snewthewanderlust

Friday, 5 April 2013

Dongdaemun & Cheongyecheon Stream, Seoul

For most of the tourists, Dongdaemun is probably the most well-known place in Seoul. You probably may not have gone to Seoul if you haven't visited Dongdaemun. No surprise. This place is known for it's shopping mall that opens practically 24 hours. Even if shops do close, it would probably be wee hours in the morning.

For most ladies, it's a shopping paradise. For me, it was a disappointment. I have been to Dongdaemun a few times (sometimes sneaking out at night during my previous work trips to kill my shopping itch). Most times, I return empty handed, or with just an item or so. Why? Read on.

There are two sections of Dongdaemun. The ones that most tourists visit located on the side of Doosan Tower housed small individual retailers are Yes APm, Doota, Migliore. Doota is more high-end, with local branded stuff. This is the section that I always visit.

The other side, nearer to the Dongdaemun Stadium, meant for wholesalers. This means they usually sell in bulk, are Designer's Club, Gwanghee Fashion Mall, Migliore Valley, Jeil Pyeonghwa. According to KNTO, the first three cater more to the teens and youth in the twenties while the later caters more to the 30s and 40s.

No wonder I didn't find anything suitable as I was in the wrong building all these while! My girlfriend who travelled there one week before I do, also complained the same thing! That tells very much about our age. She was tremendously disappointed as she was expecting to bring home loads of good stuff.

Other than the shopping malls, Dongdaemun is also famous for it's outdoor night market where street vendors lined their stalls in yellow tents. It's a bit like pasar malam. The usual things that they sell are belts, socks, T-shirts and accessories.

Look at the crowd after a rain.

Did I mention that you need to try bargaining while shopping at Dongdaemun? Stuff here are cheaper than Myeongdong. However, don't expect to bargain down too much especially when they know that you are a tourist. You just need to search for sincere and nice sellers. Papa Snew bought some shirts from this funny Ajumma (aka "Aunty" in Korean) in Migliore and in her hardly understood English, tried hard to give him tips on how to dress up and style like Korean fashion. He ended up buying few shirts from him.

My deduction is, you really need to go to the right place (since the entire Dongdaemun is huge). Probably the touristy part was really not the right place to shop afterall. Searching for the right stuff at a good price in Dongdaemun is like searching for gem. You need real patience and good stamina. Now that you know my age bracket, do share your experience and drop me a comment if you know where I can find good stuff in Dongdaemun.

Dongdaemun
Dongdaemun Stadium Station (Subway Line 2)
or Dongdaemun Station (Subway Line 1 or 4)

---
Since the rain has stopped, we decide to walk up and explore on the Cheongyecheon Stream. This is probably one of the longest stream, stretching 5.84KM and passing Deoksugung Palace to Changgyeonggung Palace. Not just any restored stream, the Cheongyecheon Stream is full of life and activities.

The Cheongyecheon Stream is a common place where young couples date. As it was just after a rain, we explored only on a short section of the stream. If we do have the time and the weather was right, we could have taken a leisure stroll down a longer section of the stream.

There are many entry points to Cheongyecheon Stream. My suggestion is if you are going to Dongdaemun, just walk towards the stream if you just want to have a peep. However, if you do intend to take a leisure stroll, you can start from City Hall Station (Subway Line 1, 2), Exit 4. Walk 250 m north to Cheonggye Plaza. The Cheongye Square would be the start of the stream and the venue where events and activities are held.

Cheongyecheon Stream
Opens 24hours

Subway:
Line 1: City Hall Station, Jonggak Station, Jongno 3-ga Station, Jongno 5-ga Station, Dongdaemun Station, Sinseoldong Station
Line 2: Euljiro 1-ga Station, Euljiro 3-ga Station, Euljiro 4-ga Station, Sindang Station, Sangwangsibni Station
Line 3: Jongno 3-ga Station
Line 4: Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station
Line 5: Gwanghwamun Station

Related Posts:

Edae - Ewha Womans University Vicinity, Seoul

Namsan Tower (N Seoul Tower), Seoul

Nami Island, Korea

Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Edae - Ewha Womans University Vicinity, Seoul

Edae or Ewha Womans University vicinity is every teenage girl shopping haven. My age is nowhere near that of a teenager, or a budding University student. But I have read so much about getting bargains at this area. Hence, I needed to check it out the area.

There are a lot of street shopping, mainly frequently by students from the University. Yes ApM, the same shopping mall found in Dongdaemun, catering to youngsters is also here. The highlight is probably the shops in shopping street selling trendy clothes, shoes and accessories. All more suitable for the youngsters. Believe they are also more affordable then those in Myeongdong.

Walking along the street, we stopped at Ewha Womans University. Our curiosity grows as we see the huge University ground and decide to explore further. We were applaud by the combination of modern and colonial architecture style. The lush greenery reminds me of some of the older Universities in UK.

Ewha Womans University is one of the top University in Korea. Only for the ladies. But... but.. I thought University is place where you get to meet your potential life partner, or at least have a better avenue to meet friends of the opposite sex?

Would you believe that these are part of a University campus? I will probably be very motivated in my studies if I do study here!

It's definitely worth a visit to Ewha Womans University area. Even if it's not for shopping, but for some time to stroll around the University Campus is also a good experience.

Ewha Womans University
11-1, Daehyeon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul-si
Ewha Womans University Station (Subway Line 2), Exit 2 or 3.

Related Posts:

Namsan Tower (N Seoul Tower), Seoul

Nami Island, Korea

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Namsan Tower (N Seoul Tower), Seoul

Namsan Tower, also known as N Seoul Tower, is one of the beautiful and romantic icon in Seoul City.

I have planned to visit Namsan Tower in the evening. I imagined having the combination of the spectacular views of the city in the sunset. However, it didn't turn out very much as planned as the sun sets pretty fast during the Autumn season. When we reached the cable car station to Namsan Tower, the sky was already turning dark.

There are two ways to get to Namsan Tower. The first way is by cable car, which offers you a good view of the city and the mountain. The second is by trekking the way up via a stone windy stairs. This would probably take about 30 minutes or more for me. Well, I wanted to save my energy as there are a lot of walking to be done in Seoul. Besides, the cable car ride would be an experience in itself.

There was a queue to take the cable car during the evening. We queued for about 20minutes before getting onto the cable car. The ride was a mere 5 minutes ride but it was an experience anyway. After arriving at the tip of the cable car station, we still need to climb some flight of stairs to get to the base of Namsan Tower. On the way, you will come across the Gazebo that you see in many Korean drama series. We spotted some lovey dovey Korean couple....

At the foot of N Seoul Tower, there are some few retail shops and restaurants. Besides the magnificent views Namsan Tower offers, the place is also renowned for its collection of "Locks of Love". Couples declare their everlasting love and symbolically does it by writing love notes on the lock and attaching over the "trees of locks" or the fences. The locks comes in all shapes and sizes, some very unique that are not commonly found.

I wonder should the couple part, would they go back there to "unlock" the love locks? But well, who would bother doing it right? There are probably thousands or millions of locks all over and would be hidden beneath.

A comparison of the towers around the world.

It's a 360 degrees view of Seoul city. It was too dark for me to take a good shot of the view. So I will recommend going during the late afternoon where it is still bright to enjoy a clear view.

If your love ones is not with you up the tower, you can post them a postcard and send it to your love one.

N Seoul Tower (Namsan Tower)
By Cable Car
Admission Price: 8,000KRW (return), 6,000KRW (single)
Opening Hours: 10am - 11pm
Directions: Exit 3 of Myeongdong Station (Subway Line 4). Walk for 10-15minutes following the street uphill, on the right side of Pacific Hotel. (It might be a bit too complicated, so I suggest you just get a taxi from Myeongdong).

Namsan Tower
Admission Price: 9,000KRW
Opening Hours: 10am-11pm (Mon-Fri); 10am-12midnight (Sat & Sun)

Related Posts:

Nami Island, Korea

Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Nami Island, Korea

Nami Island, the location where the popular drama series - Winter Sonata was filmed, is now a popular destination for both the Koreans and tourists. Yes, the drama series had been aired some 10years ago, but the island still maintains a distinct and well-kept charm.

We were very fortunate that our Korean friend, Romeo and girlfriend drove us to Nami Island. Otherwise, we would spend about 2hours searching for our way to the island. For information on how to get there, details are available on Nami Island website. I would definitely recommend allocating an entire day for Nami Island. You take about 1.5 - 2 hours getting there, and back from Seoul respectively. The island is not too big, but you would still need to spend at least 3-4 hours strolling around the island.

Admission to Nami Island is from Gapyeong Jetty (Nami Island Jetty). Otherwise, one can also try the Zipwire where you zip down 940m across the river from a 80m tall tower.

We are not that adventurous, so we went by the traditional way, by taking the ferry. The ferry that we took, was a unique submarine-like looking vehicle displaying the flags from countries over the world.

We were greeted with numerous excited photo-spots as we step into the beautiful and rustic island.

Visitors could rent a bicycle to cycle around the island. As this was our very first trip, we decided to explore by foot slowly on foot. We didn't manage to cover the entire island as the island is not that tiny afterall! We were too tired and the sky was getting dark (the sun starts to set about 5+pm during the Autumn) by then. We definitely recommend renting bicycles so that more grounds could be covered.

Stone figures of fat man and woman in different pose are found thoughout the island. Some depicting the love of a mother, whereas others might look a little offensive!

Here comes the highlight of the Island. In almost every corner, we are reminded of the Winter Sonata drama series. From the place of their first kiss, to the signature poster shot of the couple, with rows of trees neatly lined behind them.

It was indeed a real challenge trying to get the a good shot amidst crowds of people. This was the peak period to Nami Island as everyone as flocking there for the Autumn trees. Nami Island, a romantic place for couples? How romantic could it be with tons of visitors fighting for a spot to take that signature photo?

Doesn't my friend, Romeo just look like a Korean movie-star?

We didn't manage to cover the entire Nami Island as we were already tired out by the photo-taking and walking. There is a hotel in the island for visitors who would love to spend a bit more time exploring the island.

There was a very long queue for the ferry on the return trip as most visitors were leaving the island at that time (around 5pm). Thankfully, the queue was cleared pretty fast. The journey back to Seoul was met with a heavy traffic. We spent almost 4 hours on the road. But, being there for the first time. It's all worth-it.

Nami Island

63Km from Seoul

Directions to Nami Island: From Insadong or Jamil Station (Click on the link)

Ferry Timing: 7.30am - 9.30pm (To Nami Island from Gapyeong Ferry Terminal)

Admission Ticket: 8,000 KRW (Foreigners), 10,000KRW (Locals)

Related Posts: