Seoul: Annyeonghaseyo!

Ep.43

“Mix a little foolishness with your prudence: it's good to be silly at the right moment.”­ – Horace.

Seoul, South Korea.

23^rd April 2012.

Me @ Gyeongbokgung

Annyeonghaseo! Say hello to Seoul. I used my three (repeat: three) full day offs to get this flight. Not that I love to work so much, which is true, but also as my tribute to one of the most adorable TV series countries in Asia, South Korea. Many cute actors, interesting language and of course, I got my high school friend here, Melinda, or I would rather call her Dalin.

Dalin's new apartment

Dalin has spent her last 4 years studying in Busan and coincidentally; she was going to move to Seoul on the day I’d come. So here’s the plan: she will come to pick me at the hotel, and I will accompany her to sign the contract for her apartment and became the first guest of her new apartment, then she will accompany me to tour around Seoul. Perfect!

try to peep on...SBS drama shooting!

Incheon flight is actually a very easy straightforward one. 3.5 to 4 hours flight and it was a midnight flight, but due to excitement, I couldn’t even feel a bit of drowsiness. Ha-ha! I arrived at Incheon at 5.30 a.m. Even though that wasn’t my first visit to Incheon, but that was my first longstay. The others that I have ever had were the overnights only. The hotel was 20 minutes drive away from the airport and damn! it was chilly weather. Well, I did asked Dalin before about the temperature and she said that it was OK already since it was supposed to be spring. It seems that we have a different perception of cold and hot here. Just for your information, it was 9° C when I arrived.

jars and barrels

As soon as I entered the hotel, I saw a girl with big luggage already. A familiar face! Haven’t change since the last time I saw her. Wait up! when was it again? *counting* after graduation, which means, 5 years ago. We greeted like really really loud (I guess some of my seniors confused just by looking how could I have an Indonesian friend in Korea). Super fast check in and super fast went up to the room. Dalin laid on the bed as she just came from Busan by overnight bus, while I was taking a quick bath multitasked by exchanging information with Dalin. Yes! We were talking to each other while we were doing our own things. Ha-ha! Just like the old days.

it just look good..

At 7.30 am, we were leaving the hotel already. I didn’t have to worry about anything, as I was in the right hand. Dalin speaks fluent Korean, both Busan accent and Seoul accent. And she was he one asking directions and this and that. I was just a super loyal supporter here. We went down to the subway train service and I finally bought the POP card (at least that was what I called it), the card for traveling in Korea. It cost me KRW 2500 for the card and I filled it with KRW 10000 amount for the whole day trip. Dalin says it should be okay. So let’s begin!

inside palace river

1.5 hours trip by train, more than 20 stops, 2 transfers, and finally we reached Seoul. Phew! We got off at Seonyudo Station, where Dalin new apartment located. We have to wait for almost an hour in front of the property agent office as we apparently to early (of course! Even the ramyeon champong kiosk next to it haven’t open yet). One thing Dalin made me realized, the stores here in Korea, put their speakers outside so that wherever you walk, you could here it clearly and loudly, different K-Pop music from one to another shop. NICE!! We bought a breakkie, which were tapioca breads (just like the one I used to buy at Mu Gung Hwa Korean mart back in Jakarta). I thought it was cost me KRW 800 each. By the time of 11, the ahjumma finally came (after messages by messages were sent by Dalin, those I couldn’t dechiper less that 10 minutes).

the guard

Accompanying someone signing an apartment contract was the first time for me. And experienced it in Korea was special; I do felt like I was in a Korean drama. All of them talked in Korean and I was just there, try to listen and catch few words that I picked up from those dramas. The alley up to Dalin apartment was just like in dramas, the offices, even the lady and the way they dressed, they talked, OMMO!! It was soooo interesting! New experience that I couldn’t explain. Less than 2 hour, as I accompanied Dalin to her new office to take her Korean ID card, to the bank to draw some money, and the contract signing. We finally could proceeds to the new apartment of Dalin. And no mention, it was just as expected! The same like in those drama with the code panel and famous chime out of it!! Plus the interior was also the same as in the drama! Fells like on-hand or in the set already. Super likes! And there I was, the first guest in Dalin small “super-Korean” apartment. Pictures taken and lets’s start the tour.

my happy smile

It was rather chilly, and I got my ¾ sleeve blazer on me. Brrr! Our first destination was to the Gyeongbokgung or to be certain to the palace. It was like 1 transfer and 30 minutes by train again and we finally there, starving! So we asked some people around for a decent Korean restaurant. We came across one shop just a little secluded and what to eat when you’re in Korea? Of course he very traditional Bibimbab! It was cost KRW 8500 per portion and we dine in peace while we were gossiping about our friends (if you’re one of our high school friends, your name might be mentioned in some cases). After soothing our stomachs, we continue our palace trip. There were some sort of ceremony when we were reached that place, which I considered as LUCKY! And it seems like a guard changing ceremony or something like that. I could recall those outfits that they wore were those in saeguk dramas, awhh! I love it! I was more than awestruck by the fact that I was able to see those people, wearing those outfits, in the palace, right before my own eyes!

Myeong Dong Shopping District

Shrine?

We bought the entrance fee, which was KRW 6000 per person and I finally stepped my feet on the Gyeongbokgung for the first time. (clap clap!) If you a Korean drama lovers, than you knew it for sure and I amd sure you would understand my felling at that time. Dalin and I took turn to take each other’s pictures. Shoo-ing people who just stand in the best spot of our backdrop. Then there we are in a very large palace ground looking from the hall, council room, lady’s room, kitchen, even those part where they brew their sauces in large barrel. Also those low gates and archway that separate each pavilion and the servants’ room and the reading room, the library. It was such a breathtaking moment. I was like dragged back to the time where it belongs. Well those stairs or I may say those steps in front of the main house/building were just that high that I thought, may be that was the reason they have hanbok as their traditional outfit, otherwise, those in kimono will never can go up that steps.

Hanbok!

What else can we do in the palace? Do you think I will look good in hanbok with palace as my backdrop? Hell, good or not, I don’t really care! I just wanna wear them, at least once in my lifetime. At the Gyeongbokgung, they provide a place where you can wear hanbok for free for about 5 minutes and took as many picture as you like. You can also choose from the catalogue the color of hanbok that you wanna wear. So, we queue up and lucky we were that all those people on queue line were males. Which means all the colors for women’s hanbok would be available! We listed our names and chose. The ladies there assisted us wearing those hanbok, which for me, that was really warm, and it comes with a matching pair of shoes. At this rate I was beyond happy already!

Hanook Village

Ahjussi!

By the time we left the palace, my camera should be exhausted already. We continue our little quest to Hanook Village, which is according to what I read, from Dalin’s browsing result, is a traditional village of Korea. But before that, we treated ourselves with a nice blueberry smoothies at KRW 8000 each glass. As soon as I saw Hanook Village in our vicinity, I think I would love a time machine. No entrance fee to Hanook Village and it was located near the Namsan Tower (Seoul Tower) actually. I bought some odeng (fishcake on a stick which is sold on a truck) and lucky me, due to Dalin translation, that the ahjumma gave me discount because she said that I’m pretty (I only understand when she said that “nomu ippo yo! Part). Anyway, it reduces the price to KRW 1000 for 2 sticks. (reason that I’m fat). Well Hanook Village is those like the setting for Korean historical stories. It does even titled as cultural place.

Snakkie time!

And it was like a lightning struck in the middle of the day that we did actually saw a crane which carries… a camera (repeat: film camera) on its end. There were a shooting of SBS TV drama. Lucky! We couldn’t see it clearly on who is the actor and actress but I do saw one familiar face that play in “Dream” drama with Kim Bum. 
I was happy already! We tried our best to climb and get a better view but it seems that we were not the only fans over there. We finally gave up after 15 minutes lurking around and we continue our little short quest. There is also one place to go (MUST) in Korea, which is the Namsan Tower, where all Korean lovey doveys come and place their padlocks together, even in those dramas (still dramas, I was absorbed to it already). But it would be nicer if we came there by night. So we strolled around MyeongDong, the shopping district nearby. WOW!! It was like nightmarket. Crowded, the shopkeepers keep talking in Japanese, Korean and whatever language, bargaining, promoting and so on and so on. It was famous already that cosmetics were extremely (to the extent limit of cheap) cheap in Korea and the quality is the best. I bought myself a packed of chestnut mask, nail polished and Dalin also bought herself a good color to complete her nail polish collection. Enough with the shopping, but we haven’t finish with our trip. Next: Namsan Tower.

Namsan Cable Car

There were actually many ways you can choose to go up to Namsan Tower or more likely the Seoul Tower. On foot, by car, or by cable car (just like those romantic dramas where they go up there in one cable car and got stuck overnight). Considering we have walked for the whole day and we still have to go back to Incheon (Dalin in staying over at my crew hotel because I don’t think she can sleep in her new apartment without packing, which means it would be super tiring), we decided to ride on the cable car. The cable car service cost KRW 8000 per person round trip and could cater more than 30 persons each trip. It took 10 minutes ride on the cable car and there we are, in the lands of couples. Wait! We also couple. Just friend couple!

Namsan Tower

There, we saw the padlocks (the even sell the couple padlocks in the souvenir shop, just in case some couple came with short preparation). The tower itself high and tall just like the one that I saw in Auckland. And it was truly beautiful and romantic up there looking over Seoul city. After spending like one hour up there busy with picture taking and felt depressed cause of the heavy lovey dovey atmosphere around there, we rode the cable car again down to Seoul and we were heading for Incheon again.

Sam Kyeop Sal Supper!

It was another 1.5 hour trip and this time, I could see that our train did pass the Han river (the most popular river in Korean drama, as it always appears) and it bedazzled me! We arrived at Incheon at about 11 pm already ang we were hungry again. So we hail a taxi (no other choice), and go to the Dream City to have the Sam Kyeop Sal, which according to Dalin, literally three layers of FAT (wait! I look like three layers of fat already!). We decided to dine in Korean BBQ place called Sae Ma Eul, and once again I felt like I was in the drama. We finished our dinner at 12 pm and back to the hotel. After cleaning ourselves, we went to bed directly in the middle of our conversation (we never knew where we stop). And the next morning I have to work back to HK at 6!!! Great!!!

i do look stupid!i admit it!but well i'm love me!

Well, Korean one day trip with Dalin is surely one of the thing you should try. It was fun, and lovely as well. Even though I slept like a pig as soon as I arrived HK, I didn’t care. Everyone could recovers! As long as it doesn’t kill you, it will only make you stronger. Well, that’s what I have believed. Anyway, that’s all my first tour of Korean and I have it on my roster again by the end of this month, and I will plan another day out with Dalin. Any idea?

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Me.