Seoul - Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong

Bukchon Hanok Village

Bukchon Hanok Village

Direction: It is a little difficult to figure out what is Bukchon Hanok Village. My initial thought was that it is a building or tourist attraction where you pay to enter or a park where you can recognise immediately but NO!! The Bukchon Hanok Village is a town by itself. So you maybe already be walking on the village but not realising it. To get to Bukchon, take a subway to Anguk station and go to exit 2. From the exit, walk directly up the road along the Constitutional Court of Korea at the opposite of the road (Do not cross the road). After 200 or 300 meters you will reach a tourist information center at the corner. From there you can get a tourist map of the area for free and it will explain the different areas of the village. The village is a residential area itself so there are people staying in the building.

Bukchon is like a village frozen in time for ages, although its location is right in the middle of the modernized metropolitan city of Seoul. Since it is located in the northern part fo Cheonggyecheon and Jongno, people named this area Bukchon, which means "northern village". In the village there are neighbourhoods of Gahoe-dong, Songhyeon-dong and Samcheong-dong, whose names evoke affection in all Seoulites. On the upper side of Bukchon, a Hanok village is nestled on the embankment, while below modernly altered streets harmonized with the village, allowing an experience to feel the affable co-existence of both modern and traditional architecture.

Not sure what is happening but as we walk around, there is a group of Koreans wearing traditional clothes walking around and taking photographs at different stops. I think it is some kind of wedding photoshoot? There is a leader bringing them around and do not allow us to take pictures.

 Insadong

Insadong craft complex.

Direction: Insadong is very close to the Anguk station so I walked to Insadong after visiting Bukchon. It is indicated in the tourist map so I just followed the map. In case there is no map, just go to exit 6 of Anguk station then walk down the road you will arrive at Insadong. 


Insa-dong (인사동), located in the heart of the city, is an important place where old but precious and traditional goods are on display. There is one main road in Insa-dong with alleys on each side. Within these alleys are galleries, traditional restaurants, traditional teahouses, and cafes. The galleries are the heartbeat of Insa-dong. There are about 100 galleries in the area and you can see every example of traditional Korean fine art from paintings to sculptures. The most famous galleries are Hakgojae Gallery, which functions as the center of folk art, Gana Art Gallery, which promotes many promising artists, and Gana Art Center. The teahouses and restaurants are the perfect complement to the galleries. At first they might be hard to find, but if you take the time to stroll around the twisting alleyways, the window shopping in itself can be very entertaining. The shops in Insa-dong are very popular among all age groups, because each one is unique.
Every Saturday from 14:00 – 22:00 and Sunday from 10:00 – 22:00, some streets are blocked off from traffic and it becomes a cultural space. Stores set up booths outside and others set up shops (Korean candy merchants and fortune tellers.) There are traditional performances and exhibits as well. Insa-dong is especially popular with foreign tourists. This is where they can experience and see traditional Korean culture firsthand, and also purchase pieces of fine art. On the street you can eat Korean taffy and traditional pajeon (Korean pancake), and see many foreigners lost in all the joyous festivities of the street.

This is the place to get Korean craft as you do not find much souvenirs at other areas of Seoul.

View of the craft complex from below. It is a 3 storey building with many craft shops and cafes.

Along the streets of Insadong, you can see people eating a long U shape cone ice cream. This is the shop selling the ice cream. Taste so so but the shape makes people curious and buy it. Clever marketing gimmick!!

Seoul - Hongdae street market and Gyeongbokgung palace

Hongdae street market

Hongik University Station exit to Hongdae street market.

Direction: Take subway to Hongik University Station.

Hongdae-ap (the area in front of Hongik University) is a neighborhood known for its youthful and romantic ambience, underground cultures, and freedom of self-expression. Unique cafes, cozy galleries, accessory stores, fashion shops, live cafés and clubs, art markets, and gourmet eateries make this a popular hang-out for locals in their 20s and 30s and a fascinating place to walk around.

Also in this same area is the ‘A ballerina who loves b-boy’ theater and other theaters dedicated to the art of b-boy dance. Another big draw of Hongdae is the weekend ‘Free market,’ (1pm to 6m) where artists gather each week to display and sell their handmade crafts and accessories. During the market time there are usually a variety of open-air concerts and events as well.

These unique place plus the cultural events, street performances, and festivals held here make Hongdae-ap an area that is always packed with people and excitement. Special streets such as ateliers’ street (with full of private institutions for art students preparing for university entrance exams), Picasso’s Street, and Club Street are also must-go places if you’re hoping to fully experience the Hongdae area.

If you are looking for food, Hongdae and Ehwa University is the place to go. The food is cheaper in these areas and you can get better quality food here. During my trip, after tasting so much of Korean food and not knowing where to go, I took the subway back to Ehwa and look for a restaurant there.

Recomended: For food

Gyeongbokgung

Entrance of Gyeongbokgung

Entrance fee: 3000 won. There is also an integrated ticket at the cost of 10000 won where you can visit many other palace and places. I did not buy the integrated ticket as I didnt plan to visit all those places but if you are going to, then it is cheaper.
Direction: Exit Gyeongbokgung Palace station and it is just a few minutes walk to exit the station. The signs are very clear how to get there as it is the main attraction in that area and can hardly miss.

Built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung Palace is also commonly referred to as the “Northern Palace” because it is the furthest north when compared to the neighboring palaces of Changdeokgung (Eastern Palace) and Gyeongheegung (Western Palace). Gyeongbokgung Palace is arguably the most beautiful and remains the grandest of all five palaces.

The premises were destroyed by fire during the Imjinwaeran War (Japanese Invasion, 1592-1598). However, all of the palace's 7,700 rooms were later restored under the leadership of Heungseondaewongun during the reign of King Gojong (1852-1919) .

Remarkably, the most representative edifices of the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeonghoe-ru Pavilion and Hyangwonjeong Pond are still relatively in tact. Woldae and the sculptures of Geunjeongjeon (The Royal Audience Chamber) represent past sculpture of contemporary art.

The National Palace Museum of Korea is located south of Heungnyemun Gate, and the National Folk Museum is located east within Hyangwonjeong.

The palace is very huge and after entering the entrance, there are gardens, lake, and quarters you can explore. There is also another gate to enter the palace or exit if you want. In the middle, there is a small lake with a pagoda in the middle. At the main entrance, they have Koreans dress up as the guards standing beside the gates and you can take pictures with them. They will just stand still there but if you touch them they will react "aggresively". You are not suppose to touch them. There will also be many tourists there so you will have to que up.

Palace guard marching in front of the gates.

Main hall of the palace. It cannot be entered and only able to peek inside.

We saw Korean couples taking wedding photo's in the palace.

Jeju Island - Jeju Glass Castle and Hyeop-jae beach

Jeju Glass Castle

Jeju Glass Castle

Entrance fee: I think it is 9000 won. Free parking available.
Direction: Search for Jeju Glass Castle in GPS.

Everything here is about glass from the moment we step into the entrance. The whole place is a large park like the Love Land with sculptures of various interesting items made of glass. They also have glass all over the world from different countries. Other than sculptures there are also activities where you can make your own glass such as blowing, lamp working,and glass bottle crafts. One of the impressive glass sculpture is the Jack and the Beanstalk in the entrance where the sculpture starts from the ground up to the high ceiling. Then there education about the origin and methods of making glass, glass wallpaper, mirror maze, world renowned glass artists, jewelry tunnel, ring of eternal promise, magic mirror room, glass musical instruments, glass toilets, etc etc. Most of them are sculptures so it is a good place to take pictures.

Glass beanstalk from the ground right up to the ceiling.

Glass garden. Trees and flowers all made from glass.

Glass made by a famous Italian glass artist. I dont know who that guy is but I think he is famous in the glass world.

There is also the Jeju Glass guardian instead of the Stone Guardian.

Glass temple sculpture.

Hyeop-jae beach

Hyeop-jae beach. I think the mountain in the background is Hallasan.

Hyeopjae Beach (협재해수욕장) is located on the west side of Hanrim-eup, and is part of Hanrim Park. The beautiful white color of the sand comes from the large amounts of crushed seashells that have been mixed in with the sand. The long seashore stretches for 9 km and has cobalt colored seawater and evergreen forests scattered around the vicinity, making the scenery very beautiful. Just off the beach is Biyangdo Island. The white sandy beach is about 20 meters long, and the water is 1.2 meters deep with no sudden drops. In the evergreen groves, there are plenty of convenient facilities and campgrounds for visitors to use.
Hanrim Park nearby, provides interesting tour sites such as a subtropical arboretum, Hyeopjaegul Cave, and Ssangyonggul Cave. The seashore to the southwest of Hyeopjae Beach connects to another beach called Geumreung Beach, and both beaches combined are also called Hyeopjae Beach. From any beach on Jejudo Island, you can always see Mt. Hallasan. It is a great place for a relaxing family vacation.


Entrance fee: Free with free parking.
Direction: Search Hyeopjae beach with GPS or use the address 2497-1 Hyeopjae-ri, Hallim-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.

We were out of ideas where to go in Jeju on our last day and decided to visit one of the beaches. There is a Korean version of the little mermaid statue here so no need to go to Denmark to see the little mermaid. The waters are very clear in this beach. I didnt spend much time on the beach itself since I can go to the beach anytime in Penang but the most interesting aspect of the beach is that the beach compose of the beach and also the lava rocks with some very bright green moss growing on it. On the lava rocks, there are small ponds where the water is so clear you can see right to the bottom.

Korean little mermaid. Looks very lonely. Not a good picture. If you notice the big rock together with the mermaid, there is a big hole in the rock where you can go inside and take picture together with the mermaid. The black rocks at the background are the lava rocks together with the beach which makes it special.

The stones are piled up from big to small on the rocks. They also sell this kind of rocks in some souvenir shops in Jeju. So clever. Just pick rocks from the beach and sell them lol.

All the stones are pile up from big to small. Cannot see very clearly in this picture. Not sure who pile up all the rocks but he must be very free. The rocks are not glue together or anything and I can just kick everything down. I wonder why nobody do that and leave it as it is hmm..

Can see the black lava rocks and the bright green moss and the beach all coming together in this beach.

If you have free time, then can consider visiting this beach for its uniqueness.

Jeju Island - Gimnyeong Maze park and Love Land

Gimnyeong Maze Park

Map of the Jeju Gimnyeong Maze Park

Gimnyeong Maze Park contains a maze that has seven images incorporated in it. The maze is in the shape of the Jeju Island, and its images that can be clearly seen from above include the following: a serpent, which was an object of worship on the island until the mid-70s; native horses of Jeju Island, which were brought there by Mongolians as far back as 1276; the ship, the Sparrowhawk, that was shipwrecked on the island in 1653 bringing Hendrick Hamel and his company of Dutch sailors to the Joseon Kingdom; and dolmens that are relics from the Bronze Age. All of these images are famous symbols or landmarks of Jeju Island.


Entrance fee: 3300 won. Free parking available.
Direction: The maze park is located along the road to Manjanggul cave. Just use the road and turn in and you reach the parking area. It is a little difficult to search using GPS as the some spell as Gimnyeong while some spell as Kimnyoung or Kimnyeong.

The whole park is a very simple one. The main thing is just the maze so you walk to the ticket counter which is a small booth, pay up and walk through some garden and then there's the maze. There will be a map of the maze provided and if you follow the map, it will not be difficult to get to the top. However, if you do not follow the map of lost track of where you are in the map then it can be quite difficult to get out. I did not see any alarm or bell where you can call for help and the only way is to follow other people or fund your way to the bridge and ask for help to the people on the bridge. When I was there, there was a group of European guys who got lost and just walking round and round for some time. It is not possible to take picture of the whole maze unless you are sitting in a helicopter above. Even to get good maze pictures is quite difficult because the maze is very high and wide. However due to my great skills, I managed to get some good pictures of the maze.

Two poor visitors getting lost in the maze. Hope they can find their way out.

Without great skills like me, this is the best shot of the maze that you can get. The bridge is the first half of the maze where you can consider to be on the right track if you cross the bridge.

Love Land

Jeju Love Land.

Entrance fee: Cannot remember but is about 9000 won. Free parking available.
Direction: Search for Jeju Love Land in the GPS. It is quite famous in Jeju and with the GPS just look at searched location 80% you will find it. That is how I got to the place as it is already saved in the GPS.

This place is filled with many sculptures of love making position and penis. Something weird about the sculptures is that many of the sculptures are grandfather and grandmother. Shouldn't they be making sculptures of sexy guys and girls? Then somewhere at the end, there is a shop which sells various sex equipment and some displays. This is a place for 18+ adults. It is not an educational park. Kids can play in the kids room outside the entrance beside 7-11.

A super size sculpture of a sexy lady. This is the only sexy lady in the place. Others are either sculpture wearing masks or fat grandmother. You can stand below her backside and take pictures.

This is a funny sculpture. The dog and the guy is making V sign to each other.

Some mini figure to teach you how to make love.

Things that happen in different units of an aprtment.

Jeju Island - Seopjikoji and Manjanggul Cave

Seopjikoji

Seopjikoji. The  building in the background is the All-In Korean drama chapel.

Explanation on Seopjikoji.

Explanation from the board writes: Seopjikoji is on the east coast of Jeju Island. In the jeju dialect, "Seopji" means a narrow piece of land and "Koji" means a promontory. During the Joseon period, a signal fire beacon was located on "Seopjikoji". The shoreline is covered with volcanic red rocks and pebbles, and many of the rocks are of strange, spectacular shapes. One large rock known as "Seondolbawi" looks like a candlestick. According to local folklore, it was created when the son of the sea gos turned to stone because his love for a nymph was not returned.

Entrance: Free entrance. Parking 500 won.
Direction: Search in the GPS for Seopjikoji or use the address 261, Seopjikoji-ro, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.

Seopjikoji is also one of the places that is a must visit in Jeju. Not only that it is free, the area is much wider with different scenary at difference places. Here, you can access to the lighthouse, All-in Korean drama chapel, the volcanic black rock, a wide field, see Hanyo divers and there is also a Korean drama store near the chapel. There are alot of of Hanyo divers coming to Seopjikoji. We also bought the freshly grilled cuttlefish from the Hanyo divers. We only walked as far as the lighthouse and did not go all the way to the end.

Hanyo divers getting ready for their dive.

Snapshot of the lighthouse from far.

Not sure what building is that but we did not go that far. Picture taken from the lighthouse.

The cuttlefish dried on the shore of Seopjikoji.

Manjanggul Cave

Manjanggul cave

Manjanggul cave is the representative lava cave of the ones on Jeju Island. It is located in Gujwa-eup, Jeju City. The lava flows erupted from the Geomunoreum volcanic crater and flowed through creating a lava tube with Bengduigul cave, Manjanggul cave, Gimnyeongggul cave, Yongcheondonggul cave, and Dangcheomuldonggul cave. Manjanggul is the largest cave and the only one that is open to the public.
Manjanggul cave is a large scale, single channel that was formed through the curvy path of the lava flows winding in and out. The cave's total length is 7,416 meters and as wide as 23 meters at the widest point and 30 meters high at the highest point. The 3 entrances were made from the collapse of the ceiling. Currently, only a section of 1 kilometer is open to the public, from the No 2 entrance to the lava column in the cave. The temperature inside the cave is maintained in the range from 11 to 18 degrees celcius. It is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Manjanggul cave was designated as the 98th natural monuments in Korea in 1962 and in 2007, it was appointed as a UNESCO's World Natural Heritage.

Entrance fee: 2000 won. Free parking available.
Direction: Search for Manjanggul cave in GPS.

Becareful when walking in the cave as there are water dripping from the top making the floor slippery. It is also quite cold in the cave when we were there compared to the temperature outside. Along the cave, there are lamps and some explanation on the rock formation and stuff which I dont understand. It is also very dark in the cave and very difficult to take pictures. All the way to the end of the cave looks the same so there are not many pictures to take. The floor of the cave is very unique. I think it is the hardened lava or something because it is like rock but with smooth texture. It took us some time to walk from the entrance to the end where there is a lava column and lights for you to take picture and then walk back. Honestly, we didnt really understand those geology and natural stuff so it doesnt seem to be very interesting to us. It will be interesting for people who have knowledge in these kind of stuff. There seem to be alot of meaning to the different kinds of stone but to us it just looks like a stone with different shapes. The fun for me is to walk on hardened lava and feel the atmosphere in a cave like Batman.

Lava Stone Mark (Stone turtle). The breakdowns from the ceiling were carried along with the lava flow before they werehardened to form a mass of rock. It is shaped like the island of Jeju that is why it is special.

Entrance of the cave before going down the stairs into the cave.

Inside the cave looking out to the entrance.

Lava flows at the end of the walk. Honestly I only know that this is the lava flow when I start writing this blog. When I was there we just took pictures because we reached the end of the cave and there is some cool looking thing there with disco lights shining at it. Im sure many others taking picture there feel the same as me. 

Jeju Island - Alive museum and Seongsan Ilchubong (Sunrise Peak)

Alive museum

Entrance of alive museum.

Entrance fee: 9000 won. Free parking available.

Direction: We had a little trouble locating the Alive Museum as it was not found in the GPS. We can see it from the tour map given by the car rental company but it is too general. The Alive Museum is located close to the Teddy bear museum and Yeomiji botanical Garden about 3 minutes drive away. Along the main road of the teddy bear museum, drive up towards where you will go to Yeomiji botanical garden but do not turn in. Just drive straight and you will reach a traffic light intersection. The Alive museum is a small road just before the traffic light and you need to turn in to your left.

Generally the purpose of going to the Alive Museum is to take pictures with the trick art where you can create illusion and make as if you are part of the picture. There hundred of pictures you can play with. At the start we were very excited but after sometime, the picture gets very repetitive meaning that most of them are using the same trick ideas just with different background.Then somewhere at the middle there is an outdoor park. We went there at night and couldnt really enjoyed the outdoor park as it is quite dark. We were also tired after taking over hundreds of pictures.

A trick art from Alive Museum. This picture is taken from Google. 

Outside of the Alive Museum.

Seongsan Ilchubong (Sunrise peak)

The base of Sunrise Peak before climbing up. The hill on the background is Sunrise Peak.

Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption over 100,000 years ago. Located on the eastern end of Jejudo Island, there is a huge crater at the top of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. The crater is about 600m in diameter and 90m high. With the 99 sharp rocks surrounding the crater, it looks like a gigantic crown. While the southeast and north sides are cliffs, the northwest side is a verdant grassy hill that is connected to the Seongsan Village. The ridge provides an ideal spot for walks and for horse riding as well.

Entrance fee: 2000 won. Parking 500 won.
Direction: As it is a very famous landmark, just search in the GPS for Seongsan Ilchubong. Alternatively, you can search with the address Ilchul-ro, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.

The time of sunrise changes everyday so you have to check the time on the day of visit. The time we visited, he sunrise is at 6.50am. From our hotel in Seogwipo to Sunrise peak took about 1 hour or more. We woke up at 4am and started journey about 4.30 am. When we reached the parking lot, we saw some people took a taxi over to that place so if you dont have a car, this might be a solution. The hike up is not really difficult. We only took about 20-30 minutes to reach the top with some rests in between, a little sooner than we expected. Unfortunately that day was cloudy so we didnt actually get to see anything amazing. When we climbed up, it was very dark and we couldnt actualy see the surrounding. When we climb down, the surrounding view is actually quite nice with a view of the city below.

The road up to the peak. It was still dark at 6 am.

After waiting for some time and some people already gave up, the tiny sun appeared for 5 mins and disappeared.

This is what we were suppose to see on a good day. :( 

The stairs to climb down from the peak.

A look at the base of the Sunrise Peak from the top.

Jeju island - Jeongbang falls and Jusangjeolli cliff

Jeongbang falls

Jeongbang Falls

Jeongbang Falls (정방폭포) is only water fall in Asia that falls directly into the ocean. On the wall of the water fall, there is an inscription written “Seobulgwacha”, referring to Seobul passing by this place. Seobul was a servant of the Chinese Emperor Jin (BC 259~210) who was ordered by the Emperor to find the substance that would make him immortal. Seogwipo is also said to have gotten its name to mean Seobul headed back west.
Jeongbang Waterfall is situated by a high cliff by the sea, and an old evergreen stands there leaning back as if it would fall into the ocean. Go east for about 300 meters and you will see another waterfall called Sojeongbang Waterfall. It is a great place to relax during the summer. There is an observatory at the top of the cliff, from which you can command a fine view of the sea.

Entrance fee: 2000 won. Free parking available.
Direction: Search for Jeongbang falls in GPS or with this address 37, Chilsimni-ro 214 beon-gil, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.

This is one of my favourite place. Compared to Cheonjiyeon falls, here we can get close to the waterfall as the water that flows down creates a pool before flowing into the ocean hence you can go very close to the waterfall. In addition to that, the water falls from a very high cliff and by standing on one of the rocks near the waterfall, you can feel the water breeze falling down. The whole area is also full of rocks where it creates a very special atmosphere. Before descending down to the waterfall, there is an observatory where you can get a full view of the ocean and waterfall.

Rocks surrounding Jeongbang falls. The blue tent is set up by the Hanyo "grandmother diver" where they dive into the ocean without any breathing gears and fish for abalone, squids, etc.

View from the observatory before climbing down to the waterfall. The rocks are actually big size rocks.

If there are only limited places to go to, this is definitely recommended.

Jusangjeolli cliff

Jusangjeolli cliff.

The Jusangjeolli are stone pillars piled up along the coast and is a designated cultural monument of Jejudo Island. The Jusangjeolli was formed when the lava from Mt.Hallasan erupted into the sea of Jungmun. They are rock pillars shaped like cubes or hexagons of various sizes and almost seem as if stonemasons had carved them out. The administration of the district named them 'Jisatgae Rocks' from their old name 'Jisatgae'. Its 20 m cliff makes it a popular spot for high tide, sea angling. The waves of the high tides crashing into the side of the cliff provide a breathtaking view of the ocean surrounding the pillars.


Entrance fee: 2000 won. Parking 500 won.
Direction: Search GPS for Jusangjeolli or with the address 2663, Jungmun-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do. I had some trouble searching the GPS and just tried my luck. It is at the same area as the Teddy bear museum about 10-15 minutes drive away.

The cliff is also located in a big park so the entrance fee include a walk in a park with sculptures and nature. The main attraction is the cliff but only make up a small section of the park. It is not possible to walk to the edge of the cliff and feel the stone pillars as there are barriers to protect you.

Giant shell sculpture. This is located before the entrance to the cliff. The shell is very big and 2 or 3 people can fit into the hole for pictures.

The observatory at Jusangjeoli cliff. The view of sunset will be very beautiful from this spot but we did not wait until sunset because we thought that the place will close at 5 due to wrong information from the Korean gentleman.

The Korean gentleman whom I mentioned in earlier post.