Friday, May 27, 2011

Seoul Korea in 3 Days (Day 3)

Day 3

Today marks the last day of my recce to Seoul and I have planned to take it slowly and enjoy Seoul one last time on this trip. So today is going to be a little all over the place i.e. impromptu. The only place that I have planned to visit is the last palace for the trip and that is Changgyeonggung but since today is Tuesday, it is closed! So please remember to avoid scheduling palace visits on Tuesday because most of them are closed for the week. You have been warned!

T-Money is used to pay for your public transportation in Seoul.Similar to EZ-Link card (Singapore), Octopus Card (Hong Kong)or Oyster card (London). This is the regular card and you canget more options at their 24-hour family mart E.g. Hello Kitty design.




Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Seoul Korea in 3 Days (Day 2)

It has been long since my last post and let me pick up what I have left wanting and also to pen it down before it eludes my memory.

After having our fill at Noryangjin Fish Market, the next destination is Changdeukgung (昌德宮) and as the same with all the palaces in Seoul, make special note that a good pair of walking shoes are a total MUST! Changdeukgung is second only to Gyeongbokgung in size and the need for a good pair of walking shoes are necessary here is due to the steepness of the trail in the garden and trust me, you wouldn’t want to bring your old folks here. You have been warned!

One a fair side, a walk in Changdeukgung is one to be remembered if you have plenty of time to kill. Oh, remember that the last tour is at 15:00hour and if you are late, you won’t be able to enter the garden at all as it is simply too big and the management has foresee people to either get lost in there or took forever to come out. Again, you have been warned! During the walking tour, the feeling is simple serene as you hear nothing from the city and I felt that I was there back in time. You see the giant magpies hopping around without a world’s care and the tranquillity on the surface of the pond (Well, its frozen, that’s why) just completes the picture of an unspoilt ancient civilisation. In fact, I could almost feel the concubines running and playing in this garden (Of course, its just my imagination). I know it sounded a little freakish but it sort of invoke this kind of feeling to me in a good way. Try it out and do it earlier in the day so that you have all the time to explore. Remember to NOT make any other plans following a visit to this palace for the day so that you will not be disappointed.