Seoul-Seoraksan-Sokcho 2014 Itinerary and Trip Summary

Travel-bug was biting and the itch to go for a short holiday triggered me to start planning for a short holiday to Japan for me and wife. I was checking out the Nakasendo Walk self guided tour, airfares to Japan, accommodation, Japan Rail Pass and places to go and was almost ready to book my flights, tour, etc., when the airfare for that specific day for my flight to Narita shot up by 30% overnight.  The dates for our travel are not flexible due to some work commitment and it would be very sickening to pay 30% more for airfare just because we missed booking our flights by a day! So, we changed our plan and decided to go to Korea instead. So I will go, see and shoot Korea from November 8 to November 15 instead.

Autumn is a nice time to visit Korea and Japan as the fall foliage is a pretty sight. The best time to view the fall foliage depends on the weather for that year, and it was forecasted that the peak for fall foliage in Korea would be in the week of 26 October, starting from Seoul and Seoraksan area and then moving down South to Busan and Jeju.  There were reports that the leaves may last till early November. So going to Korea on the week of November 8 would mean that we will miss seeing the best of the fall foliage and may also miss seeing any fall foliage altogether. 

The best places to see the fall foliage are the national parks of Korea, especially Seoraksan (Mount Seorak) with numerous hiking trails. I did research on how to get to Mount Seorak and Sokchi via public transport and also what are the hiking trails and sights to see in and Sokcho and Mount Seorak.

For those who prefers to do Mount Seorak as a organised day trip from Seoul, there are many options and packages available here.

Besides the national parks, there are also many places within Seoul that are excellent for autumn leaves viewing, such as the areas in and around the palaces (Deoksugung, Changdeokgung, Gyeongbokgung, Samcheongdong), Garosu-gil and even the Skypark near the World Cup stadium.

Hence, my itinerary was planned such that we will visit the best places for fall foliage viewing in the first few days of arrival. Koreans love hiking and the weekends at Seoraksan would be crowded. Hence, we planned to avoid visiting Seoraksan on the weekends.

This was our trip plan:

Day 1  (8 November 2014)

Travel from home to Seoul International Airport.

After check-in at our hotel , spend the afternoon at Garosu-gil.

Make a visit to Jacob’s Ladder cafe, cafe owned by Yoon Eun Hye.

Evening shopping at Shinsegae store near our hotel.

Stay: Seoul Palace Hotel at Seoul

Trip report Part 1: Autumn at Garosu-gil

Trip report Part 2: Quest for Jacob’s Ladder.

Day 2  (9 November 2014)

Visit Changdeokgung and its Secret Garden.

Visit Bukchon Hanok Village, Samcheongdong, Gyeongbokgung and/or Deoksugung.

Stay: Seoul Palace Hotel at Seoul

Trip report Part 1 – Autumn leaves viewing at Changdeokgung

Trip report Part 2 – Autumn leaves viewing and lunch outside Changdeokgung

Trip report Part 3 – Changdeokgung’s Secret Garden

Trip report Part 4 -  Bukchon Hanok Village, Samcheongdong

Trip report Part 5 -  Tosokchon – highly recommended place for Ginseng Chicken Soup or Samgyetang in Seoul

Day 3  (10 November 2014)

Travel by express bus to Sokcho.

Afternoon in Seoraksan to do the Cable Car and Gwongeumseong walking course. 

Climb to the peak of a hill at Gwongeumseong.

Stay: Kensington Stars Hotel conveniently located just outside Seoraksan National Park. Beatles fans would be thrilled by the hotel’s Abbey Road Sky Lounge featuring some original Beatles memorabilia.

Trip report Part 1 – Travel by express bus from Seoul to Sokcho.

Trip report Part 2 - Seoraksan in November – Cable Car and Gwongeumseong walking course

Trip report Part 3 – Evening at Seoraksan

Trip report Part 4 - Seorak Kensington Stars Hotel and the Abbey Road Bistro

Day 4  (11 November 2014)

Whole day hiking at Seoraksan National Park – do the Biseondae Trail. Biseondae (비선대) is a nice 3 km walking trail that follows a river tucked within the steep and rocky slopes of the Seoraksan mountain range.

After passing the Biseondae Rock, there is a steep trail leading up to a cave (Geumganggul Cave – 금강굴) high up in the very steep cliffs. Not for those with fear of heights! But incredible views from up there!

Stay: Kensington Stars Hotel located just outside Seoraksan National Park.

Trip report  Part 1 - Trail to Biseondae Rock Platform and Geumganggul Cave ( Part 1)

Trip report Part 2 - Trail to Biseondae Rock Platform and Geumganggul Cave ( Part 2 )

Trip report Part 3 - Seafood dinner at Sokcho’s Daepohang Port

Day 5 (12 November 2014)

Morning hike at Seoraksan National Park – do the Biryong Trail. This is a nice easy trail leading to a waterfall.

Spend the afternoon exploring Sokcho city. Visit Abai Village and ride the Gaetbae Boat.

Must try: Squid Sundaes at Sokcho and also the seafood (Crabs!).

Stay: Kensington Stars Hotel located just outside Seoraksan National Park.

Trip report Part 1 - Trail to Yukdam Waterfall and Biryong Waterfall

Trip report Part 2 - Free and easy in Sokcho, the seaside city

Trip report Part 3 - Gaetbae boat to Abai Village 

 

Day 6 (13 November 2014)

Travel back to Seoul by express bus and check in to the Ibis Ambassador Hotel near Myeongdong.

Afternoon at Skypark to view the golden eulalia reeds at their best and also a good place to view the sunset over the city. ** we skipped this **

Dinner at Hongdae or Myeongdong area.

Stay: Ibis Ambassador Hotel in Seoul. This hotel is conveniently located within Myeongdong shopping district.

Trip report - From Sokcho to Seoul and afternoon in Myeongdong

Day 7 (14 November 2014)

Spend the morning Cafe hopping at Hongdae (including a visit to shooting location of Coffee Prince).

Spend the after shopping and eating local cuisine in Myeongdong in the afternoon.

Go to the annual Lantern Festival event at Cheonggyecheon at night to view the lanterns.

Stay: Ibis Ambassador Hotel in Seoul. This hotel is conveniently located within Myeongdong shopping district.

Trip report - Free and easy in Seoul ( Hongdae and Insadong)

Trip report – Seoul Lantern Festival 2014

Day 8 (15 November 2014)

Last minute shopping at Myeongdong before traveling home.

The week leading up to the trip was one where I was watching the weather forecast like a hawk. A stretch of rain or cold weather front could means no more fall foliage and aborting our plans to hike Mount Seorak.

We were blessed with relatively good weather on the day we arrived (Saturday) and continuing to Wednesday when we completed most of our planned hikes at Mount Seorak.  Temperature was between 12 to 15 degrees C in the day and it was not windy. A cold front hits Korea on Thursday and Friday where the temperature actually went near freezing point in the day and sub-zero at night.

The actual trip turned out pretty close to the above and went very well, I must say. We skipped Skypark due to the weather on November 13. I figured it would not be fun to be in an open park with the wind and temperature near freezing point. Best thing to do in bad weather would be shopping. So we did some shopping at Myeongdong where the shops provided a warm refuge when needed. Cosmetics and beauty products are the best buys when in Korea. Clothes would be too, but the stores were selling mostly autumn and winter wear.

Besides shopping, we went in search of some of the recommended places to enjoy Korea food. Some are hits and misses as well.

More details of our trip can be found in the journal posts.

Continue Reading »

Autumn in Garosu-gil

8 November 2014

Located between Sinsa-dong and Apgujeong, Garosu-gil, which means “tree-lined street” in Korean, is a good place for viewing the autumn foliage in Korea and it was our first destination for the day.

Earlier, we had arrived at Inchon Airport after taking the red-eye flight from Singapore, travelled by limousine bus 6703 to Seoul Palace Hotel where we were able to get an earlier than usual check-in. On the way to the hotel, we were relieved to spot red and yellow foliage on some of the road-side trees, although we also spotted bare trees.

Getting to Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong was easy; using the Seoul subway, T-money card and the handy Jihachul Seoul Subway smartphone app which supports English language. The nearest station to Garosu-gil is the Sinsa station.
  Map of Garosu-gil posted at the exit of the Sinsa Station. It is a good practice to snap a photo of the area map on our smartphone. Who knows, it may come in handy later on.


Once we arrived at Garosu-gil, we spotted a trio of tourist ambassadors, dressed in red, standing at a street corner. We got an area map from them, plus information of where to find a Korean restaurant for lunch.

Garosu-gil is full of trendy, themed cafes, fashion shops, but not many restaurants for a proper sit down meal. So we backtracked a little towards the Sinsa station and found a nondescript Korean restaurant for our first Korean meal in this trip. The portions were for 3 persons, so we had a pretty filling lunch between the two of us.

With the basic needs fulfilled, we went back to the “tree lined street” and enjoy the views of the yellow ginkgo trees lining the shopping street.

Amber traffics lights in sync with the leaves.

Fan shaped leaf of the ginkgo trees. The leaves turn bright yellow in autumn before shedding. A lot of the leaves were just turning yellow at Garosugil.

Marketing and promotion event happening.

Some of the buildings facade are modelled after european themes. This building spot the familiar looks of the old buildings of the Cotswolds in England.

The street is lined with fashion boutiques, some pretty high end stuff and loads of themed cafe.

Many themed cafes on the street. This one called the Ginkgo Avenue is apt for this place.


What’s with these pigs?



The street was lined with fashion boutiques, some pretty high end stuff and loads of themed cafe. Unfortunately, the shops were displaying mostly autumn and winter wear at this time of year and we have no need for such clothes back home. Still it was good to take our time to stroll down the street, enjoy the cool weather and browse through the hip and arty shops and cafes.

Who knows.  We may bum into a Korean K-pop/K-drama celebrity.

Continue Reading »

The quest for Jacob’s Ladder in Apgujeong

8 November 2014 

It did not take long to browse through the shops along Garosu-gil in Sinsadong. We decided to find a place to relax and have drinks. There are so many cafes along Garosu-gil but the one of the place I wanted to visit in Seoul is the Jacob’s Ladder Cafe, owned by my favourite Korean actress Yoon Eun Hye.

Based on some research prior to the trip, I had downloaded a facebook page of the cafe with the address in Korean language and telephone number on my smartphone. Unfortunately, google map was not so good in locating street names in Korea, so I only managed to get an approximate location of the cafe in Apgujeong.

We headed towards the general direction of Apgujeong, passing though small streets, cafes, restaurants and residential areas. Somewhere in the middle of our trek, we came to a small park where we saw 2 local teenage girls chatting on a bench. We decided to ask them if they know the way to the cafe. I showed the girls the facebook page of the cafe on my phone. To our surprise, one of the girls whipped out her phone and started calling the cafe. I could only guessed at the conversation that was taking place, in Korean language.

Girl : “ Hello, is this the Jacob’s Ladder cafe?”

Staff at the cafe: “Yes”

Girl : “Are you expecting someone? There are two persons trying to find your location”

Staff: “We are open but not expecting anyone in particular. Can you asked who they are?”

Girl to us: “Where are you from?”

Me: “We are from Singapore”

Girl to staff : “ They are from Singapore”

Staff at Cafe: “We are not expecting anyone from Singapore. I am not sure why would someone from Singapore be deliberately looking for my cafe when there are so many others around. Hmmm, wonder who they are. Just send them over. We are at …., near …”

Girl to us, apologetically: “I think the cafe is quite far away, somewhere there”. She points towards the direction we were already heading towards.

We thanked the girls for their help. The Koreans are so helpful when you approached them for assistance.

So, we were on the right track, and we were probably halfway there. We continued in the direction we were heading to and in due course, we found the cafe easily along a busy street.

Jacob’s Ladder Cafe – with the characteristic handwritings (done by YEH?) on the glass panes.

So, we were finally at Yoon Eun Hye’s cafe!
This is a cafe based on Christian or Biblical theme. The theme would not appeal to me under normal circumstances. But, the thrill of being in the cafe owned by my idol. I would really be in seventh heaven if she would suddenly pop by while we were there, but it was not to be.

We ordered the Citron Ale and Apple and Grape Ale from the man behind the counter. I wonder if he is the guy whom the girl in the park spoke with. He must be wondering if we were the two lost souls seeking the sanctuary of the cafe.

We stayed in the cafe for an hour. There were free wi-fi. The drinks were refreshing and tasty, especially after a relatively long trek to search for this place.

For the benefit of other Yoon Eun Hye fans who want to make a pilgrimage to her cafe, here is the actual location, based on GPS on my smartphone. Use the location of Apgujeong Station and Dosan Park as references.
Blue arrow marks the location.

Continue Reading »

Viewing the autumn foliage at the Changdeokgung and Biwon Secret Garden (Part 1)

9 November 2014

Changdeokgung is one of the recommended places to enjoy viewing the autumn leaves in Seoul, especially the Biwon (Secret Garden) or Huwon (Back Garden) within the palace. Entry to the Biwon is only via a guided tour and places are limited each day. I tried making a booking at this website but it was already full (as expected) since we planned the trip so late. The only other way to get access is to turn up early at the palace (9 AM when ticket booth opens) and try to get the limited tickets that are sold daily. 

Tip: You can also book a Secret Garden & Bukchon Hanok Village Walking Tour that combines a guided tour of the Secret Garden with a walk through the Bukchon Hanok Village, located next to the palace.

We arrived at the palace at about 9:30 AM and were lucky to be able to get our tickets for the second English language tour of the day, starting at 1:30 PM. Ticket to the Biwon costs 5000 KRW per person and this is in addition to the 3000 KRW ticket for general entry into Changdeokgung.

There are free English language guided tour of the palace grounds and we joined the tour starting at 10:30 AM.  These are some of the photos we shot while waiting for the tour to commence.
The old and the new. The Donwhamun (entry to the palace) is one of the oldest palace main gate existing in Korea. ‘Donhwa’ means ‘the friendly reform of the people, thanks to the king’. Interesting to see a well preserved historic site surrounded by modern buildings.

This red-leaf tree was the focus of attention for all the visitors who first stepped into the palace ground. Beautiful autumn foliage. Everyone wanted a photo with the tree, including me.

This tree has a combination of blazing red leaves on the outside, and yellow, orange leaves and even green leaves nearer the trunk.

Geumcheongyo Bridge - Oldest stone bridge in Seoul. It leads to the second palace gate (Jinseonmun).

Second palace gate Jinseonmun, located located after the stone bridge Gumcheongyo.

Typical small figurines of creatures found on the roof of Korean (and Chinese) palaces and temple buildings.  The locals belief that these figurines protect the occupants of the building.

View of the Jinseonmun, looking out. The centre raised walkway leading from the gate is for the King. His subjects walk next to him, on slightly lower pathway on both sides.

Changdeokgung – best time to visit is in the autumn.


The tour started promptly at 10:30 AM and would take about one hour. The guide was a lady dressed in the traditional hanbok with a modern hat. She gave a brief history of the palace and led us through the course.  Passing by the Geumcheongyo, Jinseonmun and the Injeongmun, we came to the Injeongjeon (Throne Hall) that was used for major state events.

Guide telling us the palace is located with the Bukhansan behind and a river in front (like the Gyengbokgung and Presidential Blue House) for good Feng Shui.

Injeongjeon (Throne Hall) used for major state events including the coronation of new kings and receiving foreign envoys. There are 9 levels of ranks stones on the left and right side. One side is for military personnel to stand and the other is for non-military personnel. Obviously, the rank 1 is closest to the King.

Throne with the wooden screen behind showing sun, moon, 5 mountain peaks, waterfalls, waves and pine trees.

Injeongjeon (Throne Hall) – guide recommended this view as the best for photo of the Injeongjeon.

Looking across the wall, the roof of the next building (Seonjeongjeon Hall) has blue grazed tiles which the guide told us was specially imported from Italy.


We went to the next courtyard containing a building with blue roof tiles. This is the Seonjeongjeon Hall - An office for ruling officials. The king held daily meetings with ministers, reported on state affairs and seminars here.
Exquisite roof details in the Seonjeongjeon Hall. The modern lightings were introduced towards the later part of the dynasty.

Close-up view of the King’s seat. Similar wooden screen at the back with moon, sun, 5 mountain peaks, waterfall and waves.


There is a building that is differentiated from other palace buildings in that it has no ridge on the roof. This is the Daejojeon Hall - Official residence of the queen. The ridge represents the dragon and is the symbol of the king. Hence, no dragon (ridge) for the Queen’s residence.

Daejojeon Hall - no ridge on the roof. Destroyed by fire in 1917, it was rebuilt with materials taken from Gyeongbokgung. Daejojeon was used as a residence for the last empress of Joseon. Quite modern in some aspects, e.g. usage of glass, electric lightings.


The guide also pointed to us several interesting points about the building design in general. Korea is very cold in winter and uses the under floor heating system, called the ondol. In the old days, coal was burned (coal produces less smoke) and the heat transfer was through pipes under the masonry floor. Smoke escapes through a separate chimney in the back of the building.

Opening for a stove or firebox to heat up a masonry floor.


Standalone chimney for the ondol at the back of the building. A row of stairs in the background leads to the Secret Garden.


Natural ventilation are built into the top of the building.

The brown tile has gaps in it and served as an air vent for natural ventilation.

Details of the air vent (brown vent in the middle is actually a Chinese word – not sure the meaning though). Another building has a vent with a “double happiness” in Chinese inscribed.


The last building shown by the guide was the Nakseonjae Hall. Nakseonjae was built in 1847 (in the 13th year of King Heonjong's reign). Nakseonjae served as King Heonjong's study, or sarangchae. The interior is characterized by beautiful colourful lattice work.
Entrance to the Nakseonjae.

This is how lessons should be done. A teacher dressed in traditional hanbok explaining something to attentive students with drawing boards (on a Sunday).

Having a rest at the back of a building inside the Nakseonjae.


After the hour long tour, we were free to explore the palace at our own pace before the commencement of the Biwon or Secret Garden tour at 1:30 PM. There was time for a quick lunch nearby.

Continue Reading »