Always picked MyeongDong as the place for my accommodation as it is very convenient. There is no lack of food or interesting places there. We stayed at SkyPark III Myeongdong as it was affordable.
Day 1: Noryangjing fish market, Coex Mall, Gangnam and Dongdaemun
Noryangjin Fish Market
This is the seafood market where you can get fresh seafood and bring it to the restaurant for the chef to cook. We went there about morning and was walking around to see which stall could offer the best price. Of course, we picked the one that could converse in mandarin since we could not understand korean
This was the restaurant we selected for our lunch. Seriously we could only trust the seafood stall that recommended this place. But it did look decent enough as it was rather packed when we were there.
Seoul is easy to travel as all the tourist attractions are accessible by train. The train network is efficient as well. We had no difficulty making our way to the destinations we planned to go on this trip.
Directions: Noryangjin Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 1. Walk 100m over the bridge
After a very heavy lunch, we proceeded to Coex Mall which was near Gangnam but we didn't find anything really exciting. But we are impressed with the packaging of the Korean products.
There are many nice shops selling rather expensive stuff in the mall.
Baskin Robbins in Seoul is so different from elsewhere! I love this pooh cake!
Proceeded to Dongdaemun and went to a few fashion malls. Bought quite a lot of clothes and I love them!
Day 2: Nami Island
The following day, we headed to Nami Island. The train ride to the station to get to Nami Island was really long. We took the train to Gapyeong station and board a bus that is supposed to tour round the attractions. To reach Nami Island, we had to take the bus to the ferry terminal and then ferry to the island.
Nami Island is nice, with beautiful greenery. But it would have been much nicer if the leaves had turned yellow in the autumn. The winter scene would also be spectacular.
I caught it during the wrong timing. The leave were still green and weather was not cool either. Nevertheless, it is a good place to capture pictures and to have a quiet walk.
This is also the venue where the famous Korean drama winter sonata was filmed. However, I doubt I will return to this small island as the travelling time is really too long!
A walk in the green foliage
Photo captured from the Petite France
Delicious pancakes at Nami Island.
As we woke up late on this day, we didn't actually manage to visit more attractions around Gapyeong. Just going around the attractions from Nami Island to Petite France could have take up to half a day and these places are closed at night.
Day 3: Namdaemun market, Erhwa women's university, Honggik university
Namdaemun Market
The only thing that I like about this market is the food that is right opposite the entrance of the train station. This noodles is really good and soup is very tasty. Stall owners are super nice and friendly and they even give free appetiser as well as soup refill.
I bought some korean utensils such as the steel bowls and stenlock water bottle. What I am fascinated is that the steel bowl is double layered, so you can hold the bowl with hot soup or noodles. Since they are made of steel they are unbreakable and do not release BPA. Very practical!
The Erhwa women's university and Honggik university are famous for their fashion streets where you can get your clothings at cheap prices. MCM is popular in Korea!
There was a very long queue at the ice cream stallthat sells tiramisu ice-cream. Very delicious!
Cat Cafe
As we strolled down the streets of Honggik University area, we stumbled upon a cat cafe. It's the ycat cafe. I am not a fan of cats, more of a dog lover. But since we saw one, we decided to visit it and have an experience of how was is it like to sit in a cat cafe.
The cafe is clean. Before entering the cafe, you are required to remove your shoes and keep them in a locker and put on their slippers. Hands have to be sanitised as well. After paying an entrance fee which includes a drink, we have to keep all our belongings in the locker as well.
My friend bought a small box of cat food which obviously lured tons of cats to us. I had to move away as there were too many of them! And they were eyeing the food so desperately. The cafe had a very strong smell of cats, of course... I was getting a headache from it.
This was my favourite cat in the cafe. She was so tiny and adorable!
Lunch was Ginseng Chicken Soup!
After the cat cafe, we resumed our shopping at the Erhwa Women's Uni shopping street where we bought lots of socks and cardigans.
Day 4: Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong
Bukchon Hanok Village is a traditional Korean Village and sits between the two palaces of the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. Unlike other hanok villages, Bukchon was not created for tourists but it is a living village inhabited by Seoulites, comprising about 900 hanoks spread across 11 dongs (administrative sections).
The hanok houses are very well preserved and maintained and it's interesting to see the traditional houses set against a modern city backdrop.
The reason there are so many traditional houses in this area is that many yangbans (people from the ruling class) lived here during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
We saw hanok gallery, craft workshop and hanok restaurant as we walked through the village and it is indeed a blend of culture, arts in and history this area.
Lunch was Ginseng Chicken Soup!
Insadong was yet another place which I love. It is a place where the artistic side of Koreans are being displayed, where you can find creative artwork and handicrafts.
Day 5: Shopping in lotte and myeongdong
All we did on the last day was shopping for cosmetics and facial products in lotte and Myeongdong. It is what most female tourists will do in Myeongdong because there are just too many choices available! Brands span from local like Laneige, Nature Republic, Innisfree to international brands in the lotte duty free. I was lucky I was there during the thanksgiving week and there were so many sales. Definitely had stocked up my 1 year's supply of face masks and facial wash.
