Travel

한국 South Korea 韓國 Itinerary 2017

Posted on 12 April 2017 by lendeliz

IMG_2009We were all very interested in seeing cherry blossoms, and while hubby had seen the beautiful blooms many years ago in Japan, the rest of us have only seen them online and on TV shows. Initially, we intended to fly into Japan first before travelling to South Korea (the flowers started blooming earlier in certain parts of Japan, and the variety of flowers were different), but the exorbitant air fares made us decide to go for a less ambitious trip 😛

We read about the largest cherry blossom festival in 진해 Jinhae 镇海, and decided that we would focus on 부산 Busan 釜山, and 서울 Seoul 首爾, while keeping things flexible in Busan so that we could go for a day trip to Jinhae, when the cherry trees were in full bloom.

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Categories: Busan, Seoul, South Korea, Travel | Tags: | Leave a comment

Cafes in Busan and Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 11 April 2017 by lendeliz

We had been to quite a few cafes during this trip, sometimes just to get breakfast for the next morning, and sometimes, we needed caffeine. And our favourite place gotta be…

카반커피 Kavan Coffee

IMG_2385IMG_2384Of worthy mention is this place, where we had the best Cafe Latte (₩3,000) of this trip. Strong, yet smooth, it had that oomph at the very first sip 🙂

The Green Tea Latte  (₩3,500) here was pretty good too.

There are 2 outlets, and the one we visited was near 서면역 Seomyeon Station 西面站 (check out the location map in their website). Do give it a try if you visit Busan!

Website: www.kavancoffee.com (Facebook)

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Categories: Busan, Coffee/Tea Break, Seoul, South Korea, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

애성회관 곰탕 (Aeseong Hoegwan Gomtang) Aseong Hall Beef Soup @Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 11 April 2017 by lendeliz

IMG_2760We wanted to grab some dinner prior to making our way to the airport, and once again, we went to the nearby 애성회관 곰탕 (Aeseong Hoegwan Gomtang) Aseong Hall Beef Soup, recommended by the hotel.

We got ourselves some 곰탕 (Gomtang) Beef Soup 牛肉湯 (₩8,000 (S), ₩10,000 (L)).

Simple, and super delicious, the beef slices were thick, tender, and flavourful.

We recommend getting the big bowl for the extra beef! The noodles quantity seemed to be the same, and they were worth slurping too. The soup was served warm (not piping hot), and it was very flavourful too.

What a delicious meal to end our trip with 🙂

Contact:

  • Location: 서울특별시 중구 남대문로5길 23 세창빌딩 Seochang Building, 5 Road, 23 Namdaemunro, Jung-gu, Seoul
  • Website: www.facebook.com/pages/애성회관/492191597564040
  • Directions: See directions here. Take Exit 7 of 시청역 City Hall Station 市廳站 (Subway Line 1/2, Station Number 132/201) and walk around 5 mins.
  • Hrs: 10am – 9pm (Mon-Fri), 10am – 8pm (Sat)
Categories: Dinner, Seoul, South Korea | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

덕수궁 Deoksugung Palace 德壽宮 @Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 11 April 2017 by lendeliz

IMG_2727Our last day in Seoul, and we thought to just hang around near our hotel.

We wanted to check out the stone-wall road of 덕수궁 Deoksugung Palace 德壽宮, but as we were walking towards the palace, we heard drums going off…

Imagine our excitement when we saw the Changing of the Royal Guards Ceremony in front of 대한문 Daehanmun Gate 大漢門 so close to the streets (and traffic lights)!

Too bad it was nearing the end already, so we decided to go ahead with admiring the stone walls, and finding a cafe to chill, while we waited for the 15:30 Changing of the Royal Guards Ceremony to begin.

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Categories: Seoul, South Korea, Travel | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

동방영양센터 (Dongbang Yeongyang Center) Oriental Nutrition Center 東方營養中心 @Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 11 April 2017 by lendeliz

After checking out and depositing our luggage with the hotel, we went to the hotel-recommended 동방영양센터 (Dongbang Yeongyang Center) Oriental Nutrition Center 東方營養中心, that specialised in 삼계탕 (Samgyetang) Ginseng Chicken Soup 蔘雞湯.

Despite the staff who kept saying that the chicken was very small, we ordered only 1 set (₩14,000) as I did not have much of an appetite. I guess they were not too happy with us, but the restaurant was fairly empty while we were there.

The samgyetang really did wonders for my blocked nose 😛

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The soup itself was quite light, and the chicken quite tender. Again, it came with accompanying dip and side dishes. Overall, quite a decent meal, and rather filling for 2 of us.

From here, it was an easy walk to 덕수궁 Deoksugung Palace 德壽宮, which was our next destination.

Contact:

  • Location: 북창동 42-2 동화빌딩 서울 중구 세종대로18길 14, Bukchangdong 42-2 Fairytale Building Sejong Daero Road, Jung-gu, Seoul
  • Directions: See directions here
  • Hrs: 9am – 11pm
Categories: Lunch, Seoul, South Korea, Travel | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

남대문시장 Namdaemun Market 南大門市場 @Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 11 April 2017 by lendeliz

IMG20170406134129One of the largest traditional market in South Korea, 남대문시장 Namdaemun Market 南大門市場 has been opened since 1964.

There are stores that serves as wholesale markets (starts from 11pm to next day wee hours), as well as retail sections (some stores start from 9am onwards, with push carts coming out closer to 11am).

With more than 10,000 stores, all sorts of stuff can be found here, including clothing, accessories, toys, kitchenware, etc. Of course, there are plenty of food options as well, from snack stalls to cafes and eateries. It seemed impossible to finish seeing and eating in one day.

Since we were staying quite near 남대문시장 Namdaemun Market 南大門市場, we popped over quite a number of times for eating and shopping. In fact, hubby even managed to haggle a little for cheap men’s socks 😮 (Though we did see even cheaper ones at Dongdaemun…)

First thing we did was to get a map of the Namdaemun Market at the Information Centre near Exit 5 of 회현 Hoehyeon Station 會賢站 (Subway Line 4, Station Number 425), or you can get a copy from here. We also spotted staff stationed at different areas to help lost tourists.
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Categories: Breakfast, Coffee/Tea Break, Seoul, South Korea, Travel | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments

명동 Myeongdong 明洞 @Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 10 April 2017 by lendeliz

IMG_2489IMG_2437One of the most popular shopping district in Seoul, 명동 Myeongdong 明洞 is a great place for eating and shopping. We popped over here quite a few times, both in the day and the night, and did some shopping (lugged back tons of face masks), and lots of eating (plenty of restaurants and street food). Happy people, less happy wallet, less less happy feet 😛

It was surprisingly quiet during the day, perhaps due to the period that we went, and it felt relatively stress-free. The crowd appeared when the street market opened in the evening.

In addition to 놀부Nolboo Budae Jjigae 樂伯部隊鍋 and 오우가 Ouga 五友歌, we have also tried:

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Categories: Coffee/Tea Break, Seoul, South Korea, Travel | Tags: , | 2 Comments

사리원 Sariwon Bulgogi 沙裏院 (IFC Mall) @Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 10 April 2017 by lendeliz

After our cherry blossom viewing, we walked back towards 여의도역 Yeouido Station 汝矣島站, and the IFC Mall was nearby, with plenty of food options. Since we wanted to have Korean food, we opted for 사리원 Sariwon Bulgogi, which had pretty good online reviews.

The menu was available in English, Chinese and Korean, and we took a lunch special 육수 불고기세트 (Yuksu Bulgogi Seteu) Hand Marinated Prime Beef with Broth Set 肉湯烤肉套餐 (₩18,500 per person).

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We found the 냉면 (Naengmyeon) Cold Buckwheat Noodles 冷麵 to be the highlight of the meal. Delightfully chilled, we enjoyed the texture of the noodles very much. The beef was so-so. Not exactly a satisfying or cheap meal, but well, it was located in a mall.

Contact:

  • Location: 서울특별시 영등포구 여의도동 국제금융로 10, 910 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
  • Website: IFC Mall
  • Directions: Take Exit 3 of 여의도역 Yeouido Station 汝矣島站
  • Hrs: 10am – 10pm
Categories: Lunch, Seoul, South Korea, Travel | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

여의도 봄꽃축제 Yeouido Spring Flower Festival 浦汝矣島櫻花節 @Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 10 April 2017 by lendeliz

IMG_2682After a heavy breakfast, we figured that it was time for some walking 🙂

Despite missing the actual 여의도 봄꽃축제 Yeouido Spring Flower Festival 浦汝矣島櫻花節, which was held from 1st to 9th April this year (and it’s 10th today, haha…), we still decide to make our way there, for the pictures that we saw online suggested that the cherry blossoms were still in full bloom today.

We made our way to 여의도역 Yeouido Station 汝矣島站 (Subway Line 5/9, Station Number 526/915), and followed the signboard, choosing to walk out via Exit 3.

We were initially quite confused as to where the cherry blossom trees were, and went to 여의도 공원 Yeouido Park 汝矣島公園 first, as we followed the crowd and walked towards the National Assembly Building.

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Categories: Seoul, South Korea, Travel | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

석촌호수 벚꽃축제 Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival 石村湖櫻花節 @Seoul, South Korea

Posted on 9 April 2017 by lendeliz

IMG_2604We wanted a relaxing day today, and it seemed like a good day for some cherry blossom viewing.

We searched online and saw that the cherry blossoms were blooming well at 석촌호수 벚꽃축제 Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival 石村湖櫻花節, and decided to pop over.

With Seokchon Lake and the castle of the amusement park, Lotte World, as the backdrop, there was definitely a romantic feel in the air 🙂

It was also rather crowded with everyone trying to take pictures of the lovely cherry blossom trees in its full glory. We just took our time to take pictures and to stroll along the path in the park, which was lined with cherry blossom trees with pale pink flowers.

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Categories: Seoul, South Korea, Travel | Tags: , | 1 Comment

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