This is a continuation of my previous post Korea 2012: Day 4 Part 2 (Puppy Café Sangsang Dabang 상상다방 애견카페 - Café Jass 카페자스 - Café aA: The Design Museum)
Anyway, we didn't get to do much on Day 5 due to the heavy snow and rain in Seoul. But I'm getting ahead of myself again. So let's get to the start of the day.
Jess and I decided to check out Bukchon Hanok Village 북촌한옥마을.
Surrounded by Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine, Bukchon Hanok Village is home to hundreds of traditional houses called 'hanok' that date back to the Joseon Dynasty. The name, 'Bukchon,' which literally translates to 'northern village,' came about as the neighborhoods that the village covers lie to the north of the two significant Seoul landmarks, Cheonggyecheon Stream and Jongno. Today, many of these hanoks operate as cultural centers, guesthouses, restaurants and tea houses, providing an opportunity to experience, learn and immerse in Korean traditional culture.
HOW TO GET HERE: Alight at Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3) and take Exit 2. Go straight on Bukchon-ro 북촌로 for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village.
Due to the increasing amounts of visitors to the Bukchon Hanok Village area, the number of complaints from residents living in the village about disruptions in their neighborhood has increased.
Unlike Namsangol Hanok Village or other folk villages, Bukchon Hanok Village is not meant to be a tourist attraction. Although many of Seoul's hanoks can be found clustered together in this area, Bukchon Hanok Village is a residential neighborhood where people actually live.
Please keep this in mind and follow the precautions below when visiting Bukchon Hanok Village:
Keep noise levels to a minimum (e.g. no loud voices, horsing around, filming, etc.) especially in the 31 Gahoe-dong area (which is a residential area). Do not litter. Keep group visits as small as possible. Do not use microphones or loudspeakers. Do not take photos or film the insides of houses, even if the door is open.
Please note: The heavily residential areas of Bukchon Hanok Village (31 Gahoe-dong, 33 Gahoe-dong, etc.) will no longer be offered as part of the Seoul City Walking Tours.
The architectural difference is pretty amazing. Old in the middle of all the new.
 |
| We were exploring the area when it started snowing! |
 |
| Footprints in the snow! |
TOURIST TIP:
Don't wear any high heels or heels of any form to this place if you can. The roads are EXTREMELY STEEP! Heels only make it worse. There aren't any handles or such to help with moving around on the steep sloping roads, so I would suggest that if you are travelling with older folk, this location may not be too friendly on their knees. (Then again, I've got terrible knees for a young person.)
My verdict? Bukchon Hanok Village is a lovely cultural walking experience where you can experience bits of Korea's history which have mostly disappeared in the face of modernisation. If however, you're running on a tight schedule, I would suggest to give this place a miss. Skip this location as well if you're travelling with older folk. I would only recommend this location to cultural enthusiasts. I had lots of fun taking photos!
Bukchon Hanok Village 북촌한옥마을
37, Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul | 서울특별시 종로구 계동길 37 (계동)
Website: bukchon.seoul.go.kr (Available in English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The snow started to get crazier and more heavy, it was quite insane. The temperature dropped drastically as well so we made our way back to Anguk Station and into Daiso 다이소 to kill some time and buy some heat packs.
I recommend the sticker types more than the handheld ones. They heat up much faster and provide so much relief. I bought the sticker ones and placed them on my rheumatism-plagued knees - BLISS!
If you've got weak knees like me, the sticker ones are AMAZING!
If you don't like too much heat, get the hand-held ones then as they provide a steady, gradual warmth rather than full-on heat; so you'll never feel that it gets too hot or warm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The snow was relentless, so we had to run into a traditional Korean restaurant 한식집 (han-sik-jb).
With the crazy snow, the 아줌마s (ahjummas) in the shop were lamenting that we had been through so much running through the snow. Our hair and jackets were completely covered in snow we had to stand outside and brush it all off before we entered the shop.
 |
| Smoking hot bulgogi which was heaven-sent in the cold weather. |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When the snow got a little less insane, we decided to make our way back to Myeongdong and explore the area (since there were so many shops, we wouldn't experience any plan destruction due to the snow).
Lo and behold, our happiness was short lived. It began pouring rain! POURING!
We seeked shelter in Myeongdong Dog Café 강아지카페 and spent a good 2-3 hours there.
Remember my previous post where I mentioned the puppy café in Hongdae? This Myeongdong Dog Café provides a good contrast. The dogs are of varied sizes and breeds, and have different energy levels as well.
HOW TO GET HERE: Alight at Myeongdong Station 명동역 and take Exit 6 or 7. Walk straight down Myeongdong-8gil 명동8길. Turn left after you pass a huge Nature Republic. Then make the first possible right turn onto Myeongdong-6gil 명동6길. It is located along Myeongdong-6gil 명동6길 and look out for the red signboard on one of the buildings. It is located on the fourth floor.
 |
| Image from http://finaldustjourney.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/day-15-dog-cafe-at-myeongdong.html The signboard that you will see which shows you the stairway to the dog café |
 |
| Image from http://finaldustjourney.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/day-15-dog-cafe-at-myeongdong.html The entrance to the dog café. With an entrance fee of 8000 won, you get a free drink of your choice. One of the pricier dog cafés but when you're rained in, you have no choice. |
 |
| The dogs here can get up to a really huge size! My favourite! Look at that lazy black lab! =) |
 |
| The black lab came to squeeze with us at our corner seat and pushed Jess out of her seat. When the owner came over to check on her, she pretended to be asleep when she actually wasn't. Haha sneaky girl. |
 |
| Lazy black labrador Gucci (that's her name!) |
That's all for this post. Sorry its a little short and information-less since I didn't have many photos. It turns out that some days I have barely any photos at all because we barely did any sightseeing some of the times.
Till then,
Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V
No comments:
Post a Comment