Gyeongbokgung Palace

It's time for some history of South Korea as we set off for the main and largest Royal Palace of the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeongbokgung. The palace was constructed long ago is 1395, later burned down and abandoned for three centuries before it was reconstructed 1867 to it's current magnificence.

Here's how you get to the beautiful palace, Gyeongbokgung. You can easily take the subway Line 3 to Gyeongbokgung station and then walk out from Exit 5. And 5 minutes of walking is all it takes to reach the ticket office of Gyeongbokgung.

Subway map to Gyeongbokgung

 The Gyeongbokgung Palace is huge and be sure to obtain a guide with a map at the entrance before exporing the premises. Here is a map of Gyeongbokgung.

Map of Gyeongbokgung

There is a opening ceremony of the the Palace gates which you may want to get there early to watch. You can witness the colorful costumes of the Palace Royal Guards marching in with drums beating. However, be prepared for the large crowd gathering to watch.

Royal Guards parade at Gyeongbokgung

Royal Guards parade at Gyeongbokgung

After watching the entertaining parade, you will be greeted by the Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall where the king addresses the audience.  On the way in, we chanced upon the filming of some news or documentary with the host in the Korean traditional dress, the Hanbok.

Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung

Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung

Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung
 

Korean in Hanbok at Gyeongbokgung

Walking further in, we saw the Gyeonghoeru, also known as the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion rested on a tranquil pond. This is the Royal Banquet Hall where the king threw feasts and banquets during the Joseon Dynasty.

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion at Gyeongbokgung

Along the way, the palace has many lovely back alleys and gardens where you can stop for photo-takings like we did. The place was really big and we can imagine the lives of the royalties back then. You will also notice that the roofs of the buildings are nicely painted and colorful.

Back alleys at Gyeongbokgung

Colorful roofs at Gyeongbokgung

The Gyotaejeon is where the queen used to reside. Like any palace, the Gyeongbokgung has many similar buildings and we often find ourselves lost in the many lanes and allies.

Gyotaejeon at Gyeongbokgung

Next, we arrived at the Hwangwonji Pond and the Hwangwonjeong Pavilion. Here stands a 2-storey hexagonal pavilion build on an artificial islet in the middle of the Hwangwonji Pond.  TheHwangwonjeong translates as "The Pavilion of far-reaching fragrances" linked by a bridge named Chwihyanggyo, which means "Bridge intoxicated with frangrance". The area is decorated by a garden adding to the beauty of the place.

Hwangwonjeong Pavilion at Gyeongbokgung

Chwihyanggyo Bridge at Gyeongbokgung

At the Hwangwonjeong Pavilion, we were honored to see the king and the queen themselves.  So we seek their permission to take some pictures with them. =P

The king and the queen at Gyeongbokgung

Royal guards and maids at Gyeongbokgung

It certainly takes a whole day to visit the Gyeongbokgung and we learned a little about the Korean history during our visit. Unless you are really into the Korean history, we suggest you don't visit the other palaces and the Gyeongbokgung will be a good enough experience. And after walking all day round the palace, it's time to head back to our hotel to rest. ^^

Welcome to Everland

And here we are in Everland, South Korea's largest theme park located in Yongin. There are a few ways you can reach Everland. We chose the Express Bus conveniently from the Seoul City Hall and before long, we reached Everland. =)

Direct Express City Buses to Everland

Departure from Gangnam : No. 5002

Departure from Jamsil : No. 5700

Express Bus to Everland

Departure from Suwon Station via Yongin : No. 66

Express Bus

Daily Departure Schedule 1
10:00 Departure from Seoul City Hall (City hall station, exit No. 5 (Subway line 1 or 2)
10:10 Dongdaemun (In front of the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Exit No. 11 (Subway line 2/4/5)
10:30 Shilla Duty Free Shop
17:30 Departure from Everland Resort
18:20 Shilla Duty Free Shop
19:10 Arrival at city hall

Daily Departure Schedule 2
09:30 Departure from Samseong station, exit No. 5 (Subway line 2)
10:00 Gangnam station, exit No. 5 (Subway line 2/Bundang)
18:00 Departure from Everland Resort

Daily Departure Schedule 3
11:00 Departure from Eveland Parking lot 5
14:30 Departure from Korean Folk Village

Prior reservation required
Daeseong Tour 031-919-1244 (09:00~18:30, English and Japaness service available)

Fee
12,000 won (round-trip)
* Bus service is running from 1th of Jun 

 

Everland Entrance

There are activities for everyone at Everland and you can take a look at the various route here. There are exciting roller-coasters, charming gardens, a zoo and also adorable characters for the kids. 

First, we headed over to the Africa Animal Exhibition which showcase animals like the hyenas, crocodiles and even the hedgehog. You can even get to see the polar bears and sea lions here.

Hedgehog at Everland

Polar bears at Everland

Here at Everland, there is even a bird sanctuary featuring some of the most exotic birds like the Birds of Paradise. Of course, there are my favorite flamingos too.

Flamingos at Everland

Birds of Paradise at Everland

And if you have not had enough of animals, there is the Friendly Monkey Valley with many different species of primates on display here at Everland. So besides a theme park, you get to visit a zoo and a bird park at the Everland. What a bargain~

Friendly Monkey Valley at Everland

 

Monkey business at Everland

Next up, you can watch a 4D animation experience of how Snoel and Snoger protect Zootopia, the animal kingdom of Everland at Space Tour.  So let's go save the animals!!

Space Tour at Everland

After enjoying the cinematic adventure of Snoel and Snoger, Everland has other interesting rides and shows like the Rotating House, Spooky Fun House, etc... But we are here for the thrilling wooden roller-coaster ride, the T Express. The ride takes you down the steepest slope in the world at a speed of 104km/hr at 77 degree angle. Definitely not the the faint-hearted. =P

T Express at Everland

More Everland

Netherlands at Everland

Candies anyone??

Alright, after all the adrenalin rush, it's time to find our inner-child. So here we are at Aesop's House and Fable Garden, a garden with all our childhood bed-time stories like the tortoise and the hare.I really like this place because everything here is so fantasy and it brings me back to the time when I was just a child with no worries in the world.

Aesop's House and Fable Garden at Everland

Aesop's House and Fable Garden at Everland

Aesop's House and Fable Garden at Everland

Aesop's House and Fable Garden at Everland

Story of Tortoise and Hare at Everland

 And like all theme parks, there is always a parade on show. Everland is no different as their characters came on display. Seriously, we did not really recognize them and did not stay till the end of the parade.

Parade at Everland

We had a long, tiring but fulfilling day at Everland. Nevertheless, there is always time for some ice-cream before we head back to Seoul. And as we took the bus back, the Everland main theme song was still ringing in our mind... Everland~ ^^

Honestly speaking, Everland is not as fun as the other more popular amusement parks like Disneyland or Universal Studio. I guess the Koreans would probably have more affinity for the Park as they grew up here where the rest of us grew up watching Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

And so, we completed our trip to the Disneyland of South Korea, Everland.

Ice-cream shop at Everland

Finally in Seoul

After more than 6 hours on the bus, we finally arrived in the Soul of Asia - Seoul!! Here is how you can take the long bus journey from Sokcho to Seoul.

Directions
How to Get to Seoul from Sokcho 1. From Sokcho, take a bus (subway line 3 or 7, Express Bus Terminal Station) to Gangnam Express Bus Terminal. (Time it takes: 4hrs. / First bus at 06:30, last bus at 21:00 / Runs 27 times daily)

2. Take a bus bound for Seoul Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (Gangbyeon Station of Seoul Subway Line No.2, Exit 4) (Time it takes: 2hrs, 50mins to 3hrs, 30mins/ First bus at 06:25, last bus at 23:00 / Runs 49 times daily.)


We checked into our hotel in Myeong-dong and begin exploring the upbeat area. With the many shops and restaurants along Myeong-dong, we waste no time and begin our retail therapy that we were so deprived of in Sokcho. Myeong-dong here we come!!

The shopping streets of Myeongdong

To help you navigate the maze of Myeong-dong, I have attached a map here. =)

Map of Myeong-dong

Going through the many popular cosmetics and skincare shops you find in Singapore (like Faceshop, Etude House, Tony Moly), we cannot help stocking up on the face masks, cleasner, scrubs at a fraction of the price back home. And there's always free sample given out too. ^^

And we happen to find some interesting shops at Myeong-dong like the Samsung Fashion. Never knew Samsung was into fashion. :O Don't forget to stock up on Laneige products too!!

Samsung Boutique at Myeong-dong

Laneige @ Myeong-dong

 Next up, we cross the road over to do some shopping at Lotte Shopping mall. Seoul is really a shopping paradise, especially for ladies with the countless cosmetics and skincare shops to choose from.

Lotte Shopping mall and the busy roads of Myeong-dong

Myeong-dong at night

All the shopping and haggling has left us hungry and so we went off in search for food. And so we went for our favorite Korean BBQ. Yummy!!

Korean BBQ ay Myeong-Dong

More Korean BBQ

 The day ends with our scrumptious dinner and it's back to the hotel to rest for Everland the next morning. =D

The sleepy town of Sokcho

Next, we spend the day exploring the little town of Sokcho, a quiet fishing town. The town is not very lively but has decent fast food chains like Burger King, Dunkin Donuts and popular Korean cosmetic shops like Faceshop, etc. So the whole day was spent leisurely strolling the Rodeo streets here.

Fishermen statue at Sokcho

Charging Bull at Sokcho

However, English was not widely spoken here and there may be some language barrier. This adds to the joy of traveling struggling to put your point across to the shop owners. =p

Time flies and night falls as we take the local bus back to Hanhwa Resort to prepare for our bus journey back to Seoul the next morning.

Rodea Street at Night

Lighted streets at Sokcho