Flying Seoul-o: Alone in Seoul and the First Congress of Hallyu Studies In Korea University (Part 2)

- October 20-22, Sunday to Tuesday.

- The morning after my last conference day, I visited Jogyesa again to take some photos of it during the day. There were indeed a lot of flowers that lit up and livened the solemn feel of the temple. Again, the Jogyesa (Jogye Temple) is the center of the Jogye order of Korean Buddhism, and was made in the 1300s. Entrance is of course free, and is open 24 hours.

Monk sweeping the temple yard.

Temple-stay participants ready for their morning work.

Plenty of flowers, no?

Drum.

Flower-coated child.

Flowers made from smaller flowers.

- After the temple visit, I passed by Bosingak, a large historical bell right in front of the Jongno Tower, originally constructed in the late 1300s. It was used by the king and his men as an alarm, a notification, a warning, and other uses.

- I ate breakfast at the hotel, changed clothes, and transferred back to Insa Hostel, left my luggage, and set off to the grandest of all 5 Joseon palaces - the Gyeongbok Palace (Gyeongokgung.) It is the northern palace, and is the most popular tourist destination among all 5 palaces. Since it was Sunday, they did not have the usual changing-of-guards ceremony, but they had scheduled a guard-inspection ceremony at 2:30pm. The ceremony was only done for a few weekends, so I thought of coming back to Gyeongbokgung in the afternoon to attend the ceremony; I went to the palace early morning.

Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung.

Throne hall.

Dining hall.

Trippy ceiling.

"MY HOUSE!!"

Gyeonghoeru, the banquet pavilion.

I met Maria in Gyeongbokgung. She's the Argentinian regional director for WAHS.

- I was also used as a visual aid by one Korean tour guide as an "epitome of Korean culture," because I was wearing my hanbok in the palace. That happened right after I took photos of myself in front of the Hwangwonjeong pavilion. She was wide-eyed surprised to find out that I was Filipino (at least by passport and citizenship,) especially because the Korean tour guide was guiding a Filipino group. Talk about coincidence, and "authenticity" fail - since I'm not Korean at all.

Hwangwonjeong.

Plenty of pots.

- The Gyeongbok complex is also home to the National Folk Museum of Korea, located right behind the iconic Hwangwonjeong Pavilion. The museum is free of charge, and is accessible from outside the complex. People who wish to go to the palace would need to pay, but for those who came from the palace grounds who want to go back to see the palace after visiting the museum, they only need to show their palace ticket as proof that they had paid for the ticket beforehand.

Inside the museum.

Wedding ceremony diorama.

Iconic and eccentric Korean designer; he passed away a few years ago.

Andre Kim's works.

Not Andre Kim's. Haha. These are just mannequins showing clothes worn by people before.

Outside the museum.

This is what the museum looks like from the outside. No, the pagoda is off limits.

Two statues that are usually used as village protectors, and border markers.

Museum from afar.

The museum again.

OMG JANGGEUMMMM. <3 <3 <3 <3

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Outside Gyeongbokgung.

- I went back to my hostel to charge my camera for a bit, and caught a parade at Insadong as I was about to visit the Gwanghwamun square.

Hello kind sir!! Thanks for posing in front of my camera. Haha. :D:D:D:D (No, this is not sarcastic.)

Samulnori dancers.

- I went to the Gwanghwamun square, located outside Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbok's gate. The Gwanghwamun square has the statues of King Sejong the Great, the king responsible for creating the "hangeul" alphabet, which in turn made all Koreans literate until the grassroot level. A statue of Admiral Yi Sunshin stands right in front of Sejong's golden seated statue. Admiral Yi Sunshin was considered a naval genius, and has won many wars during the Joseon era against the Japanese. What I found interesting the most was that both the King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sunshin statues had a connected museum underneath the statue, accessible through a door at the back of the statue. One side was for King Sejong, and the other for Admiral Yi Sunshin. Some fancy restaurants can be found as well. This truly impressed me - especially since the museums were free!!

Sejong museum.

Admiral Yi Sunshin museum.

Replica of the turtle ship used during Admiral Yi Sunshin's battles before.

Look!! Mini people!!

View from above.

Went back to King Sejong's museum.

Free photo spot. "Kwak Pang Rim, the heir of the Neo-Joseon dynasty!!" Hahahaha.

Dedicated to Sejong.

- After leaving the "suddenly-discovered" museums, I saw a booth that had free Korean-king costume rentals. The middle-aged woman who was tending the booth didn't want me to wear the king's costume because she thought I was Korean, and she prioritized tourists. Thank God it didn't take long for me to convince her that I was Filipino.

King Sejong.

Daewang!!

Admiral Yi Sunshin.

- I passed by the city hall (classical design in front, very modern at the back,) but didn't have time to stop by. Sonsaengnim Sarah and Mitzie said that there were free cultural stuff that people can enjoy there, but I did not have much time, so I rushed over to Deoksugung down south, what used to be the residence of Prince Wolsan. Upon arrival at Deoksugung, I was horrified to see plenty of TV cameras and other people and equipment blocking the perfect view of the main hall, only to realize that a Venezuelan orchestra was practicing for their performance later that afternoon in the palace. Still, I took a photo, wasn't to bad I think, and at least it reminds me that I was also able to listen to a nice Venezuelan orchestra while I was going around the palace. They played Beethoven's very popular Symphony No. 5. At least I had some sort of backgroud music while visiting the palace. Deoksugung was also special because it had two European-inspired buildings, so Beethoven's symphony fit in better while I was going around the Euro-inspired buildings.

City Hall.

Outside the gate of Deoksugung.

Huhuhuhu. Photo bomber TV people.

Venezuelan's Youth Orchestra of Caracas rehearsing.

European architecture.

Bell.

Deoksugung's Daehanmun, the main palace gate.

- I did not make it to the Gyeongbok guard inspection thing, because I decided to stay in Deoksugung after realizing that the changing of guards ceremony was about to commence. The palace also had free costume rentals outside the palace, so I took the chance to wear a guard's costume while everyone else was busy looking at the ceremony. I got to wear one, and got to watch the guard changing their positions too, so much so that some local tourists thought I was working for the palace. It was a funny experience. An even more awesome experience was that I was able to have a photo with the palace guard who almost had the same uniform as I wore (but of course his was better.) It was past 2pm, and I realized that I haven't eaten a decent lunch, except for the leftover street food  from Dongdaemun that I bought the night before.

Parading guards.

They got a child from the audience. Haha.

MY TURN!! (The event was over by this time.)

Spot the not!! (Answer: Me. Haha.)

- I went to Gyeonghuigung, the least visited palace of the 5 Joseon palaces, and so entrance is free for all. This palace is a secondary palace, and is used by the king in times of emergency. It is also located farthest from all the palaces. Since it was the last of the Joseon palaces in my to-go-to list, I had a celebratory jump shot after my "formal hanbok photo" in front of the palace's main hall.

Celebratory jump.

Haven't done this post since college. Haha.

Throne room.

- On the way back to my hostel, I passed by Gyeongbokgung again, had another celebratory jump shot inside the big palace. I also met some Korean girls dressed in hanboks celebrating the Korean language day or something.

Passed by this outside Deoksugung. Replica of the old Seoul. tram.

They were celebrating Hangeul Day.

Celebratory jump in Gyeokbok.

Crying child.

- I changed clothes after arriving at the hotel, went around Insadong a bit, and met my friends Jinny and Jin, who assisted me and my fellow delegates during our trip to Korea in 2011, sponsored by the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) of Korea. Jin and Jinny led me to a restaurant in Insadong, and met Ji Eun, and later, Director Kim. It was the second proper "hanshik" (Korean food) meal I had - and my last one, during my stay in Seoul. After dinner, we went to Cha Sarang, a fancy tea place in Insadong. I had a 5 Taste tea, which was fruity, and was a burst of subtle fruity and nutty flavors.

Yay!!!! With Jin, Jinny, Ji Eun, and Director Kim.

Korean chicken, cooked like adobo with noodles.

Director Kim showed us our videos.

My "5 Taste Tea."

With Jin.

With Ji eun and Jinny.

- Jin had to leave, and later, Ji Eun, but Jinny and Director Kim had a walk with me. We passed by Cheonggyecheon, and witnessed an amazing saxophone (?) player. He was playing jazz music under a bridge, and many people applauded after his number. The guy even had a speaker, and so he could be heard by everyone, even those around 60 feet away. It was one of the best  "small things that make you happy" encounter that I had in Seoul.

- Before we ended the night, we passed by Gong Cha, since Mr. Kim wanted to try some bubble tea/ milk tea. Apparently, the milk tea craze came in late in Seoul, since coffee shops are more popular there, but milk tea franchises like Gong Cha and Cha Time had reached Korea recently.

- On the way back to the hotel, we passed by a Tibetan restaurant, but since we were full from dinner, I thought of eating there the day after. Still, the biggest surprise of the day was during my walk alone in Insadong on the way to the hostel, where I saw a bright orange sign that said "Little India Cafe." I knew I had to go in, and so I had a lassi to spend less, consume less, and have an excuse to go look at the restaurant. I was able to talk to Mrs. Chung Young Sook, a grandmother who looks like she was in her 40s (Asian youth magic I suppose haha,) who has a great passion for India. She has been to India for more than 15 times, and has influenced her family to like the Indian culture. The lassi tasted great too, and drinking it became a better experience since there was Bollywood music playing in the background, and the restaurant interior was very very Indian.

Little India Cafe!!

My lassi.

Little India Cafe or Cafe Little India. I'm now confused.

-  I came to the hotel later than expected, slept, and got ready for another full day adventure in Seoul.

- The next morning was a challenging one. I went to the Bukchon Hanok Village, a hilly village in the city, near Changdeokgung, made of traditional Korean houses. People still live in many of those houses, and most of them are also home to certain artisans who accept interested tourists for a chance to learn a certain kind of art, such as knot-tying, weaving, calligraphy, or painting. These classes are usually one-time workshops with a minimal entrance fee. My agenda was to do a Buchaechum (Korean fan dance) in Bukchon View 6, the most popular spot for photography, as it shows a downward slope with traditional houses, and the NSeoul tower from afar. There are 8 views in all. Another view gives a good view of all the traditional roofs, and another view showed a back view of the Changdeok palace. Bukchon is really hilly, and in most cases the only way to go up is to brave the steep slopes. Not all parts have stairs.

Pardon the Buchaechum jump shots. Haha.

This was taken at Bukchon view 6, probably the best view for me.

The N Seoul Tower is really tiny. (Right side, on top of the mountain.)

Bukchon View 2.

Am glad no one came out the door.

Another nice door.

Bukchon view 1: Changdeokgung.

- I went to the Jongmyo Shrine next after a tiring photoshoot at Bukchon. The Jongmyo Shrine a bit hard to find, but I thought of going there anyway so I can maximize my integrated palace tickets; the Jongmyo Shrine is included in the integrated palace ticket worth 10,000won (400php roughly,) together with Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung (with Huwon tour,) Changgyeonggung, and Deoksugung. The Jongmyo Shrine is a Confucian shrine that is dedicated to the dead royalties of the Joseon dynasty. It was originally built by King Taejo, and expanded by King Sejong. The last Joseon royalty has also been buried here. This place is also of architectural significance, because it is the longest Korean structure based on traditional architecture.

Our subtly-funny guide.

King's special ceremonial robe.

Prince and his ceremonial robe.

Loooooooong hall.

Chance for photoshoot.

It was hard to fit the whole shrine in the frame.

We were fortunate because some staff opened the shrine hall that day. The memorial tablets are behind the yellow curtains.

A roof.

"Jong Myo"

- The Jongmyo Shrine has a mandatory guided tour, like the Huwon in Changdeokgung, and tours are available at certain times in English, Mandarin, Korean, and Japanese. Our tour guide was funny, like when we were on our way out, she pointed to a phone booth and said, "here is a phone booth made in the 20th century. It is not from the Joseon dynasty. We don't see phone booths a lot these days because of mobile phones." Then when we passed by the restroom, she said "this is a 20th century restroom, not from the Joseon dynasty too, it is clean and you can use it." She does them subtly and it takes a split second to realize that she just said a joke. I think her execution of the jokes made her funnier.

- I had a short side trip to the Gwangjang Shijang (Gwangjang Market,) to attempt to buy a hanbok. I got tips from people that hanboks were cheaper here. I wasn't able to find a hanbok, since most were priced beyond my leftover Korean won (and I felt that I wouldn't need an expensive one anyway.) However, I was able to buy really cheap Korean shinpal (shoes,) made from leather, and a relatively cheap but nicely made jokki (vest worn over the hanbok.) I wanted to go around more, but I left because there was a really persistent ajussi (uncle) who wanted me to buy from him. Good thing I already bought my shoes and my jokki. Still, I would have wanted to look for a cheap jokki with the iconic Korean ribbon on it. I was able to find a cheap one (from the same store where I bought my nice jokki,) but I didn't like the design so I didn't buy it.

Early autumn.

Not much photos inside; was too busy shopping, sorry!! Hahahaha.

- I "escaped" from the nice-but-persistent ajussi to Gyeongbokgung again to watch the changing-of-guards ceremony, and because the palace was bigger than Deoksugung, the ceremony was grander, and was free for all to watch. The ceremony is from 10am-3pm, every hour, except 12 noon. Free hanbok rentals within the outer courtyard were also allowed right after each ceremony. I think the Deoksugung costumes had better designs than the ones in Gyeongbokgung; they also had hanboks for women. Gyeongbokgung also had male guard costumes only; they give the "children's guard costumes" to women, so the would look like skirts when they wear them. Not a bad idea though, and it looked cute on women too.

For the third time, Gyeongbokgung. Hahahaha.

Changing of guards.

Can you still see??

MY TURN!! HAHAHAHA!!

My boss sitting right behind me.

- After Gyeongbokgung, I went to Noksapyeong station to visit the Vedic Cultural Center. I had difficulty looking for the new location of the Vedic Cultural Center, so I went to the old location near the new one. Of course, I did not see much, but I took some photos anyway.

Noksapyeong, an extension of Itaewon's international-ness.

The old Vedic Cultural Center.

"Radha," Krishna's consort.

- I had a quick lunch in the subway station before going to Chungmuro Station to visit the Namsangol Hanok Village. Unlike the Bukchon Hanok Village, a residential area, Namsangol Hanok Village was made for tourists, and is not a residential area. Different kinds of traditional games, houses, and other cultural things can be done there. Cultural workshops like calligraphy or hanbok wearing need separate but very cheap tickets that can be bought from the information booth. I did not bother to join the workshops, because I was chasing the sunlight, and I still had to go to the N Seoul Tower near the Namsangol Hanok Village. I originally wanted to go by foot, but the person at the information booth advised me to take the shuttle bus instead (N Seoul shuttle bus 2, bus is light green in color.) It did save a lot of time and effort; I was also able to rest my legs.

Namsangol Hanok!!

N Seoul from the village.

Weaving straw. 

The reddest tree I've seen during my stay.

Doing another Buchaechum pose.

Taekwondo exhibition.

HANGGEUM THING AGAINNNNN!!!! (But Lee Young Ae is not the one in the photo.)

N Seoul again from Namsan Hanok.

Courtyard of one of the houses.

Ceremonial table setting - plenty of fruits and tteok (colorful rice cakes)

My big head peeking inside the meeting room.

- The N Seoul Tower is a communication and observation tower, similar to the Tokyo Tower, except that the N Seoul Tower is located at the peak of Namsan (Southern Mountain.) People can enjoy the view of Seoul at the open area outside the tower, which also has an area where lovers tie locks on artificial trees and walls and throw away the keys, but a better view of Seoul can be seen at the observatory, which needs a ticket. An observatory + teddy bear museum combination promo ticket can also be bought to save some money. The Teddy Bear Museum contains dioramas of Korea's history until the present, but with teddy bears dressed up as the characters. Large teddy bears with traditional costumes were also positioned in some corners.

NICE SKY!!

Facing the Jongno area.

Lovers' trees.

Cute museum!! Child-friendly way to show Korea's history and culture. 

Whether we like him or not, Psy has made his mark in Korean popular culture history.

N Seoul at night.

Seoul at night.

- After the night sky ate the sun, I took the cable car down to the Myeongdong area. I got a bit lost, but since I found myself near the Namdaemun area, I opted to go there instead and have a picture with the gate instead of going to Myeongdong. I also wanted to visit the Banpo Bridge by the Han River, because I wanted to see the light-and-water it does every night. I went inside a tourist kiosk to ask, but the person who assisted me informed me that it would be too late if I went there, since the bridge only has two shows at designated times per night on weekdays, and three shows on weekends.

My cable car. Haha.

N Seoul Tower and 2 cable cars: one going to N Seoul Tower, and one coming down.

Namdaemun.

Hello again Cheonggyecheon.

- With feet dead and mind shut off, I went to the Tibetan restaurant named "Potala Restaurant" that Jinny, Director Kim, and I saw the night before, and ate inside. It was around 9pm, and I was the only one inside the restaurant.

- I loved the restaurant because it reminded me so much of Nepal (as I haven't been to Tibet, but hope I could go some day;) Nepal has adopted a lot of Tibetan culture and Indian culture since Nepal is bordered by the two states. I was attended to by Kelsang, the brother of the owner of the restaurant. I had the golden trio of tsampa (a semi-sweet dough-like food made from barley, and a Tibetan staple,) yak butter tea (salty and creamy tea,) and Tibetan momos (dumplings.) While I was eating, I had a long conversation with Kelsang about the Tibetan culture, but more significantly, the lives of the Tibetan refugees. Kelsang was born and raised in Nepal in the Tibetan refugee camps, and has studied at some point in India. I was surprised to know, from him, that there are some Tibetan refugee camps as far as South India, in places like Bangalore/Bengaluru in Karnataka. Kelsang also told me that there was a minority of Tibetans in Korea, and that they celebrate their Tibetan festivals privately; more Tibetans could be found in the Busan area at the southern coast of South Korea because there is a Tibetan monastery there. Kelsang also told me that the Tibetan restaurant was opened by his brother as an expression of Tibetan nationalism, and as a way for them to share their culture and identity. My whole conversation with Kelsang was funny and interesting too because Kelsang and I were conversing in a mix of English, Hindi, Nepali, and some Tibetan (and I can't speak Tibetan to save my live.) The food was made really well, and the prices were very very reasonable. Kelsang told me that they had a branch in Myeongdong apart from the Jongno branch I visited; the Jongno branch is located right beside "Pagoda," the English language learning center.

Buddha eyes.

Giant Tibetan prayer wheel at the center of the restaurant.

My awesome Tibetan waiter, Kelsang. He's teaching me how to eat the tsampa with the butter tea.

Map of Tibet.

Some pickles, tsampa, butter tea, and momos!!

With Kelsang.

- My last day in Seoul was still plenty of surprises - a good send-off I think. In the morning I went to Itaewon to visit the Seoul Centeral Mosque (it was hard to find,) and since it was early, the surrounding shops selling Indian and West Asian things, and restaurants from those cultures, were still closed. The mosque was big, peaceful, and silent, especially since it is currently located in a hidden and elevated part of Itaewon.

Good morning Itaewon!! Hahahaha. The firs tthing I saw in Itaewon. Haha.

Mosque.

- After I visited the mosque, I attempted to look for a cheap hanbok, since I bought mine from Itaewon before. I went back to the stores that I had gone to, but unfortunately they didn't have hanboks for adults. The only shop that I found which had hanboks had hanboks that were quite expensive. I just ate a bigger breakfast at McDonald's and left for Insadong.

- I met Jinny's brother Jyeonghyeon, and their mother. Jinny wasn't able to come with us because she had work. We ate at Koffo Plate in Jongno, and it an Italian-Asian fusion restaurant. It was one of the best fusion restaurants that I had eaten in (kimchi risotto anyone?? It actually tasted awesome!!) The three of us had a walk back to Insa Hostel, and as much as I would have wanted to spend more time with them, I had to do some last-minute packing to make sure I had everything in my bad and that my bag won't exceed 20 kilos.

With Jyeonghyeon and his mom. :D:D:D:D

I met their mom last year in the Philippien when Jinny came to go around Manila. I made it a point to see her before I left for Manila.

- Apparently, I was so nervous that I managed to pack everything quickly, so I decided the last minute to go to Unhyeongung, a latter-Joseon palace located in Jongno, around 5 minutes away from my hostel. The entrance was free from 12noon-1pm, but I don't know why the lady didn't take my 700 (25php roughly) won entrance fee since it was already around 3:00pm. I just paid for the optional 3300won (150php roughly) hanbok rental. Fortunately, I got the palace official gwanbok (palace official robe) this time, for a difference (I had tried out 2 palace guard costumes, king, and my own "regular" hanboks.) Unhyeongung had costumes for palace guards, palace officials like mine, the king I think, and women's hanboks.

My gwangbok. Haha. Makes me look more intelligent. Haha.

Just checkin' out my palace homies yo!!

Waiting for my tea.

Philosophizing.

Palace runway. Haha.

Palace kitchen women.

Royal family.

Inside the exhibit hall near the entrance.

- Unhyeongung was very very small, but since it was a bit off beat than the other 5 great palaces, it was more peaceful, and it was also way easier to take photos without annoying photo bombers. I was also surprised to see some dioramas of the royal family and some palace employees, in order to add some more understanding to how the royal family lived before.

- I had some Turkish ice cream before going back to the hostel, and before rushing off to the airport.

Sticky ice cream. Haha.

- I arrived later than expected in Incheon International Airport, because I had to wait a bit for the AREX from Seoul Station to the airport. I also got lost inside the airport looking for immigration and the train to a separate wing where my gate was at. I finally found my way, had some time to kill, and was amazed to find a museum in the airport - I was so amazed that I prioritized it over dinner. It was called the Museum of Korea(n) Culture, located at the second floor. The museum was free, interactive, and interesting. People could do some free artwork there, like stamping Korean designs on post cards, or making block prints of Korean characters and pictures.

A surprise in the airport.

A painting of Gyeongbokgung prior to its destruction. Man it was huge!!

- I had dinner at Lotteria, one of Korea's famous fast food restaurants, before going to my gate, and boarding the airplane. The plane way back home was a bit crowded, and a bit hot despite the air-conditioning, but I kept thinking about how much I have done and how much I have squeezed in my short stay in Korea. I was originally planning of extending one day, but I did not want to cause problems with my ticket since I bought my round-trip plane ticket on promo fare. Despite this, I was able to do everything on my to-do and to-go list in Seoul, plus a lot of bonus/extra experiences and places. I also felt fortunate, proud, (but not boastful,) and more confident, because I was able to present my paper in the conference, thanks to Sonsaengnim Sarah's invitation - and that my paper was good enough for the conference organizers (Had they not approved, I wouldn't have gone to Seoul.) I also realized that being a hallyu fanboy and being an academic can compromise with each other; my being a fanboy has brought me to Seoul twice: my all-expense-paid EBS Study Tour that I had with Director Kim, Jinny, Ji Eun, Jin, and other friends, and this some-expense-paid WAHS conference. Probably the biggest thought that kept running in my mind was how much guts it took me to tell myself (and my parents LOL) that I wanted to go around Seoul alone, with a map in one hand, and my camera+tripod on the other. Well, probably because I knew basic Korean because of my class with Sonsaengnim Sarah. (And yes, all my photos during my walks in Seoul were taken by myself, or via tripod + camera timer.) I hope I could get to do this roam-around-a-place alone again some day, but honestly, I think travelling is better with at least one other person to share the experience with.