Relaxing at Cheonggyecheon Stream

After a full day of exploring the festivities of the Seoul Friendship Fair, I figured it would be nice to just relax at Cheonggyecheon Stream. Cheonggyecheon Stream is a man made and natural stream that stretches for about 5.2 miles. The main area I relaxed at was Cheonggye Square, which is the start of the stream where 120,000 tons of water flows from Cheonggye Square to the Han River. 

Cheonggyecheon is a very popular area for young and old alike. You can see hundreds of couples just sitting or walking along the water path, kids playing along the stream, and thousands of people exercising. Since Buddha's birthday is soon, the stream has been decorated with colorful ornaments, and large displays are still up from the Seoul Friendship Fair!

I really want to return at night! I heard it's just as beautiful, if not more!

**Directions to Cheonggyecheon Stream**

Subway Line 1: City Hall Station, Jonggak Station, Jongno 3-ga Station, Jongno 5-ga Station, Dongdaemun Station, Sinseoldong Station 
Line 2: Euljiro 1-ga Station, Euljiro 3-ga Station, Euljiro 4-ga Station, Sindang Station, Sangwangsibni Station 
Line 3: Jongno 3-ga Station 
Line 4: Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station 
Line 5: Gwanghwamun Station (the station I went to)
Exit towards Cheonggyecheon Stream 

Mt. Bukhansan: Hiking to the Highest Peak

Today I hiked up to the top of the highest peak of Mt. Bukhansan.

Mt. Bukhansan is an iconic landmark, which can be seen from numerous parts of the city. The name itself is roughly translated to "The north of the Han," which refers to the Han River. Mt. Bukhansan is a national park and one of the best places to hike, bird-watch, rock climb, or have a picnic. Mt. Bukhansan itself has hundreds of different paths each leading up to various peaks, but this weekend my goal was to go the highest peak! The highest peak is 836.5m which is about 2744 ft! This hike varies from 2-4 hours going up. I went along with the Yonsei hiking club and we had breakfast and lunch (picnic style) and took about 7 hours in total.

People having lunch on a rock

On your way down you can see people sleeping/resting

Gwanghwamun Palace: Changing of the Guards

Today I had the chance to stop by Gwanghwamun Palace. I've been really meaning to visit this place for a long time but I never seemed to find time to come here. Gwanghwamun is the main gate of Gyeongbukgung Palace. Literally translated, its name means “may the light of enlightenment blanket the world.” Or so I was told.

For me, I found the changing of the guards to be the most fascinating. Passing through the main gate is free but there's a certain point where you need to pay. I found it sufficient to just go to the main gate and see inside the main courtyard. The lucky thing is that you don't need to pay to see the guards and you're welcome to take pictures with them!

A little interesting fact I overheard from a private tour guide was that there are these statues called “Haetae,” looking southward. Haetae's are a mythical creature that is said to protect the palace from fire. In order to protect the palace from any fire, these fire-eating Haetaes was put beside the gate.

Gwanghwamun Palace and the changing of the guards

Gwanghwamun Changing of the guards

Haetae

Visit to Paju, Heyri Art Village, and English Village

After a long week of midterms I finally got out of Seoul. This weekend I visited Paju. Paju is a city to the south of Seoul which resembles a quite suburb compared to the fast pace city life of Seoul. 

One of my main stops was to the famous Heyri Art Village. Heyri is supposedly well known as a melting pot for artists, musicians, and architects in the vicinity of beautiful cafés and restaurants.  Heyri was pretty neat there were loads of museums, fancy modern architecture, unique statues, and beautiful cafes. My two favorite places were the Chocolate Design Gallery and the Bookhouse. The Chocolate Design Gallery had the most delicious chocolate-fudge bars and their cookies were superb! The Bookhouse was pretty neat because of the interior décor but after midterms the last thing I wanted to do was eat in café full of books.

The Chocolate Design Gallery

Chocolate Design Gallery Chocolate

Inside the Bookhouse

Inside the Bookhouse

Paju Bridge

The second main stop was the English Village. The English Village is pretty much a language learning area where Korean’s can experience and learn English. The village promotes English so you must use English at the stores, shops, etc. It’s also mainly a language camp for students where English-speaking teachers help Korean students become more proficient in English.

To me the English Village seemed a little strange. The outside resembled Stonehenge and the entry to the Village was a recreation of an airplane terminal where you get your passport (ticket) and go through customs. But the overall architectural layout of the village was really…different. It seemed  to resemble buildings from Shrek’s farfaraway land. But nonetheless it was still pretty neat to see!

Stonehenge at the English Village?

Gyeonggi English Village Paju Camp