I traveled to Bukchon Hanok Village with Daisy and Ellie trying to find Gahoe- Dong Alley where we could see the view of the Namsam Tower (N.Seoul tower) and the beauty of Bukchon houses. Unfortunately we didn’t find the place, so we just hang around the area for a bit. We then came across a house were we could try hanbok it only cost about 7 dollars. We were able to take our own picture inside and outside of the person’s home. I really enjoyed getting to experience the Korean culture by trying on the hanbok and being able to take pictures within the area of the house. The owner was really nice and funny; he also took our pictures and gave us some idea’s of poses we could take. After trying on the hanbok and lots of pictures taken we then left to go see the Gwanghwamun Palace. (Mary Xiong)
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Bukchon Hanok Village is literally a neighborhood of traditional houses that people still live in normally, but it’s been made into a museum of sorts. We felt really lost because we couldn't find what we were looking for... But we eventually did, which was the Hanbok experience for only 7000 won (about $7).
Insadong - After that we struggled to find a way to get to Ihwa Mural Village, but then decided against it as transportation was too hard and instead went to the palace. BUT on the way we accidentally found Insadong so we went to check it out. EVERYTHING WAS SO CUTE!!! Insadong is a shopping street, full of cute little shops with traditional and modern creations, cafes and unique snacks too.
Gyeongbukgung Palace/Gwanghwamun Gate - We luckily got there just in time to see the guards march around IT WAS SO SURREAL. They have to stay so still that it looks as if dolls came to life! A little side note, it reminded me of places in MN like Hmong Village or Como zoo because there were so many cars trying to go in and then trying to come out of the palace too.
I can’t wait for what more Seoul has to offer! (Daisy Vang)
