Something old and something new

Hanok Bukchon

I woke at 0515 after last night’s early rest and was out at 0715 on the metro for Anguk to explore Hanok Bukchon, the traditional village area.  I was hoping to get a breakfast of steamed dumplings from somewhere close to where I stayed last time.  Unfortunately, at around 0800, nothing was open.

The area was lovely but things like this are probably more special first time around.  I finished up at Changdeokgung which I was going to visit.  But I then realised that this was the palace I visited last time.  I had the two palaces in the vicinity mixed up.

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Gyeongbokgung Palace

So, I made my way west to Gyeongbokgung which was new to me.  Getting there just after 0900, I had done 10000 steps already!  The changing of the guards was in progress and it added a little colour to the whole experience.

The complex consists of two main gates before reaching the main hall with the throne.  To my surprise there were lots more halls of lesser grandeur behind.  It felt like an onion or a Russian doll.

It was a hot day but it didn’t deter Korean and western visitors from wandering the palace compounds in rented traditional Korean hanbok.  They must get hot and sweaty and I think the costumes would deserve a good clean after!

I was “done” before 1100 and food places were now in action.  I wasn’t confident of the places around here … either not what I felt like or not enough picture menus.  So, I decided to return to my part of the city by metro to continue my search.

Going up and down the metro steps, I felt decidedly breathless.  I can’t understand what might be wrong with me but it seemed to be a continuation of my little episode inflight yesterday.

I found a few good places in a mall attached to the subway and settled for some steamed dumplings.  Awwwh!  They were gorgeous with very delicate skin and the vegetables inside were still crunchy.  They hadn’t been overcooked.

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Namdaemun & Seoullo

In the subway tunnels, I saw the signs for Namdaemun Market and took a look at the area.  A few luggage stores were around.  The first was ridiculously over-priced but the second turned out to be pretty reasonable.  The man bargained with me in Malay and I got an OK deal to replace my broken one.

It wasn’t even 1300 when I returned to my hotel.  I was exhausted and decided to stay in for most of the afternoon with an iced coffee and a sandwich from 7-11 next door.

Late in the afternoon I wandered out to Seoullo, a retired section of flyovers that have been converted into public gardens of sorts.  It wasn’t stunning as gardens but it was a nice alternative for people to get from A to B instead of walking in tunnels underground.

One end of Seoullo finished at Namdaemun Market where I explored a bit more.  It was getting busier than the day and some more food carts had been set up.  I ate at a sit-down eatery and ordered a bulgogi set.  It turned out to be a bulgogi soup on a gas fire which was still nice, but not what I had on my mind.  I finished my meal with a slice of pineapple impaled on a single chopstick.

As there seem to be hardly any rubbish bins in public places, I had to hold on to that chopstick until I got to a mall toilet.  That is one of the quirks of Seoul.  Another thing I notice was the lack of escalators in many parts of the subway system.  Then there’s the emergency alerts on my phone.  I had two in half a day!

Thus ended a day of repeating some sights and taking in some new ones.  Something old and something new.