Laid-Back Seoul: The Cherry Blossoms and Markets of Seoul

- April 8-10, 2019, Monday to Wednesday.

- I'm saying this as early as now: no you won't see the usual palaces, no you won't see the N Seoul Tower, no you won't see the folk villages, and no, nothing of those usual things. If you wanna see the usual Seoul things, click here (and subsequent parts of the series) and here (and subsequent parts of the series.) I have been to South Korea 6 times as of 2019, and all but one of my trips were for academic reasons (conferences, workshops, and the like.) This time, I was fortunate enough to be sent to Korea again by my work to meet with some partners institutions in Korea for some proposals and lectures. Our one week trip to Seoul and Busan was filled with meetings that I only had little time to insert some leisure activities. I've done all the usual trips before, and whenever I go back to Seoul, I always try to find new things to do or find new places to visit. Thankfully, I still managed to do something new, or squeeze in some time to revisit some places in Seoul that are very dear to me - most of which were some of Seoul's markets.

Was welcomed by these mascots. Glad I was wearing my casual hanbok.

- Upon arriving in downtown Seoul from the airport, we checked in our hotel and quickly went out to have a late-night dinner. I was ecstatic to find out that we made it in time for the cherry blossom season. In one particular area in Jongno 3-Ga, cherry blossoms with vibrant pink petals lined the streets as we looked for a restaurant to have our late dinner. I had one of my favorite comfort foods in Korea - army stew or "budae jjigae." It was the perfect stew to warm my body from the 14-degree-Celcius temperature of late night Seoul.

CHERRY BLOSSOMSSSS.

Budae jjigae!! <3 <3 <3 <3

So many cherry blossomssss.

A very traditional photo of Seoul in spring.

- The following day I had a meeting at Sogang University with some colleagues until the early afternoon. The university was also lined with lush cherry blossom trees, so I took the opportunity to do a little photo shoot before leaving the university.

The colors of the cherry blossoms look even nicer during the day.

Sogang University.

Dancing colors.

I've seen cherry blossoms before in Japan, but it was nice to see them again, and appreciate the cherry blossoms' fragile existence.

Cherry blossoms are usually a big deal in countries like Japan or Korea, as the flowers only bloom for a week in a year during spring.

- After visiting Sogang University, I began my journey through the markets of Seoul. The first market I went to was a familiar market to tourists called the Gwangjang Market or Gwangjang Shijang (Jongno 5-Ga metro station exit 8 or 9, open everyday from 9am onwards except Sundays). Originally named Dongdaemun Market, this market opened in 1905 by Koreans as a response to Japanese control of other markets in Seoul. It was the first market to be open everyday of the week. It was named Gwangjang Market in 1960, after the corporation that established the Dongdaemun Market. The term "Gwangjang" was derived from the Gwangkyo ("wide bridge") and Jangkyo ("long bridge"), the two bridges build in that area.

The ever-busy Gwangjang Market.

For the foodies out there.

- The Gwangjang Market today is known for two things: clothes and food. This no frills market serves traditional Korean food of any kind, but for people who know me, they know that the only reason I go to Gwangjang is to find cheap but gorgeous hanboks or hanbok vests ("jokki") to add to my small hanbok collection. The clothes section of the market sells casual hanboks, formal hanboks, hanbok accessories, traditional shoes and hats, and so on. Some stalls may also sell bedsheets or souvenirs. (Don't forget to haggle!!)

- That evening we had a traditional Korean bossam (boiled pork wraps) dinner near our hotel, and had a taste of traditional Tibetan food at my favorite Tibetan restaurant in Seoul - Potala Restaurant (read more about the restaurant here: here). I usually visit this restaurant whenever I visit Seoul.

Introducing Tibetan food to my amazing colleagues.

My forever favorite: the humble tsampa and yak butter tea.

- On my last day in Seoul, a very rainy one, I visited one of the markets that I had been meaning to visit since 2017 - the Seoul Folk Flea Market (Seoul Pungmul Shijang; Sinseoldong metro station exit 9.) The market is open everyday from 10am onwards, except the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. This market sells any item you can think of - second hand clothes and toys, old tapes/records, some traditional clothes (but still better to buy hanboks in Gwangjang Market), electronics, everyday items, antiques, jewelry, you name it! This market is for the adventurous shopper!!

Here I am, waiting for the market to open.

The market is organized into categories (each color represents a certain type of item being sold, like clothes, electronics, or antiques.) 

Too many things!!

Wanted these second-hand Mongolian boots but they were not my size.

Random stuff.

Music from the past!!

Buddhist antiques.

They were captured and turned to stone. Hahahaha. (I wonder who they're supposed to represent though.)

More antiques.

Cool!! Antique toy cars!!

- The Seoul Folk Flea Market's backstory is as interesting as the things that it sells. The stalls inside the market used to be in a flea market in an area called Hwanghak-dong. The stores would line the man-made river now called Cheonggyecheon. In the mid-2000s, the Cheonggyecheon stream was modernized and renovated to the romantic spot that it is today, and the shops were relocated to its current location - a former girls' high school - near the river. The market today gives people a glimpse of Seoul during the Cold War,  not only because of the antiques that some stalls sell, but the music being played and sometimes performed are from the bygone eras of the ahjussis and ahjummas (uncles and aunties) selling their goods. Traditional crafts and food, even some medicinal drinks, are also served at the food court. The second floor also had an interesting exhibit of how things were like in Cold-War South Korea.

Market mascots.

Blast to the past.

If I were a teacher in the year 19xx.

A typist.

Just a bystander.

Waiting for my soju.

Old orange telephone!!

- I left the flea market and rode the metro back to my hotel at Jongno 3-ga, got changed, and accompanied some colleagues to my home in Seoul - Insadong (Anguk metro station Exit 6, or Jongno 3-ga metro station exit 5 and walk around a few minutes.) Insadong used to be a residential area in the Joseon Dynasty, around 500 years ago. Eventually, it became a trading place for antiques, and after renovations and improvements throughout the years, it transformed into a street known for selling souvenirs and handicrafts. Insadong, by the way, is known for its giant paintbrush statue that marks the start of the street. It has always been a ritual for me to take a photo in front of this paintbrush. My always go-to souvenir store is a colorful souvenir store across the entrance of Ssamziegil mall, under a sign that says "사무당표구사" (samudang pyogusa). The young lady who runs the store is named Hyeonju. I've been going to her store for souvenirs since 2011!! I'm happy that she always remembers me.

Giant paintbrush.

Insadong is always home to me.

Ssamziegil.

- The funniest thing happened to me in Insadong. While standing in the middle of the road. Someone shouted my name twice. I thought I was hallucinating, when it turned out to be one of my former students who's taking her master's in Korea now!! I was happy that she was given the opportunity to study in Korea as I wrote her recommendation letter for the scholarship.

So happy that you made it!!

- After a hearty lunch in Insadong, my colleagues and I went to Korea University to attend a lecture delivered by two esteemed professors from our team. Korea University hosted a pleasant dinner for us after the lectures.

- We went back to the hotel afterwards, and since my luggage was already good to go for the next leg of our Korea trip, I went outside and walked around Jongno to get a last glimpse of Korea before leaving the next day.

What a friendly bus.

CAN I TAKE THEM HOME.

Bought some after-dinner snacks - a corndog, hotteok (bean pancakes), and cherry-blossom coke.

- It is increasingly hard to find things to do (that I'm interested in) in Seoul, but it just keeps surprising me each time I go. Seoul will forever be one of the cities that I will keep loving, especially since its markets always give me good finds!! (See my trip to Busan: Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here!!)

I'm "Seoul" Back!! (Part 2): Central Asian Village, National Museum of Korea, Gwanghwamun Square, Insadong, Yonsei University

- June 23-24, 2017, Friday-Saturday.

- On my third day in Seoul, I was still thinking how I would/should schedule my small adventures because of my busy schedule. Thankfully, I was able to squeeze in a lot of those during my first day in Seoul, as my second day was mostly for the conference (click here for Part 1). Still, I still had a few items waiting to be ticked off from my bucket list for this trip.

- I attended some panel sessions including the panel on Philippines and Korea (where most of the other Philippine presenters were assigned,) and afterwards I had some free time before having dinner with my friend and colleague Michelle. Fortunately, I had some sunlight left before dinner, and I decided to briefly hang out in Insadong, my "home" in Seoul. I cooled off in a poop-themed cafe at the rooftop of the Ssamziegil Mall.

With Michelle and Indonesian friend Ummul, who's also studying in Korea right now. Ummul was Michelle's classmate in her graduate program, and I met Ummul in a world peace youth forum some years ago. Small world!!

Yonsei University's Harwood Hall.

Photo by Ms. Sarah. Also, didn't notice I was sitting like a girl. Hahahaha.

Found my way to Insadong, saw this wall in one of Insadong's quiet alleys.

Porcelain dolls displayed. I think they're also for sale??

They're all wearing Korean costumes.

Poop cafe.

- That evening, I rode the train to Dongdaemun Station, as it was more accessible to where I was, and walked south to the Dongdaemun History and Culture Park (but if you want to go directly, there are three lines that go straight to the Dongdaemun History and Culture Park). I looked for the Dongdaemun Culture and History Park metro station, and waited for Michelle outside Exit 5. That night, we were going to have dinner in Seoul's flourishing "Central Asian Village." From Exit 5, walk right (Woori Bank to your left,) until you see the street with a Paris Baguette. Walk left, and turn right at the next street (turn right at Euljiro 42-gil) to see a small enclave of businesses run by immigrants from Central Asia (specifically Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and though not really in Central Asia, but affiliated culturally and historically, Mongolia.) It is easy to get lost in this small enclave because of its maze-like streets. The restaurants and other establishments were written in two to three scripts: Latin alphabet (to write English and Uzbek/Kazakh/Tajik,) Cyrillic (Russian alphabet, to write Uzbek/Kazakh/Tajik,) and of course, Hangeul (Korean alphabet). Apart from the restaurants, services like cargo services, airline services, and groceries (though not necessarily Central-Asian in nature) can be found here.

- Michelle and I got a bit lost in looking for one of Central Asian Village's most talked about restaurant - Samarkand. Samarkand is an Uzbek restaurant, and unfortunately, there are around 4 restaurants in the area with the name "Samarkand," which causes a lot of confusion among visitors. All of them, as we were later told, were run by the same Uzbek person. Eventually, we found two big Samarkand restaurants along Euljiro 42-gil (it's a street name) that are right beside each other: Samarkand City and Star Samarkand. We chose to eat at Samarkand City (it's at the second floor of a building) since it seemed to have a more cultural interior as compared to the other |Samarkand restaurants. Upon entering, we felt as if we teleported to Uzbekistan: all the restaurant staff were Uzbek, the customers were Uzbek, and the interiors were Uzbek. Michelle and I were definitely out of place. Some of the older restaurant staff might have been staying in Korea for a long time, and could speak Korean well. Other younger ones who were probably new migrants could either speak Uzbek or Russian. Since the staff assigned to us could not understand neither English nor Korean, my survival-level Russian was our saving grace (I never regretted taking Russian as one of my foreign language electives back in college.)

This is a good semi-hidden place to dine in in Seoul.

If only I had an Uzbek chapan (it's the Uzbek costume).

- The restaurant's name "Samarkand" was derived from one of Uzbekistan's former capitals, Samarkand. It was the capital of the Timurid Empire, which is sort of Uzbekistan's own version of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by Timur, also known as Tamerlane. Eventually, one of Timur's descendants got together with one of Genghis Khan's descendants, and this new line of rules ruled India - the Mughal Empire. This is why Indian Islamic architecture like the Taj Mahal looks a lot like the buildings in Uzbekistan.

A picture of Uzbekistan's Registan.

Another image of the Registan.

Musical instruments and traditional Uzbek tie-died fabric.

- Michelle and I had borsht (Russian red-beet soup,) pelmeni (Russian-style meat dumplings), manti (giant Central-Asian-style meat dumplings,) plov (also known as pilaf; a rice dish,) katik/qatiq (Central-Asian and Caucasian fermented milk/yogurt-like dairy product,) and ayron/ayran (Central-Asian and Caucasian yogurt drink with sliced cucumbers.) If we only had more tummy space, we would also have tried the meat skewers (kebab) of Samarkand City. Samarkand City also sells some Uzbek snacks, bags, and accessories.

Goodness, how to finish all of them. The orange at the left is typical Uzbek carrot salad, then the big plate to the left is plov. The red bowl is borsht. The white container with a spoon on top is the katik, and the glass with white stuff inside is ayron. The big dumpling plate is manty, and the little dumplings at the far right is pelmeni.

This plate of big dumplings is manty.

Borscht and plov.

- After dinner, we decided to have dessert in next door Star Samarkand just because I wanted to take a photo with the nice Uzbek costumes that were displayed in the restaurant wall. We each had a slice of Russian honey cake or "medovik." I read that this cake takes a long time to prepare. Each layer of the medovik is made from biscuits, and softened with honey and condensed milk, giving it soft but at the same time tough texture.

Uzbek chapan for men.

Female tan chapan and a golden skullcap.

There are also some Uzbek bowls and plates displayed.

Russian honey cake.

The restaurant also sells Uzbek bread.

The second of the 4 Samarkand restaurants in the area.

- Michelle and I ended dinner around 11pm, just around the time the restaurant was closing. If in case I get to visit Seoul again in the future, I would surely try the enclave's Mongol and Kazakh restaurants!!

- On my final day in Seoul, I had a more relaxed itinerary since our conference in Yonsei has ended. My first stop was the National Museum of Korea, which is easily accessible through the Ichon metro station, exit 2. Aside from the National Museum, this station exit also leads to the National Museum of Hangeul, although I wasn't able to visit this anymore. 

- The National Museum of Korea was established in the 1940s after the Japanese Occupation, although this current museum was opened to the public in 2005 after the museum changed locations multiple times. This spacious building, however, does not have as much artifacts as one would expect in a "national" museum. I feel that this is because other important artifacts have been distributed to other related museums, such as the National Folk Museum and the National Palace Museum, both of which are located in the Gyeongbok Palace complex.

You'll see this sign before going up the train station.

This is one long museum.

Outside the museum.

View of Namsan and N Seoul Tower.

- Outside, the museum has a nice view of Namsan and the N Seoul Tower. Once inside, people can go through the galleries on all three floors of the spacious museum. The ground floor is dedicated to Korean history from pre-history to the Korean Empire of the early 1900s, the second floor dedicated to fine arts like calligraphy, pottery, and paintings, and the third floor is for Asian art (China, Japan, South and Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the Silk Road, etc.) I did it from the top down, so I would go down floor by floor instead of going up and up, which of course, is more tiring.

Gandhara art in the South and Southeast Asian gallery.

People, please remember that I am foremost an Indian Studies specialist (though Korean Studies has also made its mark in my heart and career.)

Central-Asian art.

More Central-Asian Silk-Road art.

Gallery of Buddhas.

One of Korea's prized treasures: the pensive Buddha, Three Kingdoms Era.

The 14th-century 10-story Gyeongcheonsa Buddhist pagoda. It shows Goryeo-style architecture.

2-story tall Buddhist painting.

Acording to early Koreans, this is what a lion looks like.

Goguyeo-era golden crown.

Goguryeo-era soldier.

Silla gold-and-jade crown. One of my favorite Korean artifacts.

Seated Avalokiteshvara statue.

Replica of the royal throne.

Golden robe.

A partial detailed map of Joseon Korea's territory. This photo doesn't do justice!! This partial map was as tall as I was.

- After the main exhibition hall, I also took some time to go through the special exhibition on Arab art. It is something that I don't have much opportunity to see and study, so I grabbed this rare chance.

Funeral stele.

Funeral mask and glove. (These were so small. Not sure if they were for children, or people were just small before. I'm not sure.)

Female statue. See how the statue gives important to certain parts, which suggest fertility.

Egyptian art in Arabia.

Giant statues of men.

If I remember correctly it is supposed to be one of the covers of  the Kaaba.

The doors of the Kaaba.

These belonged to former king, King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia.

- From the museum, I had a last quick visit to Gwangjang Market and Insadong to make sure I didn't miss anything. I had my last naengmyeon in Seoul in Insadong, and realized that I had around an hour left before I needed to head back to the hotel. Since I wanted to experience something more cultural, I headed to none other than Gwanghwamun Square, the plaza in front of Seoul's biggest palace, Gyeongbokgung (Gyeongbok Palace.) I read somewhere before that every weekend, there is some kind of bazaar in the square, and so I decided to check it out. Gwanghwamun Square has its own metro station, Gwanghwamun Square metro station, and fortunately, this train goes to my hotel without any line transfers. The bazaar for that Saturday did not interest me (though the theme of the bazaars may change every weekend so please don't be discouraged to check it out,) so I just decided to check out the free costume rental area. This is located in front of the golden King Sejong statue, along the slope going to the basement level metro station. I had a little fun and took some photos with a bunch of costumed Korean kids too. (Don't worry, I asked permission from their moms.)

Gwanghwamun from Gwanghwamun Square.

Me: Kids....I'm gonna tell you an incredible story - the story of how I met your mother.
Kids: Hu u.

Me and little me.

Of course, I need a solo shot.

Here, have a little heart.

- Finally, as little raindrops fell, I decided to go back to my hotel, fix my things, and rush to the airport. Thankfully, my hotel, Lotte City Hotel Mapo, is connected to the all-stop airport train, so I just had to hop on the train and ride all the way to the airport. This is a cheaper option than the AREX (Airport Express) train, though of course, cheaper means less comfort, and less speed.   

People of the world, please help me analyze her shirt: "The growing seriously hanmi you and othen yound you." (This girl was standing in front of me at the walkalator in the airport.)

- I am back in Manila now, and while I was happy with seeing Seoul again, I am hoping that the next time I go to Korea, I'd have the opportunity to visit other provinces like Busan, Gyeongju, or Jeju, just so I'd have the chance to learn more about South Korea. Despite my short stay in Seoul, I am happy that I had a fruitful trip, not only because of the things I learned from the conference that I attended in Yonsei University, but also because of the new experiences that I had in this vibrant East-Asian city. (Don't forget to read Part 1 here!!)