs and nightlife in general while Edae is famous for shopping and beauty treatment at hair saloons and nail spas.  Ewha is a university for women afterall ^_~ I might be slightly biased but to me, Sinchon has the best food among these 3 university areas.

Best to shop for: 
1) Cute, customized, handmade items
2) Shoes for ladies
3) Accessories
3) Fashionable, feminine clothing at affordable prices

Must-try snacks:
1) Egg muffins (not the ones with egg on top of the bread, try the ones with egg inside the bread)
2) Spicy fried chicken with rice cake & hash brown (Cup Dak)

How to get there: Ewha Women University Station, Line 2, Exit 2 or 3

At beautiful Ewha Campus

( I'm being biased but I still think my alma-mater Korea University is still more beautiful :D )

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 6 (21 May 2013)

Since we couldn't take our Hanbok photos the day before, we had to go back to the Korean Tourism Organization at M plaza Level 5.  We reached there around 1030am and didn't have to wait long for our turn.  Each group is given 10 minutes to take photos. 

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 5 (20 May 2013)

The next day was Monday and Mister had to attend classes till 1pm. He came over to Sinchon Station around 1:15pm to meet me for lunch.  Since it was a bit warm, we decided to try cold noodles (Naeng Myeon  냉면) and dumpling (mandu 만두 )! 

Noodle in ice-cold water! Perfect summer food haha :D 

A Journey to the K land! Day 1 Part 1 - 2 Feb 2013

After we cleared immigration and customs, it was just before 7am.  I quickly opened my luggage to take out all my winder wear.  Although we were still inside the Incheon airport, the temperature had significantly dropped.  Outside, it was below 0C! The wind was so strong! 

There are a couple of ways to get to Seoul without spending so much money on a cab. If you don't have a lot of things, you can take subway as that is the cheapest.  However, Seoul's subway stations are quite big and there are quite a lot of stairs so this mode of transportation is only for those without much stuff.