[Seoul, Korea] Nostalgic Charm in Urban Seoul (Part 1) : Insa-dong

Even though is a urban cosmopolitan city, parts of the city preserves it's nostalgic charm.  One of such places is Insa-dong, located in the heart of Seoul, Jong-no.  This wall mural is found at the entrance to Insa-dong via Jonggak station.

Insa-dong's history begun 500 years ago, as the residential area for government officials.  Today, still retaining it's old nostalgic charm, is a popular shopping district for cultural and traditional items.  Insa-dong is a straight road (700m) connecting Jonggak station and Anguk station.  Along Insa-dong are many small alleys where galleries, traditional restaurants, traditional teahouses and cafes can be found.  This is the focal point for Korean traditional culture and crafts.

(From Jonggak Station)

(From Anguk Station)

Traditional handicrafts, hanbok (traditional costume), hanji (traditional paper), ceramics, pottery and fine art find their home at Insa-dong.  This is also the place for visitors to get some souvenirs.  Prices for mass-produced souvenir items are slightly cheaper and the variety is complete.

Located along Insa-dong gil (means Insa-dong road), Ssamzie-gil was opened in 2004, it is a one-stop place for handicraft shops, art galleries, souvenir shops and restaurants.

Noticed the special structure of Ssamzie-gil?  It is like walking a big spiral in the building as you move from shop to shop, where there are about 70 shops in total.  Each level is sloped gentle that you may not realise that you moving upwards or downwards. 

At the top level (4th level), is an open-air sky garden where you get to admire the entire Insa-dong from a bird's eye view.  On the same level is also a book cafe and an art gallery.

This is a small cafe in Ssamzie-gil which serves waffle and coffee.  It is a cosy place with 2 levels.

Look at this!  I thought it was quite a interesting way of presenting the bill to the customers.

Being a one-stop mall, there is a shop at the ground level where visitors can buy freshly-made traditional confectionery (hangwa) eg. peanut, sesame and even rice flour confectionery.

I particularly like this shop that sells DIY ceramic musical boxes.  The designs are traditional yet contemporary.  The skills of combining the beauty of ancient and modern Korea is reflected in this piece of art.  It is DIY because you decide how you want to assemble the musical box, from the music (from a music list of more than 1000 songs), the main box and the accessory to wind the music.

This is another musical box design which is so pretty, traditional and yet not tacky.

Lots of streetfood stalls can be found along Insa-dong gil too... This is a ho-tteok (호떡) stall, a Korean pancake which is very popular during winter.  The dough is made from wheat flours, water, sugar, milk and yeast.  The filling is a sweet and the main ingredients include brown sugar, honey, chopped nuts (usually ground nuts and pine nuts) and cinnamon.

The freshly pan-fried pancakes are served in a paper cup to prevent scalding of fingers.

This is an interesting convenience shop - 구멍가게 (gu mong ga ge) that sells tidbits and what particularly attracts attention is vanilla ice cream in the J-shape corn-stick.

How about an ice cream in the cold weather?  I like it!

Another popular hot streetfood is the Egg Bun (gye-ran-bbang, 계란빵).  On top of the muffin-like bread is a runny egg.  There is option for cheese Egg Bun (gye-ran chi-seu bbang, 계란치즈빵) too.

We were attracted by this rowdy stall selling dragon beard candy (ggul-ta-rae, 꿀타래), filled with crushed peanut fillings.  The stall will be happy to demo how they create these thin strands of candy from a piece of dough.

While walking along Insa-dong, keep a lookout for the small alleys for some of the popular restaurants are hidden in there.  We spotted one with long queue and were curious what the stall was selling.  It turned out to be a dumpling (mandu, 만두) stall selling steamed as well as fried dumplings.

One stall that really cracked me up was this stall selling Poop-Bread (ddong-bbang, 똥빵).  It is simply a variety of fish-shape waffle pancake (bungeobbang, 붕어빵), with redbean paste filling.

Street-food in Korea isn't expensive with prices ranging from 1,000 to 2,000.  So, just try them!  For Koreans, they tend to stand around the food stall to finish their food, but nothing's stopping from eat as you browse the shops, as long as you don't dirty their goods!

Enjoy the wall mural paintings as you move along, explore the small alleys as there's really must to discover in this charming Insa-dong.  Stay tuned for Part 2 which will introduce Samcheong-dong.


[This trip is made possible by the Asian On Air programme, organised by the Korean Air and Korea Tourism Organisation].


Getting there:
1.  Jonggak Station (Line 1, Exit 3).  Walk 300m ahead.  At the 4th intersection, turn left and walk another 100m.
2.  Anguk Station (Line 3, Exit 6).  Walk 100m and turn left.



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Related Posts
- Asian-On-Air: Knowing More about Korea at KTO (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: K-Style Hair and Spa (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Experiencing Korean Medical Services (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Excellence in Flight - Korean Air (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: A Twosome Place by 51K (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Chrysanthemum Flower Festival at Jogyesa (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: The Historical Drama Playground (click here)



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[Seoul, Korea] Run out of Battery? No Worries!

Seriously, the battery life of our mobile devices can hardly last more than a day these days!  While at home land, we are used to be able to re-charge the battery at the convenience of home or office.  But what if you are in a foreign land?  Being on the move, it is difficult to stay at 1 place for an hour or so just to re-charge the battery.

The enterprising STelecom (from South Korea) has started a portable battery charger rental service!  Although the portable battery on rent does not have an extremely huge capacity at 5000 mAh (my personal portable charger is 9900 mAh), it should be sufficient for at least 1 to 2 full charge for a handphone, depending on your device's battery capacity.  However, for tablets, the battery capacity will definitely be larger.  Which means you have to prioritize which device to re-charge.

Details on the portable battery rental can be found here.


You may be interested in these related posts:
- Asian-On-Air: Getting to know about Korea from KTO Tourist Information Centre
- Asian-On-Air: K-Style Hair and Spa (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Experiencing Korean Medical Services (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Excellence in Flight - Korean Air (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: A Twosome Place by 51K (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Chrysanthemum Flower Festival at Jogyesa (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: The Historical Drama Playground (click here)

[Seoul, Korea] Getting to Know about Korea at the Korea Tourism Organisation Tourist Information Centre

 

The Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) Tourist Information Centre (TIC) locates in the heart of Seoul and main centres servicing tourists who needs assistance while travelling in Korea.  The centre also provides an introduction about the Korean culture and is particular useful to tourist who knows little about the country.  Other than collecting information that you need for your travel, the building is situated next to the Cheonggyecheon, a 5.8km stream that runs from the west to east of Seoul, running through downtown Seoul and connects to the Han River.  The stream has been converted into a recreation public place in the recent years.

 

 

The TIC is located at the basement of the KTO headquarters.  Watch out for the sign and take the stairs to the basement.



 

 

There are 5 main sections in TIC namely, Tourist Information Desk, Cultural Experience, Traditional Crafts and Experience, Korean Wave Hall and Medical Tourism Information Centre.

 

Travel maps and brochures can be obtained at the tourist information officers, who are fluent in English, Mandarin, Japanese and of course in Korean.  Tourists can also make free international phone call and make use of the internet service available.

 

 

 

The K-Star Gallery at the Korean Wave Hall is the photo zone for visitors.  Grab the chance to take photos with your favourite idols and celebrities.

 

 

 

It is quite fun to experince wearing the traditional Korean costume, Hanbok at TIC.  The staff are professional and has quite good fashion sense in selecting the hanbok and matching accessories to suitable your personality. 

 

 

The Medical Tourism Information section provides information on medical services available in Korea.  You can do a quick check on your health status, such as blood pressure level, Bodyfat analysis and stress monitor!  Sadly, I didn't do very well for the stress monitor!  =(  I need to watch my stress level... isn't that stressful? :P

 

 

 

That's the machine for check the blood pressure level and fortuately, my blood pressure was within the healthy range.

 





 

Apparently, there is some science in choosing tea that is beneficial to one's health.  Take a short survey and at the end of it, you will be advised on the type of tea that is suitable for you.

 



 

 

Besides Seoul, the TIC can also be found at Incheon International Airport, Gimhae International Airport (Busan) and Jeju International Airport. 

 

[This trip is made possible by the Asian On Air programme, organised by the Korean Air and Korea Tourism Organisation].

 

 

Korea Tourism Organisation Tourist Information Centre (KTO TIC)

Jong-gu, Cheonggyecheon-ro 40, 100180 Seoul

Opening Hours: 0900 to 2000 hrs daily

Website: www.visitkorea.or.kr

Tel: +82-2-7299-497 to 499

 

Getting to Seoul downtown TIC:

Take the subway to Jongjak Station (Line 1) and use Exit 5.  Wait straight ahead and as you reach the first traffic junction, cross it and turn right.  Walk along Cheonggyecheon-ro for about 3 minutes, and KTO office is just right ahead.



 

 

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Related Posts
- Asian-On-Air: K-Style Hair and Spa (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Experiencing Korean Medical Services (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Excellence in Flight - Korean Air (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: A Twosome Place by 51K (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Chrysanthemum Flower Festival at Jogyesa (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: The Historical Drama Playground (click here)

 

 

 

[Seoul, Korea] K-style Hair and Spa

The rise of Hallyu has influence my lifestyle to quite an extend ranging from food to entertainment and even to health and lifestyle.  Being a K-drama fan, we are envious of the actresses' soft and flowy hair and the flawness complexion (including the actors). 

In Seoul, Apgujeong and Cheongdam-dong are the main shopping districts for the young and hippy folks.  This is also THE place for plastic surgery and hair services.  Considered to be hot places, these 2 districts lead in new fashion styles and social trends in Korea.  

RA Beauty Core is one of the well-known hair and make-up/beauty services salons in Korea.  It's brand name is comparable to others such as Juno, Soonsoo and Avenue.  The salon that I went is located at Seocho-dong.



The hair salon is rather big and it is a unisex salon.  There are easily 20 staff in the salon.  A few of them could speak English but most of them speak mainly Korean only.  

There is also lockers to keep personal belongings.

She's my hairstylist.  Do you think she resembles actress Kim Jung-eun (Lovers in Paris, Marrying the Mafia)?  She was too delightful when I made that comment.  But overall, she's friendly and we could converse a little with my limited Korean ability.

As I had washed my hair before going to the salon, I didn't need to go through the hair-wash process again.

How do my curls look?  I liked it! The curls may look simple but there were quite a few twists and turns during the styling process.  She even put to apply hairspray here and there to get the hair in place and in shape.  The best part of it is that, the curls lasted through the day (at least 12 hours!).  Great work, isn't it? 



On the same day, the group of us visited Jurlique Valley, located at Cheongdam-dong, for a relaxing facial.

The range of products that the salon uses and sells. 

There is a cosy waiting area for customers.

The spa rooms are also cosy too with the dim light.  The spa bed is a heated aqua bed and is totally comfortable.  Although the therapist was quite friendly, she spoke limited English too.  Other than informing about the name of the product and the steps that she took, the room was mostly silent.  She was also very careful not to mess up my hair and the pretty curls.

The facial steps including cleansing, exfoliating, treatment serum and masking.  The total duration took about 1 hour which included a good and rejuvenating shoulder and back massage while waiting for the skin to fully absorb the serum.

After facial, we were served with warm tea and some snacks.  A 60-minute facial at Jurlique costs 88,000 won which is rather reasonable.  Other spa services included treatment and packages for brides and pre/post natal treatment.

[This trip is made possible by the Asian On Air programme, organised by the Korean Air and Korea Tourism Organisation].


RA Beauty Core
228 G-Five Central Plaza, 1685-8 Seocho-gu, Seocho-dong, Seoul
Tel: +82-2-594 6164

Nearest Subway
Seoul National University of Education Station Exit 3


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Jurlique Valley
5F, 47-2, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Tel: +82-2-542 4333/6

Nearest Subway

Cheongdam Station (Subway Line 7), Exit 8.

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Related Posts:
- Asian-On-Air: Experiencing Korean Medical Services (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Excellence in Flight - Korean Air (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: A Twosome Place by 51K (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Chrysanthemum Flower Festival at Jogyesa (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: The Historical Drama Playground (click here)

[Incheon, Korea] Experiencing Korean Medical Services



Visiting a medical centre while on travel may sound like a taboo, and as far as we can - stay far away from it.  But at the same time, I was equally curious how a modern medical centre in Korea would be like.  I had the privilege to visit a medical centre, just to look-see look-see and experienced the process of getting my teeth whitened.



INHA International Medical Centre, located in the international business district near Incheon International Airport, provides medical services catering to international customers.  The medical centre is only 5 minutes away from Incheon International Airport. 

There are 6 departments including the Health Promotion Centre, Dentistry, Korean Medicine, Plastic Surgery, Dermatology and SPA, providing medical services combining western and oriental medicine practices.

The Dentistry department provides cosmetic treatments such as whitening; prosthetic treatments such as inlay or crowning; and periodontal treatments such as implant surgery, scaling, gum laser.  There are a total of 11 treatment rooms at this department.

I have never tried teeth whitening all my life.  The treatment is rather pricey in Singapore (~ SGD800 and above) and I didn't think my teeth needs the treatment badly yet.  Still, I gave it a try.  The entire procedure took nearly 1.5 hours starting with cleaning and scaling. 

After the scaling procedure, the physician assistant (PA) then fix a gadget to stretch the lips and keep the mouth opened.   The PA took a photo of my teeth which was later used for comparison at the end of the treatment. 

The first step in the whitening treatment was to apply some gel between the teeth and the gums.  This was to protect the gums.  This was followed by applying the whitening solution to break down the stains caused by coffee, wine etc.  Next step was the shining of halogen light on the teeth.  At this point, your head and body must keep still for 15 mins for the light to shine directly on the required area only.  After 15 mins, the light is turned off and the hardened whitening solution is removed.  The process is repeated twice.

Another photo was taken at the end.  Guess what - the difference in my teeth colour was not visible and the physician attributed that my teeth was already quite white before the treatment :D  That's quite a piece of good news!

Korea is famous for their art and science of making a person pretty.  The Plastic Surgery department covers nose/eye surgery; body line surgery and petit surgery such as filler and botox injection.  For those who prefer simpler services, the Dermatology department provides skin rejuvenation treatment; scar removal treatment; and trouble care treatment such as acne problems.  There are a total of 12 dermatology rooms in the centre.

The Health Promotion Centre provides medical check-ups, examinations, imaging and vaccinations services.  This programmes range from basic ones to more customised programmes such as muscular-skeletal examination; cardiovascular examination; and woman examination including pap smear and mammography.  There are a total of 32 treatment rooms at the HPC.

The Korean Medicine department focuses on using traditional methods/products such as acupuncture method and ginseng as medicine for facial programme, body programme, fatigue recovery and immune boosting.

Transit passengers can also hop over to the medical centre for a quick SPA service for the face or body.  Swedish / oriental / deep tissue massages are available. There are a total of 6 SPA rooms for individuals and for couple.  Services are available in 30, 60 or 90 mins.  Price for 90-min facial / massage service ranges from 121,000 won to 165,000 won.

The relatively new centres has up-to-date medical equipment and multi-lingual physician assistants to serve the diverse customers.  The programmes are comprehensive and it suitable for those looking for those relaxing treatments in between flights or non-emergency treatments.

INHA IMC is conveniently accessible from Incheon International Airport via its Airport Shuttle Bus at Gate 3 and 12 on 3F Departure Floor of the airport. 

INHA International Medical Centre

84, Gonghang-ro 424 Beon-gil, Jung-gu, Incheon, 400-340, Korea

Website: www.inhaim.com  

[This trip is made possible by the Asian On Air programme, organised by the Korean Air and Korea Tourism Organisation].


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- Asian-On-Air: Excellence in Flight - Korean Air (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: A Twosome Place by 51K (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: Chrysanthemum Flower Festival at Jogyesa (click here)
- Asian-On-Air: The Historical Drama Playground (click here)