Hwaseong Fortress - Suwon

This is our last trip here. Next week we will be back in our home in India. As we are staying in Suwon ( for hubby's work) we had thought of visiting Hwaseong before we leave. Hwaseong Fortress is the official fortress of Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do province. There are four gates in each direction: the north gate called Janganmun, the south gate called Paldalmun, the east gate, Changryongmun, and the west gate, Hwaseomun. A stream passes by the fortress, and where the water meets the fortress, they built Sumun gates. There are seven arch-style Sumuns, and above it a pavilion called Hwahongmun. As one of Korea`s best known cultural heritages of 18th century, the fortress was designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. You can get more info here.

We got down at Paldalmun(South gate) and walked towards the Tourist Info center at left. Both the sides are covered with shops but it was same like Namdaemun etc in a smaller scale. Then we followed people who were climbing the stairs to the top thinking it was the way. But there are too many steps and from what I had seen in the map( we got one Suwon map from the station long back,it helped now. You can get it from Info center too) it didn't lead to the Haenggung which was our destination. I had seen from diff sites there are many events performed in front of the gate. There is a 24 types martial arts performance daily at 11am and Guard changing ceremony (includes 53 guards) at 2pm. But we got late while reaching so missed the Martial arts performance. Then got tickets and saw the palace. It was actually not much to see. Same type structures like Deoksu but in smaller scale. We then left the place and started for the Suwoncheon stream. The whole fortress is a huge place(in area). Inside it is like a part of city only with schools, church, resturants. Just the structures present in fort remind us of the history behind it. The stroll next to the stream was really nice. With the spring setting in,the flowers have started to bloom and it looks beautiful around. We spent some time at Hwahongmun with taking little rest at sitting places nearby and

having a tasty ice cream in the hot afternoon. The we started towards Yeonmudae which is famous for experiencing Korean Traditional Archery.There are pathways in the hilles and in the road as well. And when we reached there we saw huge line at ticket counters. Later we got to know that to get a ride in the small trolley trains, you have to book ticket there. And there was counter to get tickets for archery as well. Hubby and I got our tickets and waited for our turn. In our previous batch of group, I saw only kids doing it and some men but rarely any girl. I was kind of apprehensive at first. But then I thought of as a life time experience and to get most out of it, just have fun. And so did I. Had a great time shooting(none hit the target but it striked the ground and stuck there, felt like a scene from some mythological serial) :-) and taking snaps. I did terribly in the whole thing but had a great fun doing it. Hubby kind of finished his arrows before time and when I asked why he told he kind of got in the moment that enemy in front of you, shouldn't waste time in how to hold the thing, the white arrow should point outwards but to get in the mood and just shoot. He had his share of fun too:-) ... After this great experience we strolled towards the east gate which was nearby. Spent some time there in the top of the tower. The view was great of the city and the breeze was very nice. After that we decided to call it a day since it was 3.30 pm and we were hungry. We came near home and had nice Japanese lunch of Ramen and chicken

fry. 

One more week and we will be at home. Though I am waiting eagerly to get back, but this experience will be memorable as it was our 1st long trip just after wedding. And in some ways I will miss Korea for sure. These 3 months were great with so new and exciting experiences for us. Will wrap up this tour blog by saying 'Visit Korea once and you will be amazed by the finds here'. Go Korea!!!

Landmark of Seoul -Seoul Tower

Last weekend we went on our last trip to Seoul. Since after a fortnight we will be leaving from here, we decided to see the famous Seoul Tower. Its a landmark as it is visible from any part of the city.The 236.7 meter high Seoul Tower built on the 243m Mt. Namsan has been known as the best tower in Asia. The travelling wasn't much an issue as we had travelled in the same line before changing a train in between. The station we got down was Myeong-dong another famous shopping area of Seoul. Dongdaemun & Namdaemun provide an inexpensive shopping experience where as Myeong-dong provides a high fashion but affordable shopping. Its known as Mecca for Shoppers. First we decided to see the tower then before boarding the train just stroll in the market. So we walked straight as we had read the instructions from here. We went left from the Pacific hotel through the resturants till we reached a stairway then taking right and walking ahead towards the Mountain we came across the Cable car station. This picture is the way we followed.

As it was morning time there was no major line to get the tickets. And we were in cable car in 5 mins. The view while going up was spectacular. The mountain below us and the breathtaking view of the city is a  must-see. There are also walking trails to climb the mountain but if you are coming for 1st time the Cable car is a must. And walking will take around 1-2 hrs. Within 5 mins we reached Mt. Namsan and started going up the stairs towards the Plaza. It was a big open space with people doing many sort of stuff. Some one had built a structure from empty bottles. And as Spring is approaching the trees

have beautiful flowers which looked really pretty with the surrounding. We took some snaps and got the tickets for Observatory at top. The tower has mainly 5 floors. The Observatory was in 3rd floor and in 5th
floor there is a revolving resturant but its too expensive. We got a package ticket (for Observatory & Teddy bear museum). First we went to see the museum. There are 2 parts. One side showing the history and culture of Korea using teddy bears and another is the modern Korea. Both were too good and I found it really cute. It wasn't much crowded so Hubby and I took our time to see and take snaps. At the end of the tower there is a Photo zone where you can take pictures with cartoon

characters even from your own camera. There is a TV screen and a camera attached below it and when you go in front of the camera you can take photos with digital images of many characters. Its kind of like special
effects as the screen behind you will be blue and you add any image you can be part of it too! It was fun to take the photos adjusting ourselves with the imaginary characters next to us.

Then after that we went up the tower to the Digital Observatory. The view from top was beautiful. It had huge glass windows at the side so we had an uninterrupted view down below. And in the glass the names of places was written i.e. in which direction the city is located. There were high power telescopes to see the city closely. It was awesome too. We spent some time there just soaking in the view in front of us.Then the floor below it was the Analog Observatory,nearly similar but with chairs at the sides so that you can sit and enjoy the view while having a snack. And another must-see place in that floor was the restrooms. It had the toilets with a view. Really one of a kind and people took snaps mostly rather than using it :-)...

Then we came down to the Plaza and had lunch at one of the resturants present in the terrace. After that we came to the Roof terrace where thousands and thousands of locks were there at the side. It was a 'couple thing' there to go and take 2 locks,lock it together writing your love message and throw away the key. We also got a lock and locked it at the

fence there. It was sort of sweet. The whole place was filled with locks at the sides and it was interesting to read the messages. Then in the center of plaza some local royal guards were performing some martial arts. It was beautiful to see their skills.
After that we decided to come back as it was getting crowded. By the time we reached to take the cable car it was already a big line and we had to wait 15-20 mins for our turn. But when we reached the other end the line was even bigger. It was really spectacular in the evening with the lighting system of the tower so many prefer to see the night view but its a lot of waiting involved. We then came back and on our way to Myeong-dong we had a hot cup of coffee and we sat at the sitting area near the station and sipped it. It was getting little cold so it felt really warm to have it. Then we crossed the road by doing down the subway and coming up from another exit in front of the shopping area. First we went in the big Shopping complex called Migliore which was famous for its trendy and fashionable items. We went through some floors and I was awed by the cute dresses there. The items were not very high priced but very fashionable. Then we came out and just strolled in the lane looking at stuffs. After a while we decided to call it a day and return home. I kind of felt sad as it was our last journey to Seoul and after that we won't be having adventurous journeys by the subway in Seoul.  

Deoksu Palace and Han River

We were little confused about this trip. We wanted to visit a Palace so we zeroed on Deoksu as it was easy for travelling. And then we thought of going to Itaewon(shopping place for tourists mainly) but we were not that excited for Itaewon. As we had finished major part of our shopping and wanted to see some places rather than surf the market. So we went through the major places to visit. We wanted to go Han river but it required changing trains 2 times. And there were 2 stations with cruising facilities nearby. When we saw the metro map we realised Yeouinaru station is closer to City Hall (where Deoksu palace is there) than Jamsil which is way far away. So we made our decision to go Han river and researched a bit. This site was informative about the Cruising facilities.

It was cloudy day but not that chilly and we started our journey to Seoul. Within an hour we reached City Hall station and just as we came out of the Exit the pathway led us directly to the Deoksugung Palace. It is famous for its elegant stone-wall road. Now some details about its history. In 1593, after all the royal palaces had been burnt down during the 1592 Japanese invasion, King Sonjo took up temporary residence in a villa which had been built for prince Wolsan (1454-1488). The ruler, King Kwangaegun, named the temporary residence Kyongun-gung. In 1897, King Kojong expanded the palace to make it suitable as the seat of government. King Sunjong later stayed here, renaming it Deoksu-gung (Palace of Virtuous Longevity). This palace includes some of the best examples of royal architecture of the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910) and has been designated as Historic Site #124 by the central government for preservation and protection. More info about the Palace can be viewed from this site and this.
We enjoyed immensely the surrounding and grandeur of the place. The structures were typical Korean architecture except the Seokjogwan which was Greek style. We spent some type taking some classic snaps in the palace. Then we finished our tour by 2 pm as at that time there will be Changing of the Royal guard ceremony near the main gate. And it was an event to watch if you visit the palace. And there was option to wear their traditional dress and beat the drum and be a part of the ceremony. I wanted to wear their dress but we were running short of time since we had to go to Han river too and the list of interested tourists was too long. When the ceremony began a troop of guard came in their colourful costumes and there was some verbal commands and parading. And the old guard left and new guard took his place. Then we had our lunch at KFC as it was near the venue. And we started for Han River.
We both were looking forward to this trip. Hubby wanted to visit this place from Day 1, so he was happy that finally the day has come. Here also when we came out of the subway and took left, there it was the beautiful river Hangang in front of us. Another landmark is the 63 Building which is 249 meters (817 ft) high, it was the world's tallest building outside North America and Asia's tallest building when it completed construction in 1985. The 60th floor houses the world's tallest art gallery and an observation deck known as 63 Golden Tower. Most visitors were couples spending time near the bank,tourists and young kids cycling around. The evening & night cruise on the river is considered to be very romantic with the sunset and view. We had a great time on the bank. Then we started looking for the ticketing place and Pier. As we went further we saw it and took tickets for the Blooming cruise as it was to leave in 30 mins and the next cruise was to leave at 6.30 which was 2 1/2 hr of wait. So we went inside the Nodle Pier and waited for our boat to come. It was little bit chilly due to the wind. So we got hot coffees from the cafe inside and sat sipping it near the boarding gate. There was a table there where people had made their marks with the pen attached. Everyone was leaving comments,writing names. So hubby wrote down our name inside a heart (was very sweet as it was 1st time we were doing this kind of stuff :-)) . And the hot coffee was really wonderful and helped to keep our hand warm from the wind. Then in time our boat came and we went in. It was 2 decked ferry but they made us sit in lower deck and the trip started with a small magic show by in-house magician. It was good but we were restless to come out and see the scenes as they pass by and feel the wind. After sitting for 20 mins we came out in middle of the show and I thank hubby for telling to come out. We directly went to the upper deck and we were greeted by the wind and beautiful view around us. We took a walk and saw the entire deck and took some snaps. The front of the ferry was decorated with flowers defending its name of 'Blooming cruise'. It was wonderful and soon we lost count of time. And we were so engrossed in drinking the scene of Seoul in front of us, going under the bridges that we felt it was so soon the time got over. Then we came out of the pier and wandered a little bit near the river bank. We took our time and finally boarded our trains with a light and refreshed mind. I would recommend anyone visiting Seoul to try this for sure. It will be a relaxing, romantic and an awesome experience in total.

Namdaemun Market-The Shopper's Paradise

This was one place I was waiting eagerly to go. After coming here the one shopping place I had in mind was Namdaemun. One day while surfing channels we saw this huge accessories market and I got really excited to visit this asap. Named for its nearby namesake of Namdaemun (Great South Gate) and located near the downtown area, one of Korea's largest wholesale markets covers over 10 acres. It is filled with over 1,000 shops, stalls, retailers, street vendors, and has several department stores nearby. Since it is a very large market we thought of locating the shops we want to go beforehand. This site proved really helpful. And there is an interactive map which was very useful in locating our places of interest.

We had to just change one train to reach there. As soon as we reached Hoehyeon station my excitement increased. When we stepped out from the Subway,there it was,in front of us spreading out in all sides and welcoming the shoppers. And the icing on the cake was the fact that it had mostly wholesale shops and we can bargain. We went to the Information centre which was few steps from the Gate No. 6 where we came out from the station. There we got a map and booklet featuring its shops and items sold. First we went to Coco club which was just next to the Info booth. I felt like I reached my Paradise... where ever we saw it was covered with accessories of all kind. Earrings, hairbands, barretts, bracelets,rings, necklaces and loads and loads of it. I just asked them rates as I wanted to get best deal before buying anything. I had read some useful shopping tips
1. Never to buy anything at first shop,keep exploring and the more in you go the more cheaper you get
2. Always bargain and you can get 10-20% off
3. Buying in bulk gives more discount(as it was wholesale shops)
So we kept exploring and we got some accessories from one of the large accessories mall present. The main stuffs being sold in Namdaemun are clothes, accessories, shoes, fabrics, tableware, flowers, vegetables, ginseng(kind of root which is used in many Herbal drinks), souvenirs,frames and shades, cameras among the few. After going through lots and lots of shops of accessories we thought to have our lunch and explore the rest.

We had lunch at a local resturant in the food alley. There were many eating places serving local food. They normally display their dishes in front of the resturants to lure the visitors. We had a meal of Fried rice and kimchi(4 types). And it was really delicious. And the fact that we were hungry made it more tasty. The kimchi tasted different from each other. And the soup had a unique taste and we found it really good. After filling in we went on to the various shopping malls present. We wanted to buy some souvenirs to bring back home. And in C-dong we saw many types but we kept asking the rates and exploring. When we entered D-dong we were speechless from the diff type of handicraft items in the shops. All were colourful and beautiful. We got what we wanted at good rates. And it was funny to see hubby getting all excited seeing those stuff ( as I got seeing the jewelleries). We kept on moving and the shops didn't end. There were so many unique and beautiful pieces to decorate home. If I was staying in Korea our house would look beautiful no doubt.

After the malls we came out,had hot coffee and kept window shopping at roadside shops. There were people selling stuff in the open at cheaper rates,calling out in loud voice. All this made the place so alive. And every one enjoyed their job. It was my best shopping experience so far. But we couldn't see the South Gate as it was under renovation after a great fire broke out in 2008.It is Korea's No. 1 National treasure. Finally we came home with lot more than what we took in the morning. But I wasn't tired as Namdaemun took it away...

War Memorial & Jogyesa Temple

As in our previous outings we had seen the commercial side of Korea, we decided to explore its history and religious side the next weekend. When ever we plan of any place to visit I start researching about it the whole week, like the route to reach,places to see nearby,train info etc. And the War Memorial is a 'must see' for any foreigners coming to Korea. And we were very much interested in visiting a Buddhist temple so we zeroed on Jogyesa Temple.

Fist we went to the War Memorial. The journey was smooth. From the station it is about 15 min walk to the memorial. Me and hubby enjoyed the walk,it was bit chilly but pleasurable. We took our gloves and caps which came in use. When we reached the destination we kind of lost the way to entrance. There is a wedding hall in the premises which we came across first. Taking left would have brought us to ticket counter but we took a right and came to the resturant area. But there are maps through out the park to guide visitors. So we again came a full circle to the counter but to our luck it was a free entry day. So we started deciding from where to start. The War Memorial of Korea is divided into indoor and outdoor exhibits and contains about 9,000 artifacts. The Indoor exhibition space, about 110,770㎡, is made up of seven halls:
The Memorial hall, The War History Room, The Korean War Room, The Expeditionary Forces Room, The Armed Forces Room, The Large Equipment Room and The Korean Defense Industries Room. The outdoor exhibition contains the actual equipment used in the Korean War and also the large weaponry of other nation, the Korean War Monument, The Monument of King Kwanggaeto the Great, The Statue of brothers, Peace clock tower, etc. Also at the both side of the memorial is the monument(name stone) of fallen soldiers, police, and Korean war participants. We started from the outdoor exhibits first. It was awesome to see the War monument which was a big bullet type structure with inscriptions on it. The we proceeded towards the weaponry and aircrafts being used.In the Outdoor Exhibition, vehicles, tanks, field artillery, air craft, armored car, guns from warships, submarines, radar, etc. Which were used in World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War, are displayed. Visitors are allowed inside the displayed equipment.It was an unforgettable experience to see the aircrafts,tankers, missiles from so close. We were busy taking snaps of all which was out for display. Suddenly we see people dressed in colourful attires parading towards an area. When we came close we realised the procession was for a Korean wedding ceremony. They were taking the bride inside a wooden chariot type object which was carried by people. Then they put on a big decorated wig on her head(kind of bridal headgear) . After some time we saw the bride and groom together after being announced married. After this experience we continued our exploration. We finished the tour of outdoor exhibits and took a break. We went to the resturant area where we got some chips to munch on. And then we again went for the Indoor exhibit. It was total of 3 floors and the area was huge. As we had to again catch another train and see the Jogyesa temple we thought of seeing 2 floors of the exhibit. First we came across War history displays which had weapons from mainly the Neolithic and Paleolithic age. Then we came across exhibits from various defense forces as well as the history of Korean War. The rooms had everything from gears they wore, uniforms, swords, guns, canons, miniature scenes from the war. Then there were displays which focused on June 25, 1950, start from the sudden raid of North Korea across South Korea. There were several mini movies being showed about it which was emotional as well as informative. You can get more information about the memorial from this site. Then after spending around 3 hours we decided to move to our next destination.

We got the train to Jonggak station which was on our way back to Suwon. Jonggak it famous for Jogyesa Buddhist temple and Insa-dong souvenir market selling only traditional Korean handicrafts . But since lack of time we thought to skip the market and just visit the temple. We had a feeling of calmness prevailing upon us as we entered it. All were praying, lighting candles, incense sticks and connecting with their God. We also lighted the sticks and went inside after taking a tour around the temple. There is a 500 year old pine tree just next to the temple which was in a dried state due to winter. The temple conducts a lantern festival every year which is quiet famous among the locals where thousands of colourful lamps are lit. Inside the temple people were chanting,reading their prayer books. I saw the bowing style which was bit different from us. They took cushions kept and bowed like we do(Hindus) but then they make a hand movement near their ears while bowing which I interpret 'God I bow from my soul in front of you'.They do like this 3 times. It was very peaceful just sitting there connecting with the Almighty and find your inner self. Very spiritual experience. Many people think Spiritualism is a high sounding word. But for me its when you interact with your inner self. Just sitting there thanking God for all what he gave us made my connection with Him. And praying for wellbeing of all made me feel peace within. When I visit such places I really enjoy the quietness, and sitting just looking at Him make me forget everything else. Just the sense of calm prevails. Me and Hubby enjoyed this spiritual experience. We then came home but this time we didn't feel that tired may be 'coz we were feeling fresh inside.