I'm "Seoul" Back!! (Part 1): Inwangsan, Gwangjang Market, Insadong, Yonsei University

Prologue:

- Not long after my trip to China with my colleagues (Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here), my bags were packed again for a trip to my backyard in East Asia - Seoul. I was there to attend the biannual conference of the Korean Political Science Association to present a paper that I co-authored with my former-professor-now-colleague. Since my school is currently in its mid-year "summer" semester, when things are more hectic, I couldn't afford to extend my trip as what I usually do during conference trips. (Sorry friends in Korea if I didn't tell you all that I was going to Seoul, and if I wasn't able to meet you all.)

- I stayed in Korea for a short 4 days, and whatever free time I had was not much. More often than not, I couldn't really tell beforehand when I would be free, so I didn't know exactly how much time I'd have to roam around the city. The good thing is, this is my fifth time in Seoul, and so I know the city pretty well, and I had been to the must sees at least once in previous trips (click here, here, here, and here for previous Korea trips and references to the must-sees; take note that these are just the Part 1 entries of the multiple blog entries per trip.) However, knowing me and my need to really make my trips worthwhile, I struggled to find places that I had not visited in Seoul before or had not fully explored. As Seoul is a city that keeps on surprising, I was excited to find at least a handful of those places. Then of course, there are visits to some places in Seoul that are close to my heart.

The trip:

- June 21-22, 2017, Wednesday-Thursday.

- From preparing for the trip until I boarded the plane, I had been thinking how tired I might be from this trip since I honestly dislike really short trips, and since I was still recovering from my China trip. Eventually, I felt more hopeful and excited as I would be going back to a city where I made many happy (and funny) memories since my first time in 2011.

First time to be the first to enter the plane.

- My plane landed the early morning of the 21st, and I easily found my way to my hotel, Lotte City Hotel Mapo, accessible via Gongdeok Station exit 2. It's a nice 4-star hotel quite close to the university district (which is convenient for us since our conference is in the university area.) Though it would normally mean an early start to go around, I was communicating with my colleague online and I had to do some tasks for our conference paper since my colleague and I had to finalize certain matters. Thankfully, I could use the computer at the hotel's business center for free, and knowing how fast Korean internet was, I was able to conveniently do my tasks even though my brain was running on 3-4 hours of sleep (i.e. my not too comfortable sleep in the plane.) By the way, my roommate was an Indian, so it's the universe' little gift to me as I have not been too in touch with my Indian side lately.

- After finishing my tasks, I was happy to realize that I had some time to roam around while my colleague was on her way to Korea from Manila. My first stop for the day was Inwangsan, a frequently visited mountain in the heart of Seoul for both tourists and Buddhist devotees. It is slightly tricky to find, but thanks to the netizens who also post their travels like I do, I found an easy instruction to find the mountain: from Dongnimmun Station exit 2, turn left at the first corner, walk through an alley of shops and small restaurants, then turn right after a few meters once  you see some kind of uphill area. You will then see some apartments, and a paved uphill street. Follow that street that goes around the buildings, and you'll find the entrance of Inwangsan.

Entrance to Inwangsan. (The words write "Inwang Mountain Inwang Temple.")

- A piece of advice: wear GOOD WALKING SHOES. I read that Inwangsan was an easy hike since there are paved roads and stairs all around, but I wasn't expecting to walk on a lot of uphill paths. Thankfully, my shoes survived. The first thing one would see in Inwangsan after entering the gate from the Dongnimmun side of the mountain would be some colorful murals that refer to Buddhist stories. My goal was to do a photoshoot here. Thankfully, since it was a Wednesday, and probably not on every tourist's must-do list, I had one of my easiest photoshoots as there was no one to photobomb me.

Instagrammable!!

Do I fit in?

I love the details on these murals.

There's the temple in the middle.

I like this tiger!! Full of fire!!

Wind....god?

Arf arf.

- Following the strairs, one would see a small shrine called Guksadang. Guksadang seems small compared to Seoul's other well-known temples like Jogyesa or Bongeunsa, but this shrine is a Korea national treasure. Originally built in the 1300s Joseon Korea on Namsan (where the N Seoul Tower is right now,) this shamanist temple was the go-to temple of many Koreans, including some members of the Korean royal family. The Japanese destroyed this temple to build a Shinto Temple in 1925, and the shamanists went to the mountain across Namsan, Inwangsan. Until today, this shrine is where people go there to have the shamans do rituals for all sorts of reasons. Visitors may only peek inside, but when the rituals are being done, photography is not allowed.

Guksadang.

Things to be used as offerings for their ritual.

Read from right to left.

Guardians outside Guksadang.

- Going up the stairs is another one of the iconic landmarks in Inwangsan: the Seonbawi or "Zen Rock." This rock has been a Buddhist landmark through the years, and legend has it that it is because this rock looks like a Buddhist monk with his robes on.

Went up with a legit monk.

Seonbawi.

- From the Seonbawi, there is a nice view of Namsan with the N Seoul Tower as well as the Seoul City Wall. The city wall was a 14th-century fortress wall, sort of like Seoul's mini-version of the Great Wall of China.

Seoul City Wall.

Namsan and N Seoul Tower.

Still in Seonbawi,

- I had a long way to go (literally) until the mountain was fully covered - I had not even reached the peak!! However, I did not have much time, and I felt that I was good to go since I already saw the main landmarks on the mountain. Of course, I would have wanted to see other things that may come my way to (hopefully pleasantly) surprise me, but I'll just save them for next time.

- I took the train to go to Insadong Street to buy a few things. Going to Insadong each time I visit Seoul is like some sort of personal pilgrimage. Apart from the really cheap souvenirs and the artsy/cultural things to do and see, Insadong is my home in Seoul. I cannot visit Seoul without stepping on Insadong and seeing that giant paint brush statue at the beginning of the street. Going to Inasdong is quite easy: either through Anguk Station exit 6 (nearer to the paintbrush statue side,) or Jongno 3-ga exits 1 or 2 (the other side of Insadong.) Also, another thing I like about Insadong is its proximity to all the must-sees in Seoul. This is why I would normally stay in Insadong Hostel whenever I have an extension from my conference trips to Seoul. I just didn't get to do it this time (No, I was not paid to advertise this hostel, and it's really just because I was more than happy with the hostel's services each time I stay there.)

Giant paintbrushhhhhhhhhh.

Ssamziegil, Insadong's artsy mini-mall.

A not so nice photo of Insadong. Trust me, it's a lot more than it looks here.

- I didn't spend much time in Insadong as I didn't need to buy too many souvenirs. I really just had to/wanted to pass by this good ol' cultural street. My main agenda for that afternoon was to have a very late lunch at Gwangjang Market (Gwangjang Shijang,) accessible via Jongno 5-ga station, exit 7. Be reminded that the market is closed on Sundays. I went to Gwangjang Market in 2013 but I couldn't recall why I wasn't able to find the no-frills street-food area of the market. Anyway, not I was successfully able to find the food area, and had some haemul pajeon (savory pancakes) and bindatteok (mung bean cakes) for lunch. I had the bad decision of eating both, since both were starchy and made me so full that I didn't have anymore tummy space to try the other dishes. Apart from the different jeons, the market also has stalls selling bibimbap, tteokbeokgi (spicy rice cakes,) odeng (fish fillet sticks,) sundae (pronounced "soon-dei;" Korean blood sausages) and sanakji (live octopus) among other street-food favorites. Of course, knowing me, more than food, another matter I needed to take care of in Gwangjang Market is to get myself a more better-fitting hanbok, since I think it is probably a good time to invest in one now, now that I get to wear hanboks for the proper occasions more. (The one I have at home is authentic, but it's the cheaper kind, and is really meant for play-wear.) Gwangjang Market, as you can infer, is also a famous fabric and hanbok market.

FOODDDDD.

My lunch. Also featuring my freshly-blended fruit shake.

The market.

This particular store makes and sells mean costumes. (I wanted to buy the whole store. HAHAHAHA.)

An ajumma frying up some jeon.

- I went back to the hotel after my lightning-speed trip around the city. Apart from my normally ridiculously fast-paced walk, having a good knowledge of the city really did help me cut down time figuring out where to go and how to go around; I know the downtown by heart, more or less, and it wasn't a surprise that I didn't need my map to go around anymore. Back at the hotel, I had dinner in one of the restaurants at the small arcade at the B1 and B2 levels. I had a bowl of hongeo hoe naengmyeon. I'm a big fan of Korean naengmyeon, or cold noodles, but this one is perhaps one of the more unusual, but also one of the best naengmyeon bowls. Hongeo hoe is Korean raw skate (a relative of the stingray) and it did add a bit of fresh crunch to my chewy noodles. I did not get to taste much of the hongeo hoe since the gojujang (the red chili paste) was masking what people say is an "ammonia-like taste" of the raw skate. Still, it was a simple but good meal. (Naengmyeon is life.)

It looks messy, but it's really good. It looks spicy, and yes it is really spicy - just the way I like it.

- After dinner I finally met my colleague, wrapped up some things regarding our paper before calling it a day. I had a good and long sleep that night.

- The following day was the first day of the conference. I felt a little bit out of place since most of the participants were political scientists and/or specialists in Korean Studies. I, on the other hand, was a media specialist specializing in Indian Studies (though, yes, Korean Studies is my secondary specialization.) Our paper was on Philippine security issues and the influence of mass media on the perception of the Korean diaspora (i.e. Korean residents in the Philippines) on national security in the country. Through our interviews with Korean residents in the Philippines, we found out that while Philippine news does influence their perception on the Philippines, they still remain to stay because it is more practical, and just because it is safe in the Philippine doesn't mean it is safer in South Korea - their country of origin.

We're here!!

Philippine scholars and the current mayor of Seoul, Mr. Park Won Soon.

It's me.

It's showtime!!

My former-professor-now-colleague, Ms. Sarah Jane D. Lipura.

Tiny heart.

- After our panel session, I had some time to go around Yonsei University (which by the way, is accessible via the Sinchon metro station.) It is the oldest university in South Korea, being built in 1885. Interestingly, the school's color and mascot is blue and an eagle, strikingly similar to my own university. I wasn't able to explore the whole university as it was quite big, with some areas are uphill, and going around with my rather formal attire under the sun was not too comfortable. The school by the was has nice European-influenced buildings.

Yonhi Hall.

Eagle!!

Yonsei logo. The the circle and the " ^ " represent the first Korean letters of "Yon" and "Sei." 

Underwood Hall (Main Building.)

Horace Grant Underwood, the first president of Chosun Christian College, the first incarnation of Yonsei University.

Inside the lounge at the Commons. 

With Ms. Lipura.

- After dinner, my colleague and I met up with some other Filipino scholars of Korean Studies, as well as our undergraduate interns from our university. We had a nice chat.

At the main gate.

With my friend and colleague who is currently based in Korea, Michelle.

My former student and currently an intern in Korea, Lia.

- Back at the hotel I could finally have a breather since my colleague and I was already able to present our paper, though the conference itself wasn't over. I still had two more days in Seoul, and more adventures to fit into my precious free time like a fragile jigsaw puzzle. Seoul far, Seoul good!! (Continue reading, click here for Part 2!!)