Have been wanting to visit Korea for the longest time. I think the attraction just grew bigger when the Kpop world started to flourish. Booked tickets to fly to Seoul with the girls and then off to Shanghai for a few days as they wanna do some shopping there as well.
Ahhh. Finally, SEOUL (:
Touchdown at the airport. We took a airport bus to the city which was great because the stop was very near our hotel. After we alighted, it was about a 5min walk from the bus stop. The journey took about an hour and the trip costs us S$16 per head.
It was really cold when we got there. -2 degrees.
The seats on the bus were really comfortable. I was quite amazed that there was a heater installed into the walls of the bus. There was also entertainment in the form of tv shows on the bus.
This was one of the Bao Zhuang Ma Che 包装马车 supper stalls located directly below our hotel. We stayed at East Gate Hotel which is located in the heart of Dongdaemun and connected to Cerestar shopping center.
That was officially our first supper in Korea. Many more yummy food to come along (:
The next morning we woke up bright and early and made our way to Gyeongbokgung Palace. First time taking their trains so we spent some time figuring out how to get a paid train card. The card costs about 3,000won and you have to further top up an amount. Don't worry about topping up too much because you can claim it back at any convenience stall at the airport.
They have mini convenience stalls selling light food and drinks as well as magazines in the middle of the train station. How awesome is that! Obviously you won't ever find that in Singapore cos our train system has a no-eating on board rule. In Shanghai, they even have a vending machine for magazines.
Their signs are pretty clear so it was quite easy to figure our way around Seoul just by looking at the train map. (and doing a bit of homework before the trip)
Their train stations had an entire area reserved for the elderly where we watched in a video that you're not supposed to sit on them if not you'll get stares by the locals. They also have interconnecting doors from cabin to cabin, something you don't see in Singapore as well.
Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in 1394 as the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty by King Taejo and is the most comprehensive and grandest of the five palaces of the period. It was located very near to Gwanghwamun Plaza as well which probably made it more popular than the other palaces..
To get there, you have to take Exit 5 of Gyeongbokgung Station, Subway Line 3
Opening hours are from 9am to 5pm depending on which month it is.
I'm not too sure bout the entrance fee but we told them we wanted the student price tickets and they sold them to us. If not, I believe entrance fee is only about 3,000won so it doesn't make that much of a difference. There are also daily guided tours available and we were lucky to spot 2 English tourguides whilst we were there. (The first one was so boring and she walked too fast and we lost her very quickly).
This was the interior of one of their 'rooms'. We were told the many colors represent the grandeur and status of the royal.
It was really nice to see the mountains in the background.
This is how we keep warm most of the time. Bury our entire face in our scarves haha. It was really cold that day, probably not the best day to have visited the palace. Either that or we were still trying to get used to the cold and were trying desperately to get our heat packs to work in the cold.
We also caught the Korean palace procession which was just a lot of marching around and standing around with the sound of the drums and a few musical instruments. It seemed to be going on forever as they came in batches.
We also visited the National Palace Museum of Korea which was located just beside the palace and right outside the exit of the train station. We were seeking refuge from the cold in the museum as well and took home some souvenirs we created with stamps. Above is the image I snapped of a pot of 'flowers'. I have no idea why they are located all over Seoul. I mean, I guess it's pretty cos of the pink coloring but it's not exactly a flower? (Or maybe it is, I might be wrong)
Another thing I was quite impressed with was that they had an art gallery in the middle of the train station. They actually made use of the extra space and turned it into an art gallery. GENIUS I say.
This is the famous Ginseng Chicken that EVERYONE goes to because it's that famous. It's located about a 10min walk from Exit 2 of Gyeongbokgung Station. Once you get out of the exit, you basically walk all the way straight and turn left at GS25 (a convenience stall chain popular in Seoul). Prepare to queue in the cold for about 20 - 30minutes before you get a table inside. The queue was worth it though!
The entrance to the restaurant.
When we enter, they bring you to a small hut and you have to remove your shoes before entering. The tables are low so you have to sit on mats or on the floor that's fine because their floors are heated.
Baked chicken which was super yummy. The skin was really crisp and the meat, tender.
Now for the highlight: THIS WAS SO DARN GOOD! Probably one of the best ginseng chicken I have tasted although I have not tasted that many in my lifetime. The meat was really tender and so soft and there was glutinous rice stuffed inside the chicken. YUMM. Besides glutinous rice, I also uncovered Gingko nuts, Ginseng, Garlic, Chestnut and Jujubes in the chicken. The ginseng taste was very significant in the soup broth and glutinous rice. I'm not a big fan of ginseng but I found it alright to digest, probably because the soup was so rich and delicious.
Seriously hands down, the best thing to eat on a cold winter day.
After 4 chickens, we were full but lazy to get up and go because it was so cold outside. Wished we could have stayed indoors longer haha. We also ordered a pancake as well but it never came.
A bowl of Ginseng chicken was about 16,000won. Not too sure about the baked chicken though. It was self payment at the entrance after the meal.
We visited the indoor museum of the Story of King Sejong which was located at Gwanghwamun Plaza, right infront of the Palace so we basically took another route back to the Plaza.
The exhibition was really high-tech and I think they really spent a good amount of money trying to educate the public on the history of the King. This was the same king that invented the Korean language.
Took a picture on the royal chair. The background has many images portrayed, each of them signifying something important.
We also bumped into 3 strangers here.
They even had interactive exhibits where you can take a silly photo of yourself and put a headpiece on your head for fun! Little did we know that these photos actually get posted up on the wall right at the entrance of the exhibition. FOL!
That's the statue of the king in the background. This place was supposed to have waterwork displays but I had no idea what time they started or if they have them in December so we basically missed it.
Co and Xw posing with a bronze statue.
Sarang Hae Yo!
I bought this mini espresso drink from a convenience stall for about 1,500won and believe it or not, this actually tasted pretty awesome. The ones in Singapore taste really bad.
We wanted to search for Hanoks but found ourselves at Insadong-gil Street. Apparently, the hanoks were located near Bukchon which was slightly further up the map. Gave up searching for them and instead, ended up shopping at the Jongno underground shopping area. They have many underground shopping areas located at each train station mostly.
I found a LUSH stall too! Omg the excitement. I've never been to a lush stall before so it was an exciting visit. Heard they're hitting the shores of Singapore too. Yay to that!
I did a small lush haul which I made use of during Christmas in Shanghai which was in my previous blog posts.
We also ended up having our first Korean BBQ in Seoul. We ordered two types of pork belly and a pork loin. It was yummy but not fantastic but I loved it nonetheless. (:
Look at those juicy yummy pieces of pork!
We also braved the cold and visited Cheonggyecheon Stream which was located near the Jonggak train station. This was the digital art that they had along the river. They were supposed to have a night laser show but I think during winter, they do not show it simply cos it was too cold I guess? (and since not that many people will visit the stream anyway during winter)
The start of the stream. It was so pretty!
Ended the night by booking tickets to Bibap at the Gwanghwamun Tourist Information Center which was basically an area for tourists to make enquiries. We basically got the lady there to help us make a pre-booking for our tickets to the show. We wanted to catch the Nutcracker but the tickets were all sold out so we decided to get tickets to Bibap instead which was like a cooking musical.
There were street live performances going on near our hotel whilst we were walking back so we stopped to take a look. I have no idea how the girls and boys do it. Clad in so little clothing and dancing IN THE COLD. The three of us were literally freezing. The good thing about our hotel also is that the street across it had most of the skincare brands you would probably want to find in Korea so it was super convenient for us to get our skincare products. Apart from some brands where you have to find in Myeongdong or Ewha itself.
We ended off the night with an interesting night out, clubbing at Ellui Ministry of Sound. The club was friggin HUGE with an awesome large dancefloor. It was a fun night out despite some guy spilling nearly a quarter bottle of vodka all over my coat, my jeans, my scarf and my velvet vest. (urghhh annoyed) And it was not even in the middle of the night, but at the start of the night so it was doubley annoying.
Cheers to awesome DJs and awesome Music!
The next morning we woke up bright and early and made our way to Gyeongbokgung Palace. First time taking their trains so we spent some time figuring out how to get a paid train card. The card costs about 3,000won and you have to further top up an amount. Don't worry about topping up too much because you can claim it back at any convenience stall at the airport.
They have mini convenience stalls selling light food and drinks as well as magazines in the middle of the train station. How awesome is that! Obviously you won't ever find that in Singapore cos our train system has a no-eating on board rule. In Shanghai, they even have a vending machine for magazines.
Their signs are pretty clear so it was quite easy to figure our way around Seoul just by looking at the train map. (and doing a bit of homework before the trip)
Their train stations had an entire area reserved for the elderly where we watched in a video that you're not supposed to sit on them if not you'll get stares by the locals. They also have interconnecting doors from cabin to cabin, something you don't see in Singapore as well.
Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in 1394 as the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty by King Taejo and is the most comprehensive and grandest of the five palaces of the period. It was located very near to Gwanghwamun Plaza as well which probably made it more popular than the other palaces..
To get there, you have to take Exit 5 of Gyeongbokgung Station, Subway Line 3
Opening hours are from 9am to 5pm depending on which month it is.
I'm not too sure bout the entrance fee but we told them we wanted the student price tickets and they sold them to us. If not, I believe entrance fee is only about 3,000won so it doesn't make that much of a difference. There are also daily guided tours available and we were lucky to spot 2 English tourguides whilst we were there. (The first one was so boring and she walked too fast and we lost her very quickly).
This was the interior of one of their 'rooms'. We were told the many colors represent the grandeur and status of the royal.
It was really nice to see the mountains in the background.
This is how we keep warm most of the time. Bury our entire face in our scarves haha. It was really cold that day, probably not the best day to have visited the palace. Either that or we were still trying to get used to the cold and were trying desperately to get our heat packs to work in the cold.
We also caught the Korean palace procession which was just a lot of marching around and standing around with the sound of the drums and a few musical instruments. It seemed to be going on forever as they came in batches.
We also visited the National Palace Museum of Korea which was located just beside the palace and right outside the exit of the train station. We were seeking refuge from the cold in the museum as well and took home some souvenirs we created with stamps. Above is the image I snapped of a pot of 'flowers'. I have no idea why they are located all over Seoul. I mean, I guess it's pretty cos of the pink coloring but it's not exactly a flower? (Or maybe it is, I might be wrong)
Another thing I was quite impressed with was that they had an art gallery in the middle of the train station. They actually made use of the extra space and turned it into an art gallery. GENIUS I say.
This is the famous Ginseng Chicken that EVERYONE goes to because it's that famous. It's located about a 10min walk from Exit 2 of Gyeongbokgung Station. Once you get out of the exit, you basically walk all the way straight and turn left at GS25 (a convenience stall chain popular in Seoul). Prepare to queue in the cold for about 20 - 30minutes before you get a table inside. The queue was worth it though!
The entrance to the restaurant.
When we enter, they bring you to a small hut and you have to remove your shoes before entering. The tables are low so you have to sit on mats or on the floor that's fine because their floors are heated.
Baked chicken which was super yummy. The skin was really crisp and the meat, tender.
Now for the highlight: THIS WAS SO DARN GOOD! Probably one of the best ginseng chicken I have tasted although I have not tasted that many in my lifetime. The meat was really tender and so soft and there was glutinous rice stuffed inside the chicken. YUMM. Besides glutinous rice, I also uncovered Gingko nuts, Ginseng, Garlic, Chestnut and Jujubes in the chicken. The ginseng taste was very significant in the soup broth and glutinous rice. I'm not a big fan of ginseng but I found it alright to digest, probably because the soup was so rich and delicious.
Seriously hands down, the best thing to eat on a cold winter day.
After 4 chickens, we were full but lazy to get up and go because it was so cold outside. Wished we could have stayed indoors longer haha. We also ordered a pancake as well but it never came.
A bowl of Ginseng chicken was about 16,000won. Not too sure about the baked chicken though. It was self payment at the entrance after the meal.
We visited the indoor museum of the Story of King Sejong which was located at Gwanghwamun Plaza, right infront of the Palace so we basically took another route back to the Plaza.
The exhibition was really high-tech and I think they really spent a good amount of money trying to educate the public on the history of the King. This was the same king that invented the Korean language.
Took a picture on the royal chair. The background has many images portrayed, each of them signifying something important.
We also bumped into 3 strangers here.
They even had interactive exhibits where you can take a silly photo of yourself and put a headpiece on your head for fun! Little did we know that these photos actually get posted up on the wall right at the entrance of the exhibition. FOL!
A mosaic image of the knight
Co and Xw posing with a bronze statue.
Sarang Hae Yo!
I bought this mini espresso drink from a convenience stall for about 1,500won and believe it or not, this actually tasted pretty awesome. The ones in Singapore taste really bad.
We wanted to search for Hanoks but found ourselves at Insadong-gil Street. Apparently, the hanoks were located near Bukchon which was slightly further up the map. Gave up searching for them and instead, ended up shopping at the Jongno underground shopping area. They have many underground shopping areas located at each train station mostly.
I found a LUSH stall too! Omg the excitement. I've never been to a lush stall before so it was an exciting visit. Heard they're hitting the shores of Singapore too. Yay to that!
I did a small lush haul which I made use of during Christmas in Shanghai which was in my previous blog posts.
We also ended up having our first Korean BBQ in Seoul. We ordered two types of pork belly and a pork loin. It was yummy but not fantastic but I loved it nonetheless. (:
Look at those juicy yummy pieces of pork!
We also braved the cold and visited Cheonggyecheon Stream which was located near the Jonggak train station. This was the digital art that they had along the river. They were supposed to have a night laser show but I think during winter, they do not show it simply cos it was too cold I guess? (and since not that many people will visit the stream anyway during winter)
The start of the stream. It was so pretty!
Ended the night by booking tickets to Bibap at the Gwanghwamun Tourist Information Center which was basically an area for tourists to make enquiries. We basically got the lady there to help us make a pre-booking for our tickets to the show. We wanted to catch the Nutcracker but the tickets were all sold out so we decided to get tickets to Bibap instead which was like a cooking musical.
There were street live performances going on near our hotel whilst we were walking back so we stopped to take a look. I have no idea how the girls and boys do it. Clad in so little clothing and dancing IN THE COLD. The three of us were literally freezing. The good thing about our hotel also is that the street across it had most of the skincare brands you would probably want to find in Korea so it was super convenient for us to get our skincare products. Apart from some brands where you have to find in Myeongdong or Ewha itself.
We ended off the night with an interesting night out, clubbing at Ellui Ministry of Sound. The club was friggin HUGE with an awesome large dancefloor. It was a fun night out despite some guy spilling nearly a quarter bottle of vodka all over my coat, my jeans, my scarf and my velvet vest. (urghhh annoyed) And it was not even in the middle of the night, but at the start of the night so it was doubley annoying.
Cheers to awesome DJs and awesome Music!
Tosokchon Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken) is located at
85-1, Chebu-dong, Jong-no gu, Seoul
Tel: 02-737-7444
Subway: Gyeongbokgung Station (Subway Line 3) Exit No. 2
3 comments:
hi,can I enquiry the famous ginseng chicken,can the shop staffs speak English?sorry I forgot to add email follow up.
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