Gyeongbokgung in Seoul, South Korea

Ah Gyeongbokgung. It's the largest and, I think, the most famous palace in Seoul.

I was lucky to be in Seoul in October, when they held the Cheobjong or the Palace Guard Inspection Ceremony in place of the usual Royal Guard Changing Ceremony. Palace Guard Inspection by the king meant that the guards would have to show their fighting skills in order to prove to the king that they can defend him and his palace.

I think it started at 1pm but I was a little late. I arrived at 1:15pm. It was very interesting to watch! There's an English voice-over so people are not clueless as to what's happening.

At 1:30pm, the ceremony ended and the whole company lined up and went inside the palace. People can walk alongside the king's palanquin (which I did)!

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy my time in Gyeongbukgung very much for the following reasons:

1. It was really hot and sunny that afternoon.
2. There were soooooo many people. At that time, I had developed an aversion towards crowds due to the nature of my work. Big crowds stress me out (yes, even until now, lol). A middle-aged female tourist particularly stood out as she was endlessly taking selfies with her selfie stick with the volume of her phone at the highest setting! I could hear the shutter sounds even from 20 meters away and despite the noisy crowd, I swear!
3. I lost my Ray-Ban aviators. It's not the first too! It was really stressful trying to retrace my steps to find it. In the end, I didn't find it. It wanted to stay in South Korea, apparently. Aside from the fact that it's expensive, it was difficult not having my sunglasses in that afternoon heat.

I tried to take a photo of the interiors of the main throne hall but failed miserably because people kept pushing me. There were so many rude tourists there, seriously. That's why instead of exploring the huge palace grounds, I just took a few photos and then went back to Anguk Station to visit Bukchon Hanok Village.

To be honest, Gyeongbukgung is very beautiful. I especially love the mountainous backdrop of the palace. However, I recommend going there early in order to avoid the crowds which may spoil the experience. Try not to miss the ceremonies, though!

Changdeokgung in Seoul, South Korea

From Changgyeonggung, I walked to the adjacent palace, Changdeokgung. After paying the KRW2,000 admission fee, I inquired about the Huwon (Secret Garden) tour. Before coming to South Korea, I had read about Huwon inside Changdeokgung, which can only be entered through the palace's organized tour. I was curious about it and since it's only KRW5,000, I went for it.

I was in Changdeokgung at 10am and the Huwon tour wasn't starting until 10:30am so I went around the palace grounds first.

Well... actually, I bought postcards at the souvenir shops first before going around, lol.

I found that Changdeokgung didn't gather my interest very much because I had been to Changgyeonggung already. In the end, all palaces would look the same to me since I do not know much about them. At 10:30am, I proceeded to the Huwon entrance, which is located near the gate adjoining Changgyeonggung and Changdeokgung (also the gate from where I entered).

As the tour guide introduced himself and gave a briefing, I overheard a lady telling her friend, "I can't remember the last time I went on an organized tour". What she said got me thinking about when was the last time I went on an organized tour too haha. It's probably in 2009, when my family went to Macau for a day trip from Hong Kong.

I did enjoy this organized tour. It was informative although it would seem a bit rushed (as all organized tours are) if you want to take a lot of photos. 

Some people, however, preferred to be left behind to take photos. That's quite alright except I wanted to listen to the tour guide. Also, I didn't want to get lost haha. It's a really big place and the only people inside are the ones doing the tour!

It was also tiring because Huwon is very big and there are a lot of slopes (typical Seoul)! The tour guide even said that he has lost a lot of weight after he took the job lol.

The tour lasted 1.5 hours and while I could have explored Changdeokgung more, I was really hungry and besides, I have had my fill of palaces already. I took the other exit (Donhwamun), turned right and walked straight until I reached Anguk Station. Outside the station, I found a small restaurant where I had a bibimbap for KRW5,000. Great way to finish a tiring morning!

Seriously, I cannot emphasize how much I love Korean food. I love balanced meals (one with meat, vegetables, and starch) and Korean food is exactly that. I love kimchi. I love spicy food. Darn it, now I'm hungry.

Changgyeonggung in Seoul, South Korea

On my second day in Seoul, I woke up early and took the subway to Hyehwa Station.

With the help of the station map, I walked from the subway station towards Changgyeonggung (Palace). It was quite a long walk but it was manageable. 

I paid the KRW1,000 admission fee and then just immersed myself in the palace environment.

I really enjoyed my time in Changgyeonggung because there are many buildings to explore and there are very few people around. (I dunno if it was because it's still pretty early or because Changgyeonggung is not as famous as the other palaces like Gyeongbukgung.) To be honest, it was my favorite palace among the three I visited. (The other two were Changdeokgung and Gyeongbukgung.)

My favorite spot in the palace is this building shown below. It would have been a really great spot to read and chill because it's quiet. Plus, I love wooden floors! Also, no shoes allowed inside so it's alright to sit or even roll around lol.

After a couple hours of walking and taking photos with the tripod, I went to the back of the palace where I discovered that there's an entrance gate for Changdeokgung (another palace which happened to be my next destination). Pretty convenient, no? I will write about Changdeokgung next!

From Busan to Seoul: N Seoul Tower and Myeongdong

After trying to catch the sunrise at Haeundae Beach (which was a failure because it was too cloudy/misty that morning), I had breakfast at the hostel and then left Busan to take off for Seoul.

From Haeundae Station, I took the subway to Busan Station. Now that I think about it, it probably would have been better if I took a bus instead because I was carrying a huge backpack! Then again, I was trying to catch a train schedule to Seoul and I had no idea how long the bus ride would be. On the other hand, the subway was more reliable time-wise. 

Eventually, I learned that Busan Station (where the KTX trains are) is different from the Busan subway station and I had to exit from the subway station first. The signs were very clear so I didn't lose my way. I bought my KTX ticket at Busan Station and then off to Seoul! The 2.5-hour train ride was quite expensive at KRW54,400 but I really like trains and I wanted to experience Korea's high-speed rail so I still opted for it.

I arrived at a very crowded Seoul Station and took the subway to my hostel. After resting a bit, I went to N Seoul Tower.

I took the subway to Myeongdong. From there, I walked very steep streets towards the cable car station. I found myself cursing because the streets are seriously impossibly steep that I was scared of losing balance and rolling down. Anyway, I got a bit lost going to the cable car station and was already in Namsan Park until a lady (who, thankfully, spoke a little English) asked me to take her photo so I took the chance and asked her where the cable car station  was. Thankfully, I didn't get too far lol.

I found the station easily after that and then bought my round-trip ticket for KRW8,500. Fortunately, the line wasn't very long.

I arrived at the base of tower, explored the grounds and then bought my admission ticket. Originally it's KRW9,000 but I had a coupon from my T-Money card so I got it instead for KRW8,100.

Ah, my first autumn experience!

Beacons from the Joseon dynasty

There was a shop that sold souvenirs (including postcards) and stamps plus a postbox at the top of N Seoul Tower so I bought some postcards and mailed them to some friends. Unlike, say, Tokyo Tower, I didn't appreciate N Seoul Tower very much. In Tokyo, I was quite familiar with the surroundings so I can easily identify the places from above. Meanwhile, it was my first day in Seoul so I had minimal appreciation of the view. There wasn't much to do in N Seoul Tower but I decided to stay until dusk just to see how it's like at night.

Finally, when it was dark, I headed back to the cable car. When I arrived at the cable car station in Myeongdong, it was dark and I couldn't identify where I was. I had no idea how to get back to Myeongdong subway station! In the end, I did the most logical thing to do-- I followed the crowd. Eventually, I found my way back to Myeongdong Station. I guess that way was better because I don't think I could have handled going down the same slope I passed by that afternoon lol.

I was able to stroll  around Myeongdong, a famous shopping area. The street food looked delicious so I sampled some and got too full to eat proper dinner. 

See that KitchenAid Artisan electric mixer?? Quite fancy for street food, right? Lol.

An egg pastry for KRW2,000

Sausages for KRW3,000 a stick

I had a peach shake for KRW5,000. Quite expensive, no?

I also got myself a nice knitted pullover (KRW15,000) from a boutique and a cute little backpack (KRW15,000) from a street vendor and some nail polish. However, when the Friday night crowd started to get to me, I finally decided to go back to my hostel.

Autumn

I just came back from a 10-day trip in South Korea. I visited Gyeongju, Busan and Seoul and went to day trips to Suwon and Gapyeong as well. I went alone and it was cool. I visited many places and met amazing people too.

Bulguksa in Gyeongju

Yonggungsa in Busan, situated on the cliffs by the beach, is now my favorite temple

The Cheobjong (Palace Guard Inspection Ceremony) held in front of Gyeokbukgung in Seoul

Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon City

Nami Island in Gapyeong

I'm in a serious backlog (I haven't even finished writing about my Japan trip last year haha) so I really need to catch up! On a lighter note though, that means I won't be running out of things to write about anytime soon.