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Monday 3 November 2008

Insa-Dong, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Korean Food

Today is my last day in Korea. :(

In the late morning, I hopped over to the outlet mall that I saw last night. Mostly are still autumn/ winter stuff but I managed to buy a skirt and a dress for myself suitable for Singapore and something for the girls. I went back to the accommodation to have a light lunch before heading to Insa-Dong via taxi at 1pm. I wanted to take a taxi so that I can see more of Seoul city sights. I decided to go early to Insa-Dong so that I can do a bit more of souvenir shopping before meeting my Korean friend at 2:30pm.


The Raboum Outlet

I got a few more souvenirs and I also had the chance to dress in a hanbook at the Insa-Dong Tourist Information Centre. :) I became a photo opportunity for others haha. :D I soon met with my friend at 2:40pm and we walked to Gyeongbokgung Palace which was nearby, about 10-15 minutes walk.


We went on the 3:30pm guided English tour around the palace. I have certainly learnt some interesting information about the palace, about palace life and the history of Korea. :) I took many photos at the palace. Now my Korean friend knows why I can easily take 100+ photos on one day lol. :P After the tour ended, we explored the palace grounds on our own until closing time at 5pm.

















Gyeongbokgung Palace at sunset. Goodbye.

We headed back to Insa-Dong where we parted ways. We will meet back in Singapore soon enough lol. I browsed around the shops for a while before going into one of the teashops. It was rustic and traditional in decor. I wanted to try Korean traditional tea and snack. I ordered an Omijacha (Five Taste Tea) and Rice cake. The rice cake was toasted and served with honey for dipping. The omijacha was very sweet, sourish and pleasant in taste. It tasted a bit like hawthorn. The rice cake was nice, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It went well with the tea. :)




After my tea, I tried out street food that I haven't had the chance to try like Eomuk (Skewered Fish Cakes), sushi roll, and Skewered Chicken. The fish cake was very delicious and the radish soup the fish cake was boiled in was very tasty. It is served in a little paper cup. It is really nice drinking the hot soup on a cold, windy night like tonight. :) Now I know why Koreans are always holding a paper cup in their hands when I was walking around Insa-Dong previously and at Hongik University area. I did the same tonight, talking a walk down Insa-Dong gil while sipping my hot soup from the paper cup. It was an enjoyment. :) The chicken was really nice too. Even though I asked for not spicy, the chicken was basted with a sauce that was still a tad spicy as in peppery. :P




I decided to go back to my accommodation because it is a very windy and cold night. I got back around 8pm Korean time (7pm S'pore time). Plenty of time for me to pack and update my blog. :)

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