Myeongdong, Seoul

Myeongdong, the "must-visit" shopping street in Seoul. This is the only place in Seoul that I will never fail to visit. And the only place that I am familiar with, in Seoul, before this trip.

Myeongdong is the main shopping area where locals and tourists shop, probably similar to the Orchard Road in Singapore, but a more vibrant version. This is also the place where one is spoilt for choice on Korean cosmetics and skin care products. Faceshop, Etude House, Natural Republic and many more. As you approach the shops, the staff would hand out the packs of facial cotton as free gifts to entice you into the shop. You will be surprise that the staff speak conversational Mandarin. Infact, they are more fluent in Mandarin than English. Chinese are big spender tourists everywhere these days.

Myeongdong Theatre, a prominent building in Myeongdong showcase the popular Nanta Cooking Show. The actors using knifes, pots and pans to create music and dance with it. We do not have watch the show but this was highly recommended by my Korean pals.

Street food and street stalls are another highlight of Myeongdong at night. The roads are closed to traffic from the evening to midnight. The street food commonly found in the street stalls is "Ddeokbokki". Ddeokbokki is the Spicy Korean Rice Cakes. The pot of red gravy looks too spicy for me to try!

Papa Snew salivate at the Kebab. He simply loves Kebab. But the irony is, he has never been to the Middle East nor Turkey to taste the original ones.

And yes, we found Gong Cha in Myeongdong. The Gong Cha over here is a cafe selling the bubble tea, instead just the usual take-away stalls found in Singapore. Infact, this particular one in Myeongdong is three-storey high.

Myeongdong is definitely a place to visit during the night. But if you are there during the day, do also check out one of the tourists sight - Myeongdong Catheral. It was under renovation when I visited it. Otherwise, the Gothic structure would be really impressive.

Lotte Town
Across the road from Myeongdong Shopping Street is the Lotte Town, just next to our Lotte Hotel. Lotte Town has two adjacent shopping malls - Lotte Departmental Store and Young Plaza. Lotte Department Store house the Avenuel and the Lotte Duty Free Shop (on 9th to 11th floor) are located in the Lotte Departmental Store. Lotte Young Plaza has good fashion clothings, more for the younger crowd.

Luxury and branded products are much cheaper in Korea. Tourists can claim for tax refund or just purchase from the Lotte Duty Free, where we got really good discounts. But do visit early, the duty free located on 9-11th floor is always packed with tourists from Mainland China. For better shopping experience, do try to shop during less crowded timings.


Myeongdong Street
Myeongdong Station, Subway Line 4
or
Euljiro 1-ga Station, Subway Line 2

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Bukchon & Samcheongdong, Seoul

Gyeongbokgung, Seoul

Lotte Hotel, Seoul

Bukchon & Samcheongdong, Seoul

After Gyeongbokgung Palace, we continued on to Bukchon & Samcheongdong. Samcheongdong is a street adjacent to Gyeongbokgung. It is one of the most beautiful streets in Seoul, incorporating a mix of traditional Korean houses with modern cafes, art galleries, designer and specialty shops.

To my knowledge, Samcheongdong is also a high-end area with many government officials residing there as it is near to the Blue-House (Cheongwadae). Cheongwadae is the official residence of the President of Korea.

Check out the many unique cafes at Samcheongdong. It's a place where the East meets West. You find modernised cafes and shops operating in traditional looking house. Unique as it is, you don't feel that either of these are "out of place", but well-mixed.

I really love the nice cafes in Samcheongdong. If I have the luxury of time, I would probably try out all these nice-looking cafes. I was told that the must-do at Samcheongdong is to enjoy a cuppa of coffee with waffles. A pity that I did not get to try to waffles.

We spotted these nice cafes while we are on the uphill of Bukchon. This would be my dream cafe, if I ever have a chance to open one. It is call Kona Queens.

The cafe has a full glass frontage. Guests can choose to sit at the 3rd storey, outdoor area or the second-level indoor dining. As there were people smoking on the outdoor deck, we decided on the second storey which has a better to people-watch.

What I was surprise was that the menu are all in English. The staff spoke good conversational English, and most of the customers were young people. I believe the older folks would prefer the traditional Korean Tea places. Free WIFI is commonly found in cafes.

Enjoy my favourite Green Tea Latte with a cheesecake.

Continuing on in Bukchon, you will find street stalls, restaurants and art galleries.

Street Stalls that we came across.

We were searching for the Bukchon Hanok Village and finally arrive after walking around the area for about half an hour. The Hanok Village is the Korean traditional houses which dates back to the Joseon Dynasty. Till date, there are still residences in these houses, while others have been converted to guesthouses, culture centres and teahouses.

There are 8 views of Bukchon - the photospots of Bukchon.

Looking at the roof tops, are you thinking that you have travelled to the past?

When we were there, Persimmons are in the season. Can see them growing everywhere. I believe the resident decide to grow it on higher ground so as to prevent people from plucking it. Honestly, the persimmons was pretty tempted to pluck them as well!

Bukchon Hanok Village
Anguk Station (Subway Line 3), Exit 2. Go straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village.

Samcheong-dong Street
Anguk Station (Subway Line 3), Exit 1, 2, or 3. Walk 10 minutes.

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Gyeongbokgung, Seoul

Lotte Hotel Seoul

Gyeongbokgung, Seoul

On our second day, we visited Gyeongbokgung Palace. There are a few palaces in Seoul. The main royal palace of the 500 Joseon Dynasty remains to be the Gyeongbokgung Palace. So if you do not have the luxury of time or an inept for Korean history, visiting the Gyeongbokgung Palace would probably just be sufficient.

There are at least three entrances to the Gyeongbokgong. The Royal Change of Guard Ceremony happens at the main Gwanghwamun Gate (which faces the Gwanghwamun Square). It's a good opportunity to witness and experience some rare traditional Korean culture. Happens on the hour between 10am - 3pm, except Tuesday.

Not trying to be rude, but this guard looks pretty adorable, similar to those you see from the TV drama series. Talking about it, I always thought that such performance and traditional costumes are worn in the period dramas. Was pretty amaze that the ceremony still happens at the Royal Palace presently.

There are numerous different halls and pavilions in the palace. To be honest, I didn't have the energy to continue after seeing the first few. The grounds are just simply too huge to cover. Size does matters. Especially to my tiring legs! Seeing is believing  Now I really understand what it means by the size of the palace grounds.

Not forgetting, I have yet to cover on the palace gardens. We decided to venture to the back of the palace, whereby we reach the gardens. It's another huge piece of land, with views of the mountains. With the autumn leaves, this makes it really picturesque.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

22, Sajik-ro 9-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Opens: 9am - 6pm (Last Admission at 5pm)
Close on Tuesday
Winter (Nov - Feb): 9am - 5pm (Last Admission at 4pm)
Summer (Jun - Aug): 9am - 6.30pm (Last Admission at 5.30pm)
Admission Ticket: 3,000KRW
Changing of Royal Guards Performance: 10am - 3pm (6 times a day / on the hour)

Directions:
Gyeongbokgung Palace Station (Subway Line 3), Exit 5 and walk for 5mins.
or Gwanghwamun Station, (Subway Line 5), Exit 2 and walk 400m.

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Walking further from Gyeongbokgung, we reach the National Folk Museum of Korea.

There are 4,000 historical artifacts in the museum.

Below shows the rotary grinding mill used in the olden days.

We did not actually go into the museum but stumble upon the open-space artifacts on the front yard of the museum. It showcase interesting facts on the diversity themes of Korean folk life, highlighting particularly on the traditional rural life.

National Folk Museum of Korea

37, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Opens: 9am - 6pm (Last Admission at 5pm)
Close on Tuesday and 1 Jan
Admission: Free
Directions: Walk from Gyeongbokgong Palace or Anguk Station (Subway Line 3), Exit 1

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Lotte Hotel Seoul

Lotte Hotel Seoul

Lotte Hotel has always been my favourite choice for a good stay in Seoul. A good five-star hotel, great service, in a great location. With over 1000 rooms in two wings, the main and the new wing, rates are very competitive compared to other 5-star international chain.

I stayed in Lotte Hotel, some 5-6 years ago during my first two business trips in Seoul. I've always like the hotel, great for its location, just 5 minutes walk to the Myeongdong shopping area. My first stay was at the new wing. At that time, only the new wing was renovated. Hence, my second trip at the hotel at the main wing wasn't that pleasant compared as the rooms were pretty run-down.

Our budget could only allow us to stay at the Main Wing. A check on the website shows that the rooms at the Main Wing has been refurbished. We toyed on the choice of other nearby hotels, but Lotte Hotel seems to be the most value for money, considering the walking distance from Myeongdong. Bear in mind though, a decent hotel in downtown Seoul doesn't comes with a cheap price tag. Even a no-frills Ibis hotel command a price of at least S$250. Well, I guess one really has to pay for the central location.

Judging from the look of the lobby area, you would already have certain expectations of the standard of the hotel. In the afternoon, there will be a pianist playing at the lobby.

On the contrary, the rooms were smaller than expected. It probably couldn't fit a triple-share, unless the coffee table and armchair were removed. Thankfully, the rooms has been refurbished to simple modern, yet sophisticated feel. Just the type

Unlike in Singapore, or many other countries, you can't buy a prepaid SIMCard to fit into your phone in Korea as it's on a different network. The only way to avoid roaming charges is to rent a phone from the airport. Lotte Hotel provides you with a Korea handphone in the room. You can use the phone to call out, and settle your local call charges on your departure, which is much cheaper than renting a phone set from the airport. The best news is, you receive incoming call free! You can ask your Korean counterparts to just call into your phone at no cost to you! It's just a simple clam-shell phone, easy enough for you to make and receive calls only. However, don't forget to return the phone back to the room before you check out.

I didn't manage to take the bathroom, but by the number of Japanese staying in the hotel, you would expect a bath tub.

In addition to the complimentary bowl of fruits, there was also a bottle of wine that is on the house.

The photo on the left shows the waterfall that is located at the coffee house cum bar of the hotel. Although a man-made waterfall feature, the view looks promising. A pity that we didn't have time to have coffee there.

Finally, I manage to take a photo with the greeter - a lady in hanbok. I recalled years ago, I saw the lady greeter that is standing at the lobby, was really very tall, at least 1.8m and her height is the one thing I associate with the greeter in Lotte Hotel. Oh well, after 5 years, I don't expect to still see her there but somehow disappointed that this greeter isn't that tall. But still, I requested a photo with the greeter.

We have an unforgettable experience with this outstanding bell lady. Instead of the typical bell boy, there were a few "bell ladies". On this occasion, we were back from Lotte Supermarket with a heavy box and a huge shopping bag. The bell-lady, under no instructions, carried our baggage to the lift lobby. I felt so bad, as Papa Snew and I were already struggling while carrying it to the taxi stand. And by the way, tipping isn't the practice in Korea.

Snew's Rating: 3.9 / 5

Stay Period: 23-29 Oct 2012

Honestly, there is nothing very remarkable about the hotel. Everything you would expect from a five-star hotel. But the location is what you pay for. It's adjourning to the Lotte Departmental Store, and less than 5 minute walk from Myeongdong shopping area.

The Lotte Department store has a duty store, on the 9th and 10th floor. These are two massive floors of branded goods and cosmetics. If you are press for time, don't bother to shop elsewhere. Just focus your shopping over here. And, did I forget to mention that luxury brands in Duty Free Korea is much cheaper? Forget about Europe or USA if you do not have the luxury to travel long-haul to shop.

Amphawa Floating Market, Bangkok

When one talks about the floating markets in Bangkok, you think of it as a tourist trap, filled with tourists from tours. The boat vendors, selling fruits, vegetables and souvenirs would be touting along the crowded waterways, and the waters has since turn into a muddy playground.

Picture this, and most of us, who are repeat travellers to Bangkok would shun away from it. This is perhaps, what the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market looks like today. One of my ex Thai colleagues painted me a different picture, and told us another Floating market - Amphawa Floating market visited by Thai tourists (ie locals), my eyes lighted up and my curiosity search began.

Unlike the over-crowded Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (about 2.5hours or 100km away from Bangkok ) that operates from the early morning, Amphawa Floating Market (about 1.5hours, and 70km from Bangkok) is an afternoon or evening market. As with my previous post, we visited both the Maeklong Railway Market and Amphawa Floating on the same day.

Amphawa Floating Market opens in the afternoon till night, Friday - Sunday, and is the most busiest after 4pm. Unlike the other day markets which you need to wake up wee hours in the morning from Bangkok and travel about 2 hours to get to the morning floating market, you can get travel from Bangkok to get here after lunch.

This is the place to visit for genuine floating market experience. The place is predominated by Thais although there seem to be an influx of independent tourists. You see few 'farangs' - the Thai word for Caucasians, over here.

You don't get onto the boats to tour the river canel although you can go on evening boating trips to see the fireflies (which I did not try). Instead, the boats are mainly for the hawker stalls, where the meal is prepared on the boat, and send it to the guests, seated at the river bank.

Most of the eateries here serve seafood along the riverside. The 'chef' prepares the food on the boat, then pass it on to the stall holders who takes orders and delivers the food to the guests who sits on steps and benches just facing the river. 

This is the real Alfresco dining experience!

It was really crowded on the Sunday afternoon when we visited, and the place is so packed with the locals that we couldn't get any seats to try the "alfresco dining".

Stroll along the sides of the river, and you see a number of quail shops, including a traditional Chinese pastry shop.

You can cross the river over the busy bridge (there are a few), with the largest and most crowded link-bridge at the cross section.

Enjoy a breeze stroll along and capture nice views along the river canel.

Rustic surrounding that you can't find in the busy city.

Night was approaching and we decide to settle for dinner in a busy restaurant. We were attracted to the BBQ seafood that was being prepared infront of the shop.

It's yummy seafood dinner at very reasonable price.

Very soon, it was nightfall, and time to make our way back to Bangkok. But before we go, I manage to take some decent pictures of the night view of Amphawa Floating Market.

Snew's Rating: 4.4 / 5

I definitely recommend this place. Although you don't get to sit on the boat to experience life on the river, the experience of walking along the riverside with quail shops and seafood eateries is more worthwhile, then being hassle by the touts of hawkers on the boat. This is a more genuine experience of a Thai then a touristy floating market hunt.

If I'm given a chance to come back, I may like to spend a night here, so that we have more time, to sample the street food, shoot picturesque photos, and not having to rush back to Bangkok.