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Winter Wonderland: Seoul

Winter Wonderland: Seoul

Ever since I signed up to be one of Air Asia-Zest's local ambassadors, I have this privilege of flying to different places in the Philippines and abroad. Of course I took advantage and decided to get tickets for a trip to Seoul, South Korea last December 2014. Meanwhile, I urged my parents to get tickets as well for the rest of the family (Obviously hindi sila sponsored. They booked their tickets last February 2014, nung may piso sale. Haha), para naman maka-experience my other siblings ng winter weather. ;) Moving on...

 
 
Remember Zena's apartment from my post last April 2014?
We decided to stay in one of her studio apartments from Nov 30-Dec 4. I know the room looks a little bit small for a group of 6 (it took my fam around 1-1.5 hours to prep, haha) but at least we're comfortable and obviously saved a ton of money instead of getting separate hotel rooms. ;) I love Airbnb! Want free Airbnb credits? Sign up here. 


Upon arrival, layering na kaagad! :) Here's 5/6 of the Mariano's, all bundled up and ready for some shopping in Myeongdong. The weather at that time was below 15C. Ang sarap, ang lamig! ;)


Most photos posted in this entry were taken by my brother Rj. Hindi ko na mailabas yung camera ko coz nakakahiya naman sa iba na paulit-ulit magpa-picture. Hahaha.


When you're traveling with the Mariano's, non stop ang food trip! We had brunch at Gwangjang Market. Other than food, there's also a fabric and textile market inside. Ok if bet ninyo pagawa ng Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing). :)


 
A visit to the Gyeongbukgong Palace is a must for first timers! :)


After sight seeing, food trip ulit! :) We love having korean bbq for dinner.


We've checked the weather before flying to Seoul and tama yung forecast na mag snow. This was taken last December 1, 2014, first snowfall for the winter season. Here's my brother Jeff, first time niya maka experience ng snow. Hahahaha. Sa sobrang tuwa niya, natuwa na rin mga Koreans sa kanya. Mag sando, shorts at tsinelas ka ba naman sa labas in almost 0C weather. Hehehe.

 
The snow did not stop us, dedma sa lamig! We went to Everland but failed to try all rides coz yung iba sarado dahil nga sa snow.




Very bipolar ng weather coz later in the afternoon wala na ulit snow but of course malamig pa rin. How'd you like my winter hat? Hihihihi.


On our last day, N (Namsan) Seoul Tower naman. :)


Don't judge me for wearing flats during winter season. Hehe.


Mariano siblings from left to right: Isha, Maye (that's me!), Rj and Jeff.


Meet my Mama Edna and Papa Raul. They're the best parents in the world! Thank you for this family trip. Where's our next destination? Hihihi.

"Having somewhere to go is Home. Having someone to love is Family. Having both is a Blessing."
Insadong, Seoul

Insadong, Seoul

A few minutes away from Myeongdong is Insadong, the center for arts and crafts in Seoul. The main street of Insadong is 700 meters long with narrow alleys full of shops and restaurants just like Myeongdong.



But Insadong is different from Myeongdong in terms of shopping. In here they offer unique and sometimes antique arts and crafts, pottery and paintings. If you're looking for traditional items found in Korea then this is the place to be. They have hanboks (traditional clothing), hanji (traditional paper), teas and other folk crafts.


No, these are not makeup brushes. Hehe. They're used for calligraphy. ;)

The street used to be dominated by Dohwawon (a place of study for painters) during the Joseon Dynasty. Expect a lot of galleries within the area, please take note that some of them charge entrance fees.

There were other shops along Insadong selling anything and everything under the sun.








Koreans are into soft ice cream and I have no idea why the cone looked like this. I shall officially name it as the penis ice cream, only in Insadong. It was a bit cold that day too, so we weren't able to try it.


Late lunch at the Insadong Geujip restaurant housed in an old hanok (Korean traditional house) and has been carefully renovated to preserve the house’s traditional feel.



 
The basic serving size is large enough to be shared by two.


They're a bit expensive compared to other Korean restaurants but at least the food tastes good. ;)


Before leaving, I bought a few pieces of those stainless steel Korean rice bowls. I think it's the perfect size for a "cup of rice".


If you're in a mood for a walkathon, Insadong is nearby Chyeonggyecheon Stream and Gyeongbokgung Palace. :)
Seoul Searching

Seoul Searching

While waiting for my cousin's arrival from Tokyo, we had enough time for a day tour around Seoul. So glad that Zena's apartment in Chungmuro was only 5 minutes away from the Namsangol Hanok Village.


Namsangol Hanok Village is a traditional Korean village that features different houses from the Joseon era. Admission is free, how cool is that? ;)

 

This is actually my second time to be here. First time was in July 2013.


We didn't stayed that long and headed towards the shopping district of Myeongdong.




Weather was a bit cool that day, probably between 15-18 degrees yet that didn't stop us from having this tall ₩2,000 ice cream.


We then travelled for about 20-25 mins. via bus going to Seoul Folk Flea Market.


This is the main reason why we're in Seoul. Yup, vintage cameras.
Paolo's obsessed ever since he spotted this photo from my Seoul Folk Flea Market entry last year.


Apart from old cameras, there were stalls selling pre-owned cameras. Some are a bit expensive, you'd rather get a new one. Lol.






Of course we spotted more bags. But remember, they're FAKE ok?

We left the flea market empty handed and went back to Chungmuro. :) My sister got hungry and had no idea where to eat, she just want fried chicken. Fried chicken it is!


There are a lot of small restaurants in Seoul so for sure hindi kayo magugutom.


Juicy, deep fried and oily fried chicken! Just the way she likes it. Haha.


We spotted a lot of photography stores on our way back to our apartment.

Chungmuro is the "camera capital" of Seoul. Anything and everything related to photography, printing, cameras, etc. is here! Very much like Manila's Hidalgo St. in Quiapo but of course with less crowd. ;)
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