Saturday in Bukchon

On a whim, my friend and I chose Bukchon as our Saturday destination.

Bukchon is fulled with hundreds of Korean traditional houses called Hanok. It was really peaceful walking around looking at the ancient looking houses. Within the Hanok Village, there are dozens of small craft workshops. These workshops are more like miniature crafts museums that are situated right in the Hanoks. Stepping into the workshops is like stepping into someone’s home, especially with the complimentary tea and coffee. For some workshops, I got to go in and watch the shop owners make crafts. In others, I actually got to make crafts myself! Either way, for 3,000 to 10,000 won per workshop, it was a great experience. I got to relive kindergarten when I painted my own fan. I also had too much fun learning how to make my own bracelet using traditional Korean knots. Such a tourist, such a kid.

After making visiting the craft hanoks, we decided to head off  and explore the the west side of Bukchon. My friends and I had planned to make one big circle back so we could see Changdeokgun Palace… but we never made it. Once we hit Samcheong- dong Culture street, we were trapped. So much jewlery, knick-knacks, and street food! Samecheong-dong street is like an Old Town. The street is lined with small boutiques, accessory shops, snacks, and restaurants.

They even had macaron shops!!!!! I am a macaron making novice, so I bee-lined to shops. I couldn’t help myself and I got a green tea macaron to share. Nice shiny shells, chewy texture, good filling – the macarons here are great! Aside from the abundance of french confections, there are also a good amount of Italian restaurants. The pricey restaurants smelled so good that my friends and I vowed to come back next time.

Once I got to a street filled with snacks, sugary and delicious smells wafted my way. My friends and I caved, so we got a green tea hotteok. These cakes are eaten hot and gooey right off the fryer. I love street eating in Korea.

After meandering and window shopping some more, we headed to Gwanghamun to have dinner. For the night, we chose to eat at a very popular bindaetteok restaurant.  Yes, I had just eaten this the night before, but this time it’s filled with seafood! The service is fast and the bindaetteok is served hot. Even the off menu beef soup was delicious. Bellies full, we walked into the cold night air and enjoyed the city lights. I strolled around beautiful Gwanghamun Square before heading back to my goshitel, exhausted and happy.

Friday Night at Gwangjang Market

In the Korea, the more alleyways and hidden side roads you take, the better the find! This week, my wish was to explore more of Seoul’s center and try more street food. Boy, did I get what I asked for!

On Friday night, I decided to check out Gwangjang market, purely out of curiosity. It was the adventure foodie’s heaven. Gwangjang market really is like a rabbit hole. I walk through the main gate and I am pulled in by the smell of freshly prepared food. Walking down a little further, I see stands full fresh raw fish ready to be cooked and old ladies beckoning passersby to come sit down and eat. Take a side street and then take another side street deeper into the market and it seems to never end.

All over the market were dozens of vendors selling these huge savory pancakes, bindaetteok. The cooks would scoop mung bean into a spinning stone grinder, turning the beans into a paste. Then they take this paste and add noodles, some sort of potato, and other goodies before frying it. I shared with my friends a bindaetteok the size of a dinner plate and it was only 4,000 won between the three of us.

Walking in the market, I could see all sorts of delicious food. There was a whole section for kimchi, another for fresh veggies, and several for fresh fruit. I got a bag of 7 oranges for 3,000 won. And most of all, there was fresh raw seafood everywhere – some of it was still kicking! Crabs, scallops, skates, octopus, and prickly slug-like things. Don’t know all the names, but I know I’ll be back  with an appetite. Bustling with Korean people and teeming with new things to try, Gwangjang has definitely earned a spot on my growing list of favorite places in Seoul.

Seoul City Tour

After paperwork for registration on Monday and Tuesday were over, I got to go on a Seoul City Tour! The tour was arranged and organized by KUBA. The price of the tour was 40,000 won (US$35.80), but the tour was definitely worth at least twice that amount.

Our first stop was the National Folk Museum. It was too crowded and our groups were cycled through pretty quickly so I managed to read about a few things.

Small dolls doing the farmer's dance to relieve stress and promote production.

 

Model of emperor's entourage.

Traditional Korean clothing.

Next, we visited the Gyeongbukgung Palace. The palace was so beautiful and well kept. It is located in northern Seoul. I was surprised to see right sky-rise buildings bordering the palace walls. This speaks to what a treasure the palace since it is seems untouched by the alive and growing city.

After the palace, we got to see the Cheong Wa Dae, which is where president Lee Myung-bak lives. Koreans call it the “Blue House”, just like the White House in the US. For security reasons, we didn’t get to go in but photos were allowed.

At noon, we headed to In-Sa Dong. I really love it there.

Fun fact!: My KUBA buddy for the day told me that in Insadong, all restaurant signs are in Korean, not English. I feel this added to the atmosphere.

Starbucks Coffee sign in Korean

The street was lined with carts and stands selling tiny trinkets. There was tons delicious street food to try. I got to try Hotteok, a Korean rice flour cake with peanut filling. It was only 1,000 won (90 cents!) and I really enjoyed the experience. The cakes were fried right there on the street out in the open and they are eaten piping hot. I also got to try tteok, which is also a small dessert made with rice flour but it is not fried. The tteok I got were filled with red bean. Everyone, no matter from where or what background, enjoyed hotteok and tteok 🙂

There were even little stunts at these food vendors! One was ice cream. The ice cream was churned by hand and the seller joked with his customer. He pretended to throw a huge ice cream lump at the audience and he flipped an ice cream cone around. There was also a stall where a man turned a lump of sugar into a silky curtain of strings. He joked and played with the kids that no one had realized that he was already done pulling the sugar with his incredibly fast hands. The adorable little Korean kids all loved it. They were laughing, giggling, and smiling – never taking their eyes away from the sweets. I think the kid inside me (and everyone else) really loved it too.

We ate lunch one of In-Sa Dong’s restaurant that was located in a small alley way. I can’t read Korean, but my buddy told me that the name translates to: “Wow! So good!” According to my buddy, In-Sa Dong is the place to go for more traditional food. The restaurant had tables and chairs, but I was in a lucky group, and we got to sit in a private room with the traditional floor sitting. We had bulgogi, a spicy soup, and fish! The fish was my favorite part.

Fun fact: Why do Koreans us metal chopsticks?

A: Because long ago, the royalty took to using golden chopsticks. Then a fad started and the common folk started using metal chopsticks to imitate the royal trend. It’s a small detail, but its amazing how long lasting small things can last. (source: KUBA buddy eating with us).

At 4:00 we left In-Sa Dong to go see NANTA, a comedy performance that was a perfect blend of knives, drums, and Salmulnori. What a show! The entire show was non-verbal, so the entire KU foreign audience enjoyed the jokes. I was laughing so hard the entire time. Sorry, no pictures of the performance so go see the show! They have performed all over the world. I felt this performance alone was worth well over the 40,000 won city tour cost.

And that was my exciting tour day in a bundle. Next up is Thursday and Friday, where we got to explore the city on our own. Until then, Anyeoung!

Busy First Week in Korea!

Hello again and mian (sorry) for disappearing for a while.

I have been here in Seoul for 4 days and it has really been non-stop! But I absolutely love it here. It’s such a blast and there hasn’t been a dull moment. It is 6:00 am as I am writing this and soon I will be going on a Seoul city tour.

So I will try to marathon blog to catch up!

The 15 hour flight here was in all great. I love speed, so I love flying because of the take off.     The personal TVs, they are real! There were so many options. I could watch movies, documentaries, listen to English or Korean Music, and even play games!

I also could check on the plane’s location on a map as well as see the live feed from the cameras at the front and at the bottom of the plane. Importantly, bibimbap lunch and fish dinner was tasty 🙂

After 15 long hours of seeing nothing but ice and cloud, I started to see land!And then I saw fleets of fishing ships the size of rice grains appearing as if they came to greet my flight. I couldn’t stop beaming from the pure joy of arriving in a new world.

At customs, it was very easy to get through. Even though the immigration inspection man (can’t think of better word) didn’t speak English, I got my first taste of just how far non-verbal communication can express. I showed my passport, my customs card, scanned my finger prints, and then I was legally in Korea!

I found the Korea University Buddy Association (KUBA) team leaders outside the gate. More international students arrived, and the KUBA buddies showed us to the University shuttle. We got stuck in traffic, but the atmosphere the busy Korea was still refreshing.

The shuttle dropped us off at Allive Gositel around 10pm. A KUBA buddy kindly helped me with my bags to my room. KUBA, you all are so awesomely friendly. My single room is a tiny square, but it is so well equipped. I get my own bathroom and there an amazing amount of closet space. I am very happy staying here at Allive.

That is day 1 for now. I have to get going. Day 2 exploring, day 3-4 orientation will come soon, I promise. Kamsa-hamnida (thank you) for letting me share all of my excitement with you!