Seoul Tour Nov 2014 - Part 2

Hi guys! I'm back after few months away...
So for this part 2, we all went to Hyehwa. 

Once the center of Seoul's art and music scene, Hyehwa is a neighborhood bursting with creativity and youthful energy. The area is situated in the northeastern part of the capital and is also known as Daehangno, a nickname derived from daehak, or "university," because of its close proximity to a number of learning institutes and one of it is Sunkyungkwan University.

Over the past decade, Hongdae has garnered the reputation of being Seoul's hangout place, lessening Hyehwa to a mere a notch in the history of the city's culture boom. Today, it remains off the radar to most tourists and is even overlooked by locals. Nevertheless, it remains to thrive as Seoul's theater district- with over 80 independent theaters showing performances on a daily basis- and is brimming with diverse, inexpensive eateries, eye-catching cafes and greenspaces to boot. The neighborhood, while seemingly typical on the surface, is one of surprises. It just takes a bit of digging to discover them.

So, let's take a look at these pictures below~

Art and Theater Center Park

The area surrounded by Cafes and Performing Arts schools.

Walking through the alley of neighborhood, this house amazed me. It looks so classic and ancient. Victoria era style.

After that, we walked up the hill to Namsan Park (낙산공원). The view from this hill so magnificent!! Went there at the end of autumn season, you can see the trees with red, orange and yellow leaves. So beautiful! Subhanallah~

This is cabbage, for real. Not fake. Kekeke~

The view from uphill

We continue our walk to Ihwa Mural Village,

Ihwa Mural Village (이화 벽화마을) 

Address: Ihwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 서울 종로구 이화동

How to get there: From Hyehwa Station (Line 4) Exit 2, walk along Daehangno for about 500m, turn left at Ihwajang-gil and walk up for another 400m.

This place is a must place to go if you are a fan of Korean drama, Rooftop Prince (옥탑방 왕세자). 

We were there till dawn and when we went downhill, it's already night so we went back to our hostel and take a rest. Well, one day outing then hot rice for dinner is heaven! 

See you guys again in my next post~ Chow for now!

Seoul Tour Nov 2014 - Part 1

Hi guys, I'm back again!

In my previous post, it just all about my study tour in Seoul but this time it'll be my own tour around this large city. From the first day arrive in Seoul till my leisure time after class which is end at 4 p.m. everyday.

Day 1 in Seoul, first time took subway train to get to the guesthouse. Kinda challenging as I carried a very heavy luggage! *sigh*

The weather that time was about 10°C or less. It was so cold for me. Huhuhu.. Below pictures is the view around Seoul Station as I need to transfer to Metro Subway from Airport Railway lane to get to the guesthouse. It just within the station too but need to walk outside to get the right lane.

Seoul Square which is exactly in front of Seoul Station

View in front Seoul Statio

To get to the guesthouse, need to take subway from Seoul Station to Hyehwa station and it takes about 20 minutes.

From Hyehwa station to Fully Guesthouse:

1. Take exit no. 4. 
2. Find the Baskin Robbins as soon you come out of Hyehwa station exit no. 4.
3. Turn left and go straight, on the way you should see the Starbucks and Samsung Mobile shop.
4. Keep walking to the end of road where you will see the 7th Heaven Coffee Shop and the LOHB store. 
5. Cross the big intersection and walk towards to Dunkin’ Donuts directions. 
6. Go straight the road between Dunkin' Donuts and the Daiso building (the small street with all the trees). 
7. You’ll see the main gate of Sungkyunkwan University on your left, keep walking straight till you see the Dongho pharmacy (동호약국) on your left and a police station on your right. 
8. As soon as you see the Dongho Pharmacy, turn left and stay to your left side, you’ll see the Guesthouse on the left. 

In front of Sunkyungkwan University entrance

Inside Fully Guesthouse

The pantry 

Triple room - 2 double-deck bed and 1 single bed

The toilet with heater

So after check-in and get some rest, me and my friends went out to Hongdae to meet our Korean teacher who was at that time in her hometown for holiday. She work in Malaysia so when we know she's in Korea, we set meeting with her.

With our Korean teacher (in the middle back), Gahee

Flea Market in Hongdae

I think this place has been in so many Korean dramas.

One of my favorite Korean street snacks, Hotteok (Sweet Rice Cake)

After that, I met my Korean friend who is a sister to me so I called her 'eonni' which mean big sister in Korean. Jae eonni brought me to Jass Cafe in Hongdae. This place is a must place to go for me as I'm a big fans of Yongseo couple (We Got Married) of season 2. So when I got into this cafe, there's so much feels of the couple as a lot of Yongseo gifts are inside the cafe!!

And their goguma latte is a must try (sorry, no picture of it since I'm so mesmerized with Yongseo stuff, kekeke..)

Below is a scan of their shop card with a hand drawn map.

Nearest station is Line 2 Hongik Unversity Station, exit 2.

Credit information from this blog: JASS Cafe in Hongdae, Seoul | Sleepwalking in Tokyo

Yongseo gifts!!!

Okay, this all for first part. Will post more of my activities in Seoul in next post. See ya!

My Study Tour to Korea - Part 2

Aside from indoor and class session, this study tour also include outdoor activities. These includes visiting the palaces and other cultural places around Seoul.

Pictures below show some of the activities.

In front of King Sejong statue at Gwanghwamun Square

• Gyeongbok Palace, 

• National Folk Village, 

• Cheondokgung Palace, 

• Unhyeongung Palace

• Namsan Hanok Village

With our tour guide for this Hanok village