Changgyeong Palace on Video

And here's the video that my talented beau made of our brief time exploring the Changgyeong Palace in Seoul, South Korea. 

Watch more Seoul videos at tripfilms.com

Changgyeong Palace

On the last day of our vacation the boy and I found ourselves outside of Changgyeong Palace nestled in the heart of Seoul.  This particular palace was the third palace compound built during the Joseon dynasty.  It was another foggy day in Seoul, but it gave the palace an almost magical and mystical feel.  

The Changgyeong palace was built in the late 1400s and has gone through two major restorations since then.  The first was due to the Japanese invasion in the 1950's and the second was brought on by a fire that destroyed most of the buildings on the property.

The palace grounds are massive and I'm pretty sure that we didn't even get to view them all.  My favorite part by far was that you were able to see the buildings of Seoul towering outside the palace walls.  The modern buildings standing outside the historic walls showed a snippet of just how much has changed since the palace was originally constructed.

Admission into the castle is 1,000 won/person.  Groups of 10 or more people can get admission for only 800 won. 

How to get there.

By Subway:
Get off at the Hyehwa Station (lines 4 or 5) and follow the station's maps.

By Bus:
Blue Bus #'s 101, 104, 106, 107, 108, 140, 143, 149, 150, 161, 162, 171, 172, 272, 301 will all take you to Changgyeong Palace (eventually).

Green Bus# 1018

Red Bus# 9410

N Seoul Tower

N Seoul Tower is a beacon in the city.  It stands 479 meters above sea level and is an awesome way to see breathtaking views of Seoul.   In Seattle we have the Space Needle and in Seoul we have the N Seoul Tower. 

The boy and I didn't exactly plan on visiting the N Seoul Tower on our trip, but after making the boy endure an hour of shopping I decided that he could pick out what we did next.  We figured that it would be pretty quiet since it was a major holiday and most Korean families would be celebrating at home.

We arrived at the trail head to the tower and thought that the hike itself seemed a little daunting.  Especially since we wanted to have a relaxing day.  We decided to take the gondola up instead.  That is, until we saw the line for it.  We would've been waiting in that sucker for hours. 

We decided to be hardcore and hike our hineys up to the top.  It was a strong choice my friends.



@ the trail head.  Can you see the tower in the FAR OFF distance?

It was an extremely foggy day but the hike was surprisingly wonderful.  There were plenty of families hiking it with us.  One lady even stopped us and made us take handfuls of dried squid.  Korean people are perpetually nice, especially when they hike.  The last time we went hiking we were forced to take a bazillion cherry tomatoes and an equal amount of soju shots from a group of hikers.  

I completely underestimated just how far the tower was from the trail head.  We walked (more like climbed) for about an hour and a half before we finally made it to the top.  Once there we were greeted by vendors selling everything from silk worm larvae to cotton candy.  There were families playing yut, a traditional Korean game on boards that were set out around the perimeter. 

We were also able to see a few families out in their traditional Korean dress known as hanboks.  I was shocked at the sheer amount of people that actually made it to the top of the giant hill. 

Below are pictures of locks of love.  No, I'm not talking about hair.  These are actual locks that couples take with them to the top of the mountain.  These locks are supposed to symbolize a commitment to be together and never separate.  It makes sense to me.  If you and your lover can endure the extreme hike and still love each other, it's probably meant to be.

We didn't bring a lock, but we still love each other.  Maybe next time.

After playing around at the bottem of the tower, we paid 8,000 won/person to go to the top.  I'm so disappointed at how foggy it was because I'm sure the view would have been spectacular.  Along the windows were various countries and their distances from the very spot you were standing in.  I was able to snag a few shots, but Seattle was blocked by a huge pole.  Le lame. 

The tower boasts a cafe and restaurant where you can chillax and grab a delicious meal.  But wait, there's more.  You can also use the restrooms and do your business in the highest bathrooms in all of Korea.  Chris told me that the urinals in the little boy's room all face the window.  Lucky. 

 

We've decided that we're going to have to make the trek again in order to see the view in all of its un-fogged glory and to also bring our own special lock of love.  Until then, anyone in Korea should have a look for themselves. 

How to get there.

By Subway:  Exit through Exit #2 at Chungmuro Station (lines 3 &4) or Exit #6 at Dongdaemun Station and transfer to Namsan Circulation Bus.

Seoul Food.

Well we're back from our mini vacation to Seoul.  We had a blast and are so grateful for this time away from work.  I'll have to write about our trip in sections since we were able to do so much.


One of the highlights of our trip was when we stumbled upon a foreign goods store.  You always see the foreigner's markets back in the States.  The ones where you can buy all different varieties of Asian spices and goodies that are not as easy to access in the U.S.  I thought the role-reversal was pretty hilarious.  Here was a shop where we could buy all of the yummy western goodies that are so hard to find in Korea. 

Before Korea I would have thought someone was batsheet crazy if they told me that the highlight of their day was stumbling upon a packet of gravy and a can of refried beans, but that was exactly the case for this girl.  I might have even gotten a little teary eyed when I spotted a lone Butterball turkey in the freezer at the market.  A TURKEY people, a turkey.  I probably would've bought it too, you know, if it wasn't a hundred dollars and if I had an actual oven that it could fit inside. 

We walked out of the store with a packet of Haribo gummi bears, a can of refried beans, a packet of gravy mix, and one box of peaches and cream Quaker oatmeal.  The grand total was about $18 USD.  And yes, I'm well aware that back home it probably would have cost us under $5 for everything, but sacrifices had to be made.  I came this close to buying a box of strawberry Poptarts for $6 and a bottle of ranch dressing for about the same price.  So all of you out there with easy access to any of these items, enjoy them.  Thoroughly enjoy them for me. 

I amazes me the things that one misses when they're away from home.  I miss my mother's home cooking no doubt, but I also miss silly things like oatmeal, sour cream, cheese (oh cheese), sourpatch kids, and limes.  Korea has made me appreciate the little things in life in so many ways, and western food is just one of them. 

Happy New Year!

... again!

It's been a little quiet over here as the boy and I are on a little vacation.  Thanks to Lunar New Year we have 5 days off.  Whoop whoop!  We didn't really have the funds to go anywhere exotic (although we tried) so we decided to spend some time in Seoul.  It's actually like being in a different country.  It's so different compared to Pohang.  Any kind of food you could possibly want is just a short subway ride away, if not closer.  I'm pretty much eating my way across Seoul.

So I'll have a ton of updates as soon as we get back, but for now we're going to enjoy this rare vacation as best we can.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hapkido Competition

So as some of you may remember, the beau and I were invited to partake in Korea's National Hapkido Competition a few weeks ago.  If you don't remember how it all started you can check out my post here.

I'm not gunna lie, I went into this thing with a good amount of confidence.  For starters, Master Sim decided that I should take part in the kicks and falls portion of the test.  This meant that I didn't have to learn 24 new self defense moves.  One point for Tawny.  I was also informed that I'd only be competing against other women and that none of them would be masters.  Two points for Tawny.  Master Sim even said that he thought I might actually win a medal in the competition.  Little old moi?  Wonderful.  I love medals.   Three points.

Chris kept asking me how I was feeling and I was actually quite apathetic towards the whole thing.  I wasn't really nervous, nor was I very excited. I was just happy that I didn't have to compete against men my age that could quite literally kick my ace and take my name.  

Oh... wait.  What was that?  Master Sim was completely wrong?  I did in fact have to compete against men?  Yeah.  I was not a happy girl.   Turns out, we waited at the competition all day for me to compete.  We got there around 9am and I didn't compete until around 4 in the afternoon.  Throughout the entire day we kept an eye out for any women around my age who would be my competition.  We saw a few here and there but none of them really fit into my category.  When my name was finally called I realized that I was the lone girl standing amongst 14 men.  Big men.  Men that have been studying Hapkido their entire lives.  Men that looked like this...

Needless to say, I was a wee bit worried.  Worried because it looked like there was no medal to be had.  Worried because it was the end of the day and everyone and their mother would be watching me compete.  Worried because I had no idea what the eff I was doing... and worried because this girl's got a little bit of dignity left on her.  Dignity that she prefers to not be battered and bruised.  I pretty much had to suck it up, try not to cry, and embrace this once in a lifetime experience.  I was also comforted by the fact that most of these people I would never,ever have to see again.  Whew.

And you know what, all things considered, it went pretty well.  Everyone was ridiculously nice and I had quite the cheering section.  Old men were giving me high-fives and the younger kids were patting me on the back and telling me "good job".  I was nowhere near as amazing as my competition, but I'm pretty proud of the fact that I even competed because to be honest, I was inches away from just withdrawing.

So what did I learn from this experience?  I learned that a lot can be lost in translation with Master Sim. I learned that Korean people are extremely generous and kind.  I learned that hapkido competitions are intense and extremely long.  I also learned that I can be a brave little toaster when I need to be.

And look, I DID get a medal!

Photo credit to Corey Jolley and Dr. Staudinger.