We had Samgyeopsal  for brunch at a Korean restaurant near Hyehwa subway station.  I wasn’t able to take note of the name because it was in Korean characters.  Of all the meals we had during our trip, I’d have to say this was my favorite.

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살; Korean pronunciation: [samɡjʌp̚sal]) is a popular Korean dish. Commonly served as an evening meal, it consists of thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat (similar to uncured bacon). The meat, usually neither marinated nor seasoned, is cooked on a grill at the diners’ table. Usually diners grill the meat themselves and eat directly from a grill. It is often dipped into a spicy pepper paste. (Wikipedia)

We ordered 4 sets of meat and spent around KRW 8,000 each.  For me, it was worth every penny. 🙂

After our brunch, we went to Gwanghwamun to purchase tickets for the tour bus.  The ticket box is in front of the Dongdaemun Doosan Tower.

The tour bus is a hop-on, hop-off bus.  For more info, please click here.

Every seat has this which serves as a tourist spot guide in four languages–Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English.

We took the Downtown Course.  When the tour started, I dozed off.  I guess I was just tired.  I woke up and saw our bus already filled with tourists, students and their teachers.  Some were already standing.  Since it suddenly rained and we were tired, we didn’t hop off the bus.  After several bus stops, we hopped off at Gyeongbokgung Palace.  It was drizzling, so we dropped by at a store to buy disposable raincoats.  We walked towards the entrance of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)
22, Sajik-ro 9-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 종로구 사직로9길 22 (필운동)

Admission Fees
Adults (ages 19-64): 3,000 won / Group (over 10): 2,400 won
Children (ages 7-18): 1,500 won / Group (over 10): 1,200 won

Please check VisitKorea for more info.

Gyeongbokgung(경복궁), also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace — is a royal palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. First constructed in 1395, later burned and abandoned for almost three centuries, and then reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty.[1] The name means “Palace” [Gung] “Greatly Blessed by Heaven” [Gyeongbok].

In the early 20th century, much of the palace was destroyed by Imperial Japan. Since then, the walled palace complex has been gradually restored back to its original form. As of 2009, roughly 40% of the original number of palace buildings still stand or have been reconstructed.  (Wikipedia)

We weren’t able to enjoy visiting the palace because of the bad weather.  We didn’t stay long.  It suddenly rained hard and we didn’t have umbrellas.  We missed the traditional dance presentation that I looked forward to see.  😦

INTERESTING FINDS

SEOUL LANTERN FESTIVAL

The Seoul Lantern Festival (Korean: 서울 등 축제) is a festival that takes place in Seoul, South Korea. It shows various themes through lanterns. It is hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and is organized by the Seoul Tourism Organization. It has been celebrated every year since 2009 and now, gets settled as an annual event. It is usually held from early in November and lasts 2 weeks. In 2012, as 2.57 million people visited the festival, it gets to become the representative festival of Seoul. (Wikipedia)

P.S.  The photos were taken using a camera phone.  Credits to Lhynx Lim for some of the photos that were used for this blog.