Day 3: An Afternoon at Ewha Women's University

We spent an afternoon at Ewha Women's University. Yellow ginko trees lined the streets, making the surroundings a pretty sight. :)

There are many quaint & lovely shops all around EWU. I got Lucy here. ;) Cafes & restaurants are plenty too.

And if you're in the mood for street food, you may hop from one vendor to the next. :)

The autumn hues enhanced the beauty of EWU. :)

Don't you heart the autumn leaves? :)

Yellow, red & green...

EWU is such a gorgeous university. :)

We managed to catch the sunset at EWU.  :) The glow from the sun added brilliance to the yellow ginko trees.

We love our autumn in Seoul. *.*

and we couldn't stop clicking away... :D

As a result, we were left with only 15mins to shop. Did we manage to get anything? Of course! The shopping queen bought 3 dresses & a pair of earrings; Lin bought a pair of earrings; I bought a jacket & a pair of earrings. We bought everything in 15mins flat. How's that? :D

Time to adjourn for dinner. :)

To get to Ewha Women's University:
Take the subway to Ewha Women's University (Line 2)
Exit 2 or 3

Day 3: Soondubu at Jungwon Soondubu

Lin & I love tofus and soondubu is one of our fav Korean dish! :) We satisfied our cravings at Jungwon Soondubu as it's just next to Metro Hotel (we needed to off load our Namdaemun purchases).

Established in 1969, Jungwon Soondubu is one of the earliest soondubu restaruants in Seoul.

Before we get to the mains, we had a number of sides...

We were also given aluminium bowls to mix our own bibimbap. :) All we had to do was to mix the rice, sauteed & seasoned veg (namul) and chilli pepper paste (gochujang) till everything is evenly red. :) Add a raw egg if you wish...

And finally our soondubu! :D

Here're what we had:

Beef and Kimchi pork soondubu

Mushroom and Seafood soondubu

Tina was perspiring at the end of the meal. So if you can't take spicy stuff, do get the chef to go easy on the chillis! ^.*

Details of Jung Won Soondubu:
Next to Metro Hotel
199-77, 2-ga,Eulji-ro, Jung-gu,Seoul
T: (82-2) 508 7913

Day 3: Shop, Shop, Shop at Namdaemun

We started our morning with shopping at Korea's largest & oldest traditional market Namdaemun. :) Again, we were overwhelmed by the array of stalls, merchandise, buildings & crowds. :O

This guide might come in handy. ;) It's impossible to cover everything in a day! We only managed to check out the stretch of shops along the road from Exit 5 of Hoehyeon Station to Daedo Shopping Centre. 

To get to Namdaemun:
Subway Line 4 Hoehyeon Station Exit 5

Tina managed to get ginseng for her mom from 公順成商會 - Gong Soon Sung (공순성상회). There are various types of ginseng and each is suited for different health condition. Lee Chung-Chen who attended to her was able to speak fluent English, making her purchase a little easier. :) We bought some other stuff such as yuzu tea & seaweed from 公順成商會 as well.

We should have taken some pics of the shop, but you know, we got distracted from shopping. :))) To get there, walk straight down after the information counter. The shop is on the left side of the road.

Details of 公順成商會 - Gong Soon Sung (공순성상회):
서울 중구 남창동 50-6번지본동상가1층
Contact: Lee Chung-Chen
T: +82 2 774 5296

If you're into home decor & household stuff, Daegoon Tower and Daedo Shopping Centre (L2 & L3) are the places to go! :D We heart these two places! *.* Daegoon Tower and Daedo Shopping Centre are on the right side of the road after the information counter. They are linked via two bridges as seen in the pic below. :)

The orange building is Daedo Shopping Centre while the green is Daegoon Tower.

We managed to pick up a chopsticks & spoons set from Daedo Shopping Centre. :) A little of Korea for our home. ;)

Here's Daedo Shopping Centre Guide:















We crossed over to Daegoon Tower to check out the flower market and home decor. :)

Most of the fresh blooms are stacked neatly on top of one another here in Korea. :) Those that require more water are placed in buckets.

For those who prefer convenience, there's the option of artificial flowers. :)

We picked up a number of stuff from Mr Moon's store! :D

I like Eun Seok's store as well! :)

I wanna bring EVERYTHING home! :)))

After some damages incurred at Daedo Shopping Centre and Daegoon Tower, we checked out the bustling market outside. :) Everything you need for a homecooked meal can be bought here! :)

Hungry? Food's easily available too. :)

You might be keen to try these biggie buns. :)

Kimbaps anyone? :)

There are fruits too. :)

Lastly, if you're in the mood for grabs... :)

That's our morning at Namdaemun. :)

Day 2: Cookin' Nanta

After a day of walking, we couldn't do much but sit to watch a performance! :D Nanta is listed as one of the top 10 things to see in Seoul by the Korean Tourism Organization.

We bought our tickets online and just had to pick the tickets up an hour before the show. :)

Today's actors were from the blue team! :)

Photos aren't allow during the performance. :( Hence a pic of the stage only.

The performance lacks the wow factor as compared to Impression on West Lake in Hangzhou, China. But it's highly entertaining nonetheless. The actors engaged the audience in parts of the performance. The "Head Chef" nearly "chased" Lin and Mom out as they did not follow his direction! The 90 minutes performance had everyone bend double. Nanta is a must watch! :)

Details of Cookin' Nanta:
Myeong Dong NANTA Theatre
(Myeong Dong Art Center)
W: http://nanta.i-pmc.co.kr/nanta/en/intro.aspx

Day 2: Korean Traditional Porridge Dinner at Bonjuk

Korean traditional porridge is a good dinner option after a long day. :) It's a nourishing homemade dish and play an important role in Korean culture. We checked out Bonkuk Restaurant for some of these yummy goodness. :) Bonjuk is featured in the drama "Boys Over Flowers".

Here're our orders:

Ginseng chicken porridge and Beef & mushroom porridge

The ginseng taste was strong and might not suit everyone's palatte. While there were beef flavours in the beef & mushroom porridge, we couldn't find any beef slices like those in Cantonese porridge. We would much prefer to have beef slices in our porridge. :)

Abalone porridge, Cheese & crabstick porridge and Seaweed porridge

We couldn't quite make out if they were abalone bits or mushrooms. Hahahahah... :))) We like the cheese & crabstick porridge for its intense flavour! I guess the seaweed one will be apt for one who's not feeling too well.

The porridge servings are huge and a bowl can be shared by two. :)

Bonjuk Restaurant has a number of outlets and we went to the one at Myeongdong.

Details of Bonjuk Restaurant:

서울중구충무로1가 22-11 2층

South Korea Seoul Jung-guChungmuro 1(il)-ga 22-11

T: +82 2 755 3562

They have another branch just opposite Metro Hotel. ;) It's more spacious & we need not climb up to the 2F. :D