FAMILY TRIP TO KOREA 2015- DAY 9

4/4/2015
Saturday

Today would be our last day in Seoul.  Its free and easy today.... chance for the girls to sleep in while I took an early morning walk around the hotel.

Interesting street art.. the Koreans loved their baseball...this is the Nike Baseball Store opposite the hotel. 

Sculptures along the street in 

Dongdaemun shopping center... 

alien spaceship.....Dongdaemun Design Plaza 

futuristic architecture ... tunnels leading to the garden and underground.. 

Don't ask me what's his name....  

white magnolia... gently perfumed the the morning 

We took  a quick tour of the many designers' exhibition halls

cutie "rabbit" sofas 

rest your feet ... its a long and winding walk up 

sitting down to rest  whereever and whenever.... 

Around the corner of Hotel Ibis is this Fortress.... 

Seoul is surrounded by a city wall that has a total of 8 gates including 4 main gates set up in the North (Sukjeongmun) , South (Sungyemun), East (Heunginjimun) and West (Donuimun) which correspond with the 4  virtues of Confucianism: "In" (generous) "Ui" (righteous), "Ye" (Politeness) and "Ji" (wisedom) and last but not least "Shin" (Reliable or trust).   There are 4 smaller  gates and this is one of them..

  

Fusion of modern and old......Part of the Seoul city wall and church behind. 

the guardians figurine on the rooftop of the fortress...

We have arrange to met up with Eunice and Jeremy for some last minute shopping.  But first to the market... 

the Gwangjung Market- a 100 years old  market with its vast  

food street - traditional Korean foods.... ....  

mayak gimbaps aka "drug gimbaps"  because they are mini size and very addictive... err... yes they do provide "tissue papers" for you..:D

Sundae anyone?

Not the usual sundae you expected.... but a kind of "blood sausage... these are pigs intestine stuffed with sweet rice and sweet potato noddles and steamed and glistening piles of braised pigs trotters too...yummy    

hot, greasy bindaetteok .... mung bean pancakes.......

the mung beans are soaked and grounded/milled  on the spot and the paste then mixed with other ingredients and fry.  

the sweet and hot hotteok, I think...... the longest queue here. 

So we squeezed ourselves down on the heated benches  and ordered a bit of this and that to sample.... except the squirmming  hands and legs of the cut octopus of course!.

  

This market is also very popular for Korean couples who are planning to get marry.

Here you can find all sorts of "yedan" (wedding silks presents), beddings, comforters sets and last but not least,  beautiful hand sewn  hanboks for weddings (as well as for funerals) There were also numerous trays and baskets of colourful and carefully arrange ibaji foods which a newly wedded bride takes to her in-laws after her honeymoon..These normally consists of  variety of rice cakes, snacks, relish and red dates.     

Now I understand why I was given .....

this and this 

were brought to KL by Eunice parents for the wedding in 2013....

There is also a vintage clothes section located on the second floor which we did not visit.

one last photo with Candice before we finally say goodbye at the Seoul Station. 

We took the train back to Dongdaemun and went for more last minute shopping and souvenirs hunting. 

After so many days in Korea, we had not tasted the famous Korean Samgyetang aka Ginseng Chicken Soup.    

This is the shop we went for the popular soup. .. climbing up 3 flights of stairs  

to reach this restaurant.... and.... there were no other customers except us!....not sure whether we were too early for dinnertime  or does it mean something else..

This is a franchised restaurant and the Jiho family were the early inventors of the Samgyetang who personally breed the chicken to ensure the best quality for the soup and they also add various herbs to enhance the soup.

the various herbs use for the Samgyetang listed and mounted on the walls 

So, we sat down and were given a menu (in English) to order.  

Samgyetang . Ginseng Chicken Soup. 

This nourishing hot soup is traditionally taken during the hot summer in Korean to offset the heat as well as to energise the body.  But for me this heart-warming soup is just the comfort tonic for a cold night and our tired bodies. 

Ginseng Chicken porridge for the soul.. 

found this packet of herbs in the soup.......

and finally found...... the tiny piece of fresh ginseng..hahahah

I cannot remember the total cost of the dinner.  When we came down we came across a group of Chinese tourists mobbing a handsome Taiwanese actor, which we don't recognise.  We slowly walked back to our hotel and finished up our packing.