CutiCuti: South Korea Day 4 - Gwanghwamun Square / City Hall / Namdaemun Market / Kwangjang Market

Assalamualaikum. 안녕!

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Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Semakin malas untuk update. Tapi demi janji sama sahabatS, ku rajinkan diri. Fuh fakta bikin muntah. Haven't finish with the South Korea trip yet...but already they asked about entries of my Hong Kong trip. Pingsan!

On our fifth day, we checkout from Namsan Guesthouse 2. Memang sengaja tukar hostel sebab mau ambil lain feel pula. I booked a hostel somewhere near Insadong through booking.com. Sekian lama berchenta sama hostel ni di fb. Hati terpanggil² untuk stay sana...try lah at least once. Demi puaskan hati.

Last picture at NG 2 after checking out. Adakah kerana backpacks yang super berat membuatkan diri TERnampak rendang. Atau pilih untuk blame si tukang gambar; salah angle oii!

Banana Backpackers in Insadong was our second accommodation during the trip. As much as we super love their good service, comfy rooms & complete facilities. But to stay here again akan perlu masuk meeting panjang especially if I were to travel with group in the future. Kalau aku sendiri pun akan fikir panjang juga. Location & price-wise, part tu memang ndak dapat disangkal. 

Namun yang paling kami ndak tahan, climbing the flight of stairs at Anguk subway station tu. Super mencabar!! The station is three levels under the ground! Turun memang tiada masalah. The only masalah bila mau menapak naik. If guna escalator, exit jauh so kena juga menapak. Stairs is the option yang paling dekat sama exit tapi tulah kalau balik pun sudah malam, mau lagi baru jamu perut sepenuh alam...ada jak terkeluar isi perut lepas menapak² naik tangga. Having say all that, it was a good exercise for us though. Lepas telan berjuta lemon kalori, boleh terus burn jadi energy. That's why balik Malaysia jak, berat ada turun di situ. Sila percaya. Ngeks.

As we arrived quite early, we couldn't check in as yet. So we left our luggages at the reception area & off we went to our next destination. 

From Anguk station (Line 3), we took the subway to Gyeongbokgung station (Line 3). And Exit 5 directed us to the palace. 

Hajat di hati to perform our first palace visit on this day to Gyeongbok Palace; the grandest & main palace. The night before sudah sampai sini. Mainly to witness the palace floodlighted. 

Hampa beribu kali hampa. Ntah kenapa aku jadi paling brilliant. Of all days, I chose Tuesday to visit the palace. The day when the palace is close to public! Why oh why!!!! Padahal siap buat nota kaki bagai di itinerary. Hampas kelapa. No wonder ramai jak oppa gyeongchal depan main entrance palace ni. Nangis darah! 

Untuk tenangkan hati, maka marilah cuci mata area depan palace jak. After few clicks in front of the palace, we crossed the super wide lanes to Gwanghwamun Square. Ouh inilah kejadian bila si Err jadi pintar!

Goodbye Gyeongbuk. I will make sure a visit to your ground the next time I fly to your country. And the attractions in your vicinity as well. Another four months to go, insha Allah we will meet soon. Berjanji setia sama palace. Second time wish untuk masuk, still ke laut. 

View during the day pula. Sudah puas cuci mata view square ni time malam. Sama busy juga. Kereta tetap banyak at both lanes. Even on weekdays ah. Ntah pigi mana jak lah warga Seoul ni. 

Sejong Daewang a.k.a King Sejong the Great. The famous ruler during the Joseon Dynasty. Statue ni memang nun kejauhan sudah nampak. 

The complete alphabets & numbers in Hangeul; invented & created by King Sejong. Besar ok contribution King ni to South Korea's writing system. 

Just behind the statue is the entrance (and exit) to King Sejong Museum. It is located underground the statue. No entrance fee to enter this museum. 

Dioramas presenting King Sejong's fights in creating Hanguel. Stuffs like this intrigued me big time. I don't mind staying here all day, reading the histories displayed. 

Testing my Hanguel. Boleh kenal huruf & baca. Tapi takat tu jaklah. Mau faham semua memang jauh lagi lah.

Entertaining ourselves with one of the many interactive games in the museum. Yours Truly jadi warrior gitu. And Ms G? Tripping jadi queen ok. Bangga ada cucuk sanggul & rambu ramba di kepala. Eh?

Instruments & inventions used during the past dynasties were among the things displayed here. Picture above is an astrological instrument used to forecast weather & determine dates in the past. 

Hasil kerja seni children in Seoul are also displayed here. Macam² cara untuk introduce history to their young generations. Supaya sentiasa tersemat di dada, ndak lupa dek zaman. 

Inside the replica of Turtle Ship. Kapal perang paling gah zaman dulu kala. Way better than those what Japanese & the Chinese had.

Since masuk museum tu aku memang sudah plan akan singgah this area. 

Was taught on how to hold the brush. Berteknik sungguh.

Ndak sia² bayar fee for online class. Dapat spell nama sendiri. Also negara terchenta. And yeah, dengan adanya cop merah itu...adalah tanda sudah certified aku boleh menulis in Hanguel. 

Admiral Yi 's towering statue located in front of King Sejong. He resurrected, improved & devised the Turtle Ship during war against the Japanese hence it's only appropriate to place a replica of the ship near his statue. Admiral Yi is among the few admirals in world history who remained undefeated after commanding many naval battles. 

It is summer when we were there. Hence the fountains. Paling best untuk beriang gembira main air, sejukkan badan kunun. Kalau weekend, sure meriah tempat ni sama budak² just like in Everland. 

Walking further up the square, towards the City Hall...an exhibition was held. Commemorating of South Korean's liberation from the cruel North Koreans regime. 

And the North Korean government claims their people lives in prosperity & good health?

Artist illustrations of how the prisoners were tortured in the detention camps were shown to public. I literally cried over the unimaginable cruelties. Stories about the North Korean's sufferings, pains & miseries taught me enough lessons to be grateful for being in a peaceful country like Malaysia. Ouh negara terchenta, tiada ganti untukmu. Walau dalam diam isytihar sendiri South Korea is my second home. Wah motif!

Ni memang reporter live on scene. Dengan ndak malu, kami berpura lalu lalang di situ ya. Mana tau TERmasuk muka; or at least bayang. Boleh claim nanti kami glamour keluar di berita South Korea. Ntah² direct kena edit & delete. Ndak apa, yang penting sudah usaha untuk tayang muka. 

Utilizing the zebra crossing oh-so-extensively when we're there. We gotta do it the local way, bilang si Err.

Another exhibition. Banyak betul ilmu diperolehi hari tu. Sepanjang jalan dari Gwanghwamun Square to City Hill...memang serap new knowledge jak. This time, area ni gantung banners pasal organ harvesting in China. Part ni aku memang geli² so sekali imbas jak aku tengok all the pictures displayed. Ndak sanggup wei tengok budak² lagi tapi sudah kena jual. Betapa kejam manusia sekarang. Adakah mahu naik setaraf Firaun? Nauzubillah.

Siput Sedut a.k.a famous landmark for Cheonggyecheon Stream during the day. Wah vibrant sungguh kaler anda, wahai siput. 

Sumpah ini gambar paling mengundang sepanjang aku di sana! The one & only picture that made me went HOI! This was totally impromptu. Aku trip heroin dalam Kdrama, kunun tunggu Oppa terchenta di bus stop. Like most scenes in every Kdrama lah kan. Sekali ada pula mamat baju belang tu menambah perasa sketsa sebabak aku?! Siap menjeling ke arah aku, boleh? Rosak plan untuk tunggu sporty car mewah dua pintu kaler merah...yang hado cuma mamat baju kaler merah. Sed!

Angan² to witness this hanging umbrellas at Ssamziegil, Insadong. Sekali terjumpa di City Hall. Memang excited. Tapi lagi cantik kalau payung tu lain² kaler, kan. Baru meriah & ceria. Aduh gaya kau Bie, macam di Malaysia ndak da payung. Yeah right, yang gantung² gini defo ndak da di KK ok!

And this kinda thing, memang confirm ndak pernah jumpa lagi kewujudannya di Sabah. Area for the sigup people. Obediently they lepak here during lunch hour untuk berasap. Gila respect lah sama culture & discipline kamu wahai warga South Korea!

Before the new Seoul City Hall building. It opened its door to public recently; sometime in Feb this year if I'm not mistaken. The all glass concept resembles a gigantic waves showed that the incorporation of natural elements is of important in developing the building. 

Inside the building, lush & green plants are on display. The plants is being watered with an elaborate system during the summer. Totally a reciprocation between human & the plants. Exchange of oxygen & carbon dioxide occurred every seconds here. One of the countless efforts the government made in order to keep Seoul; green & pollution-free. 

The old Seoul City Hall building before the new one. It had served the city since 1945 to 2008. It is now registered as the residence of Seoul Metropolitan Library housing more than 200,000 books. (source from the internet)

After City Hall is Namdaemun Market. Syurga untuk membeli terbelah souvenir & bermacam jenis barang as well. Turun escalator dari sini untuk masuk subway entrance. 

To get to Namdaemun Market: 

City Hall (Line 1) --> Seoul Station (Line 1) --> Seoul Station (Line 4) --> Hoehyeon (Line 4) Exit 6.

Misi utama sampai Namdaemun adalah untuk isi perut yang sudah keroncong dangdut. It's already lunch time when we arrived the market. No wonder lapar ndak da ampun. 

Out from Exit 6, jalan straight until jumpa signboard Halal tu. Memang dalam itinerary akan beli lunch meal di sini. The famous halal food in Namdaemun I reckoned this shop is. Sampai depan kedai, tengok macam tutup sebab ndak da orang jaga di depan.

Peeking inside through the glass door, owner tengah solat Zohor rupanya. Subhanallah. Biar kecil mana kedai dia...tanggungjawab menyembah pada Yang Esa ndak pernah dilupa. No wonder murah rezeki abang ni. 

Sambil dia hiris daging, aku pun bersoal jawab. Kalau betul ingatan aku, he has been in South Korea for more than a decade already. Soalan bonus aku terpancul "U must be fluent in Hangul then?". Of all questions lah plak kan. Nasib jak ndak dihiris di situ kan. 

Bestie; Ernie pernah tumpang solat di sini. According to her, abang ni actually kaya raya. Siap ada kilang bagai. Alhamdulillah. Di mana bumi dipijak, kalau ingat Allah...ditambah dengan usaha, hasil mesti manis Allah bagi. 

Two falafels, one royal kebab & one chicken kebab done. Hangkut kebabs ni masuk dalam coffee shop somewhere near Exit 5 of Hoehyeon Station. Kedai tu memang jual only drinks & since no 'No Outside Food Allowed' sign yang aku nampak...maka misi untuk isi perut bermula. Ahjummas yang jaga kedai tu pun ndak cakap apa, kira memang dibolehkan lah tu. 

Perut sudah kenyang. So mari kita layan nafsu shopping masing². But since I ain't into shopping, plus sudah pernah invest duit di sini during the last trip...hence aku jadi peneman & tunjuk arah jaklah. Insha Allah akan datang sini nanti untuk beli winter attire. Boots & jackets top the list for sure. 

Oleh sebab Ms H & Ms Z's list of things to buy differ from Ms G, maka kami split. Set time untuk jumpa balik depan kedai kebab Abang Iran. The only place yang paling kami cam & ingat. 

Ms G went hu-ha at the market. She joined the crowd at every stalls that hang the board 'Sales'. Or mana ada ramai ahjummas, sana juga dia mensibuk join membongkar. 

We sweated like sheep & decided to enter the air-conditioned mall. Ni department memang jual baju para ahjummas a.k.a makcik². So not our fashion lah kan. Tapi demi kerana sejuknya a/c, korban masa cuci mata di sini. Kerlass diorang ni, lepak sambil pilih garments sambil bergosip...di tempat sejuk saja. Di luar tadi, ndak nampak pula para makcik berkumpul & bercerita tau.

Nearly three hours at Namdaemun, we proceeded to Kwangjang Sijang / Kwangjang Market. 

To get to Kwangjang Market:
Hoehyeon (Line 4) --> Dongdaemun (Line 4) --> Dongdaemun (Line 1) --> Jongno 5-ga (Line 1) Exit 11. 

Sikit punya drama untuk cari kedai Ahjussi itu (refer pic above). Mau juga beli blanket di kedai tu sebab murah. Itu yang Ms H baca in a blog she read. Aku pun ndak sure blogger mana. Paling drama. Turun naik tangga, tawaf half the first floor siap.

One thing aku salute Korean ni, regardless how garang or unfriendly their expression is...diorang sangat² helpful. Lepas sesat barat untuk cari kedai ni, kami tanya sorang Ahjussi ni. And dia ndak tau kedai tu. Ingatkan sudah jawab ndak tau, kami kena blah & cari sendiri. Turned out dia bawa kami pegi information room & asked another Ahjussi who is in charge managing the market to help us. 

Paling best Ms H siap ada gambar owner kedai tu. That is the Ahjussi above. And Alhamdulillah The second Ahjussi kenal owner tu. Maka dia bawalah kami berempat ni jalan corner sana corner sini untuk sampai kedai ni. Fuh! Luckily masa sampai, owner tu ada sana.

Bermulala bargain skill Ms H dengan Ahjussi Yang Dicari. While kami yang memang ndak plan beli apa pun di market ni...killed time berposing sakan. Banyak jenis blanket sini. Dari yang nipis sampai yang paling tebal. Aku jenis kalau ndak mau beli, aku malas tanya harga. 

Ahjumma ni wife to the owner. Mula tu dia bising sebab the husband baik hati gila tolong Ms H compressed pembalut blankets. Supaya jadi ringan & senang hangkut naik flight. Oleh kerana hanya aku yang boleh pick up few lines of their conversation...aku jaklah faham yang Ahjumma ni hangin. 

Tapi macam magic, dalam hangin dia...bila kami tanya direction to another shop, laju dia tanya nama kedai. And buat few phone calls; asking around her friends sebab dia pun ndak tau location silk shop yang Ms H mau pegi tu. Perlu terharu atau ndak?? Boleh jak dia cakap ndak tau kan. Bukan bagi untung sama kedai dia pun if she tells us where the shop is. Yet still, she helped us. Not long after that, datang sorang Oppa ni 'pungut' kami. And brought us to his father's shop. The famous Hyun Woo Silk shop among Malaysians. Dari entrance market ni memang ndak susah pun cari silk shop ni. 

I didn't take any picture inside the shop. While Ms H busy pilih silk yang kawan dia pesan & negotiating price with the owner, kami duduk restkan bontot. Bab² kain sila jangan minta opinion aku. Antara viscose & chiffon pun aku biul apalagi silk berbagai gred. For me, yang kilat & licin tulah silk. Sekian. 

Habis urusan gunting², bungkus² silk; kedai pun tutup. Logik juga because department kain² ni memang tutup at 5p. Jadinya, misi cotton shopping Ms H terbantut di situ. 

Stall makan² & pasar basah jak yang buka till wee hours. Ms G brought something to kudap here. Kami; telan liur jaklah. Segala lutut & urat CikBabs sold here, thus simpan angan² to tried the local dishes ok. 

We went straight back to the hostel. Kena refresh diri. Mandi, solat & makan. What? Makan? Kebab jak untuk lunch, ndak cukup ok. Semua pun sudah habis transformed to energy used to walked around Namdaemun & Kwangjang. 

Malam tu kami fix craving untuk merasa local dish. Entry di mana kami dinner akan diupload later. Tapi ntah bila later itu...huhuhu!

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