Insadong + Hongdae, Seoul March 2015

After Bukchon, we headed straight to Insadong for a more "relaxed" sight seeing lol.

I've never been here before so I made sure to include it in our itinerary.

Insadong is also a popular shopping destination.

There's a lot of antique stores, clothing, accessories, crafts and cafes around here!

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

suddenly, the most intricate origami designs I've ever seen! O_O

If you're a tea lover like me then I highly reco u check out O'sulloc Tea House!

It's a cafe specializing in traditional Korean green tea from Jeju Island.

 love love love <3

Greentea latte + tiramisu cheesecake and Iced hallabong!

The iced hallabong was sooooo good

A famous shopping complex in Insadong is Ssamziegil.

It's dubbed as the "special Insadong" within Insadong.

Most stores here offer tax refund for foreigners btw! Yay <3

Ssamziegil's spiral-like staircase

Love this store!

They sell cute musical boxes in cute designs <3

Perfect souvenir item!

 I also love the fact that it has a "Made in Korea" stamp beneath it  -i'm all about buying "authentic" stuff abroad lol

what do you know, another hanbok rental available here too!

the rooftop is the best! make sure to come here~

there's like a mini park full of letters written in round stationaries

the holy wall of love(?) messages hihi

LOL

obviously, a couple spot

After Insadong, I went to Hongdae to meet up with my student.

Ah, this is why I'm so envious of Korean and Japanese' subways!!! it's soooo easy to transfer from one place to another without getting stuck in the damn traffic! -_-

(sorry, just wanna let that out since this post is so timely with all the traffic mayhem happening in ph right now =P )

We shared this humongous strawberry bingsu <3

and took a purikura ;)

Hongdae is also filled with many shops and restos.

Since it's near some universities, a lot of students hang out here.

Yea, it's a hipster place like that lol

Then it's dinner time with my friend who's an Asiana cabin crew hihi

She treated me to a BBQ buffet resto in Hongdae. YUM

samgyeopsal overload!!

super cute coffee shop  <3

there's also some artistic walls you could see here too!

Now im missing Korea!!!

Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul March 2015

Situated between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palaces, Bukchon Hanok Village is the place to go if you're interested to see traditional folk houses in Seoul.

Before going directly to the village, I suggest you stop by their tourist information first. They'll provide you with a map and recommend some good spots you could go to in the village ;)

Even though this place is considered a tourist spot, it is still a residential area so it is strictly forbidden to make noises, smoke or litter while going around. 

Visiting hours is from 10 am till sunset and there's no entrance fee!

There are also a lot of cafes and museums in the area so take your time going around.

Brief info about the village: 

1. Bukchon Hanok (Northern Village) is named as such because its located to the north of Cheongyecheon Stream and Jongno

2. These traditional Korean houses are called "hanoks"

3. Bukcheon represents Seoul's history dating back to over 600 years during the Joseon Dynasty.

suddenly, a pretty spot for a photo-op lol

Perfect location for a prenup/wedding shoot too!

You could also rent out  traditional costumes.

Too bad, we already tried this in Namsangol Hanok =/ 

I think it's much better here in Bukchon since you could take pics with the hanoks as your background!

Just like what they're doin! *envy*

....so let me photobomb your shoot nyahahaha! kidding

I really wanted to take a pic with this golden gate lol =P

knock knock*

 tourists lining up the street

i could've photoshopped the people away but oh well......haha

I'm seriously gonna copy this cherry blossom wall in my future home! *love*

You could go to this private observatory when you've become tired from all the walking and you just wanna settle quietly in one place.

It's on the 3rd floor which gives you a good rooftop view of Bukchon.

Nice!

Entrance is 3,000 won for adults and 2,000 for minors.

Comes with a free beverage and wifi!

central view

left

...right hehe =)