CHANGE OF GATE GUARD CEREMONY AT THE GYEONGBOKGUNG PALACE

     After a hearty submarine sandwich and cappuccino at Quiznoz, we went back to the  Gyeongbokgung Palace just in time for the 2pm Ceremony of Gate Guard Change. The  bright colors of the guards' uniforms were very attractive.

     They seem to be having a drill for the tourists to see before the Gwanghwamun gate which took around ten minutes. The guards marched around and followed commands in Korean. While on their rest position, an officer seemed to inspect their uniforms like what they do in military now. After the drill, everyone was given the opportunity to come close to the palace guards and have their photos taken.

     The guards who perform at the ceremonies are above the average height of most Korean men nowadays which made us check out their foot gear if they're trying to deceive us. But it's unlikely to happen since they're all wearing traditional foot wear. They tower among the crowd when all were trying to get near them for a photo. 

     When the ceremony is about to start, the tourists were instructed to enter the gate and were escorted to the audience area. Luckily, we were able to get a place at one of the best areas for a nice view of the ceremony.

     The Sumunjang led the entrance of the guards at the strike of the giant bells and drums led by the Chwitagun. Symbolic banners, as colorful as the uniforms of their bearers, waved at the cold winds of winter. If not for our modern winter jackets, we would have thought we've traveled back in time. The sound of the guards' traditional boots echoed around the court as they marched despite the snow and mud on the ground.

     The Sumunjang (Commander of the Gate Guard), was the chief military officer during the Joseon Dynasty. He led the gates of the capital such as the Heunginjimun and Sungnyemun as well as the gates of the palaces including Gyeongbokgung,  which is the main palace. The Sumunjang was responsible for the security of the monarch and their family who lived in the palace.

     The ceremony was established during King Yejong's first year in 1479. With careful studies of the sequence, uniforms, accessories and weapons, Koreans and foreigners are now able to see a part of the ancient tradition of Korea for a deeper understanding of their culture. And this is actually one of the most surprising and most beautiful experience I had in Seoul.

     

Rank of the Palace Guards:

• Sumunjang         - Head of the palace gate guards

                               - wore golden yellow with red over garment                                          and red headgear

• Gapsa                 - in charged of guarding the palace gates

                                 - wore white inner garment with red outer

                                    garment and black headgear

• Chabok               - the command and control duty soldier

                                 - wore purple robe and black head gear

• Gisu                    - also guarded the palace gates

                                 - wore aquamarine robe and black headgear

• Sujongjang        - in charged of the management of the

                                 Gwangwhamun bells and drums

                               - wore all red robe and red headgear

• Jongsagwan      - in charged of the management of gate                                          book

                               - wore red inner garment with blue outer

                                  garment and red headgear

• Jeongbyeong      - a regular soldier from the central army

                                - wore indigo robe and black headgear

• Daejol                - guard of the palace gates

                                - wore green robe and black headgear

• Jeollogun            - responsible for the announcement of time

                                   for the palace

                                 - wore light blue inner garment with black

                                   outer garment and black headgear

• Chwitagun           - member of the royal military band

                                 - wore white inner garment with red outer

                                    garment, blue sash and black headgear

     Let's see if you can spot each of them in these photos...

Gate Guard Duty Performance at the Gwanghwamun

Gate Guard Duty Performance at the Gwanghwamun

Gate Guard Duty Performance at the Gwanghwamun

The Sumunjang and Jongsagwan before the platoon

Photo- op with the towering palace guards

Ceremony of Gate Guard Change brochure and the map of the grounds

Entrance of the guards

Parade of colors as the huge drum beats

The guards marched back near the gate

More marching on the slippery and muddy court

     There is a Sumungun costume experience for tourists after the ceremony. You can see a drum on the left side of the gate after you enter.That is the Sumunjangcheong Building where visitors can wear the gate guard's costume and be photographed in it. This is on a first come first served basis which can keep you on queue for several minutes.

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 How to Get There:

Gyeongbokgung Station (Line3), exit 5

Admission Rates:

Free

Schedule:

Sumunjang Changing Ceremony

10am, 1pm, 3pm (20 minutes per ceremony)

Gwanghwamun Gate Guard Duty Performance

11am, 2pm, 4pm (10 minutes per ceremony)

NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM OF KOREA

tunnel from the subway to the museum

     Subway Line 3's Gyeongbokgung Station is directly connected to The Gyeongbokgung Palace. The tidy bricks, posters that look like real paintings and pillars of the tunnel from the subway to the palace will make you feel like you're in a museum. This is because at the end of the tunnel is the National Palace Museum of Korea. I was very impressed with their idea of making the tunnel look like it's already a part of it.

     Across the entrance of the museum is the breath-taking view of the Gyeongbokgung Palace entrance. It's like I'm dreaming the moment I saw it. I also expected to see this in 2012 but it didn't happen. I was so into the moment that I nearly lost the feeling of wanting to go into the museum. Good thing my husband poked me to wake up and start our museum tour.

     Inside the National Palace Museum of Korea is a huge collection of about 900 artifacts from the 500-year history of the Joseon Dynasty.

     Tour starts from the second floor, where the lobby is, then to the first floor and the basement.

     On the second floor are artifacts related to the history and records of Joseon Dynasty and household items that show the private lives of the Royal Family.

     I have this knock of describing things in a quirky and hilarious way especially when I'm with people I'm close to, so let me describe what I first saw. I saw a lot of square items which look like a block made of brass or jade with carvings of animals on them. Each are attached to a long, thick cord with a tassel. So, I dumbly said to my husband, "Those medallions are ridiculously huge! How are they gonna wear them?" Good thing nobody around understood what I said (or that's what I want to believe), because, guess what they actually are? They are the official seals of the Royalties! I was so humiliated even to myself. My brain often drops on the floor when I'm hungry. The seals on the photo are smaller than the other seals made of brass.

     We passed by a throne with a lot of intricate jade carvings 
which looks small to be a throne. I'm just not sure what the height of the Royalties were. The Royal Library is very simple with its shelves that look like racks, but it's impressive with its documents and scriptures on them. It's like we're walking in a Korean Drama set. There are paint brushes on it's rack, small tables for painting and a lot of furnitures that were used by the Royal family.

The Royal Throne

Royal Library

     Artifacts from different parts of the palace are also exhibited. The stone sculpture on the roof, marble stones and sculptures on the stairs and the carved ceiling of the palace and the throne.

     In the adjacent room are fabrics used for the clothing of the Royalties and their actual traditional attires. The large collection of accessories, extravagant robes they use for different occasions, even the Royal Childrens' clothing are all there. The blue robe with pheasant pattern, which is the most attractive and most royal-looking among the collection, is the ceremonial robe worn by the queen and crown princesses during the most important ceremonies. This was the highest ranking ritual vestment of a woman. The children also wore very colorful and embroidered  robes and socks even during their playtime.

Ceremonial Robe

Royal Childrens' clothing

The queen's hairpins

     The collection of hairpins is surprising because I thought the queen gets to pick which one to use each time, until I read the description that they were all worn at the same time! That's a lot of hair accessory to wear!

         

     Next are a lot of "girly" items for the royal women.These made

Vanity mirror and jars of powder
and blusher

me smile seeing that even at that time, women cared a lot about their looks. There is a vanity mirror with small jars of what they used as pressed powder and blusher that time and different kinds of purse which are very unique. I have to say, I love these angular purse! There is also a separate purse for their perfume. They look like the chinese purse that tourists buy for souvenirs from the souvenir shops in China and Hongkong.

But they are so small which made me think of what they put in them.

perfume purse for the royal women

angular purse for
the royal women

     Another item, which is not too girly if you ask me, is this big headdress worn by the queen. I felt sorry for her when I saw this. I wonder how heavy that was! It looked like it's made of wood with a long braided wig. I guess that's one of the sacrifices they had to make as royalty.

     Moving to the first floor, we immediately saw two royal vehicles. These were the Queen's and Emperor Sunjong's vehicle, produced by General Motors from U.S.A. by special order, which is the fanciest vintage car I ever saw yet. 
     The first room we checked is a little  solemn, nearly all beige, cream, light gray and white in color. We saw a long display of urns and big structures which look like tombs. From the posters and labels, we've read that they're all part of the State Rites of the Joseon Dynasty.
     Emperor Gojong's portrait is on the second room we went in. Emperor Gojong is the 26th Joseon King, the first sovereign of the Korean Empire and the father of Emperor Sunjong. This room shows the evolution of the Korean Military from their  uniforms to their weapons.
       The third room amazed me. There's this big glass window that gives you a view of a very colorful, huge and intricately designed device which looked like an ancient house or storage for me. I immediately checked the museum brochure for directions on how to go there and see it closely. The device is on the basement, where tourists can view it closer and check on the touchscreen monitor about what it does and how it works. 
     When we approached it, it got even more sophisticated, in my opinion. The details are amazing! It even has a balcony, has jars of different sizes, dolls on the other side, stairs and a small window. The monitor says it's a water clock. Such a humongous clock! And how can water be it's source of power?
     A few clicks and we found out. This was closely attended to so as to check the water levels on the jars. The drops of water continuously travels from the jars to the middle part of the clock on the containers, travels up the vertical wood and back down, then to the anterior part. That's why there is a slant platform. When a specific amount of water is received inside, a small doll will come out of the window and show how much time has passed during the day. The small statues you see up the platform create sounds or chimes which correspond to the doll. This could have been the inspiration to the grandfather's clock, just a thought.
     

Water Clock

Water Clock

     This, by the way, is a restoration of the original self-striking water clock of King Sejong.

     On this level are a lot of significant paintings. The folding screen of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peeks is here. This was placed behind the throne of the Joseon King.

        Interesting carriages and percussion instruments are also here. 

     The carriages are quite small similar to the throne we saw on the second floor. Two of them doesn't have any protective walls nor roof like the others that royalties used during travel. These only has a chair and long wooden handles. These were used by the royalties during wars when they join the cavalry.

      Some of the percussion instruments will make you wonder what they are from their appearance compared to the traditional drums we see on T.V. One is very colorful like most Korean artifacts and even has a crane wood carving on top. The other is shaped a container with a cover with a hole at the middle.

percussion instrument

percussion instrument

     The chimes are of different materials but the ones made out of jade are more popular among tourists since we usually see bells and chimes made of metal. Jades were used because they are not affected by temperature changes, making them efficient tuners for all traditional Korean instruments.

     Cameras are allowed inside the museum but flash photography and tripods are prohibited.

     If you happen to starve after the tour, there is a cafe on the 1st floor but we preferred to go around Gwanghwamun area and explore a little while looking for something else to eat. We ended up having lunch at Quiznoz with other foreigners in a building just across the south gate of the palace. We had a nice sub and, of course, a cappuccino. A nice tour is always paired with a good cup of coffee.

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 How to get there:

Gyeongbokgung Station, exit 5

Admission Rates:

Free

Operating Hours:

9am to 6pm

     *closed on Mondays, except on National Holidays

NAMSAN PARK (Part I, Namsangol Hanok Village)

         Last stop for the weekend (February 10, 2013), Namsan Park.

     Unconsciously getting through the wrong exit in Chungmuro Station instead of exit 3 which is right in front of the village made us go through unfamiliar, steep alleys. I could hardly catch my breath and keep up with my husband's pace. I was already getting a hunch that it's going to be a bad day for us until we got lost again uphill looking for the Seoul Tower and the Korean Folk Village. It's not all bad that we got lost. We realized we went up the opposite side of the mountain as we saw the Namsan Tower and not the familiar Hotels I saw a year ago.We stumbled upon some places in the mountain that we both haven't seen before. There's this neat looking house which seems like a restaurant, or atleast what my husband thinks it is. There's this shrine which has a sign that reads Waryongmyo. After a lot of searching and long trek, we found the Namsangol Hanok Village.

Seoul Tower on the Background

neat!

Waryongmyo 

     We went in through the rear gate since we got lost and saw the Seoul Millenium Time Capsule. We learned that it will be opened on November 29, 2394, Seoul's 1000th anniversary as the capital of South Korea. 600 items which represents Seoul and the lives of

An old pavilion

the citizens were buried when they celebrated Seoul's 600-year anniversary. We passed by a serene stream and some ponds which are somewhat relaxing after that long, exhausting walk. We saw the an old pavilion where their ancestors used to enjoy the scenery, write poetry and paint, but we sort of missed the Namsangol Traditional Garden since it's winter. The native plants and flowers that I've been wanting to photograph were all covered with hay to protect them from the very cold season. Then, finally we saw the Namsangol Hanok Village.

     A line of tok (traditional Korean rice cake) vendors welcomed

us and and old well. My husband bought me some tok for snacks and we took a picture at the well. The toks are made of glutinous rice and flavoring and bean paste or peanut paste for filling. Some are ok but there are some flavors I can't recognize.

Facts about Namsan:

     Namsan (남산- south mountain) used to be the southern border of Hanyang (present day Seoul) back in 1394 (Joseon Dynasty period), thus its name. At the northern foot of the mountain is the Hanok Village. There were valleys and pavilions in the area during the Joseon Dynasty making it a good place to visit during summer. At present, five Hanok houses were moved at the Namsangol Hanok Village to give the new generation a glimpse into the lives of their Korean ancestors.

Five Traditional Houses:
Carpenter Yi Seungeop's House

     Originally located at 36-2 Samgak-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, was a big mansion composed of eight buildings. But now, only the inner quarters (anchae), outer quarters (sarangchae) and the middle gate remain.

Gim Chunyeong's House

     Owijang Gim Chunyeong lived here during the late Joseon period. This was continuously occupied by his family until his grandson, Gim Hongi who was the last resident of the house. Originally situated at 125-1 Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, this was built in the 1890's.

Min Family's House

     What we see here at present is only a part of the house owned my Min Yeonghwi which used to have several buildings.The anchae was moved to the Hanok Village in 1998 and the sarangchae and byeoldangchae were rebuilt. This house was originally at 30-1 Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Yun Taek Yong's Jaesil

     Presumed to have been built by Haepung Buwongun Yun Taekyeong, emperor Sunjong's father in law when Empress Junjeong became the Crown Princess in 1906. This house's original location was in 224 Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu and was also moved at the Namsangol Hanok Village in 1998.

Yun Family's House

     The original house was at 47-133 Ogin-dong and belonged to Yun Deokyeong, Empress Sunjeonghyo's uncle. It was too old and fragile to be transferred to Namsagol Village, thus a replica was built. The decorative pillars of the anchae indicates that only the upper class can afford this kind of house.

     I often see pictures of these houses from outside which made me very curious about their interior. The details of the furnitures amazed us. And it's quite impressive that they were able to preserve them. We saw colorful fabrics made into beddings, cushions and traditional clothes.

     Outside were kimchi jars and some traditional kitchen utensils. A big, Y-shaped wood caught my attention. It looked like a huge slingshot. We learned that it's something used to pound rice by stepping on one end on a rhythm.

           

     If you wish to have some souvenirs, there's a shop just outside the houses near the well which sells Korean fans made of paper, key chains, cards and other cute replicas of traditional items.

     On our way out, we found some life-size pictures of Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) for the visitors' photo-op. As expected, we took advantage of the opportunity. And we found the supposed to be entrance of the village.

              

                 Village Map

Village Gate

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How to get there:

Chungmuro Station (Line 3), exit 3 or 4

Admission rates:

free

Operating Hours:

April to October      - 9am to 9pm

November to March- 9am to 8pm

     *closed every Tuesday

WINTER IN EVERLAND

Everland winter tickets (already promoting
for the next season) and resort guide

     Fueled up by excitement,  I woke up before my alarm clock went off and headed straight to the shower. By around 8:30am, we were already getting off the Jinsari- Pyeongtaek route bus and ready to hit the subway. Suwon station is ten stations away from Pyeongtaek station (Korail Line 1). After getting off at Suwon, we waited for bus #66. Travel time from Suwon to Everland shuttle bus pick up point will take around 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes. From there, you will have to transfer to Everland's shuttle bus for another 10-minute ride to Everland's gates.

   Admission rate for adults is usually 44,000 KRW but they sometimes offer discounts on holidays. If you are a foreigner, print out the discount coupon from their website and present your passport at the ticket office for an 8,000 KRW discount.

    Everland Theme Park is divided into five areas. The Global Fair, American Adventure, Magic Land, European Adventure and Zoo-Topia. Their names are somewhat a giveaway of what area theme is but still, be preapared to see more than you expect to see from them.

     We walked around Global Fair after we got through the gate, saw some snowmen and got enchanted by this giant Snow Magic Tree and its giant snowflakes and Christmas balls. It somehow reminded me of the movie Avatar while the Pororo 3D adventure reminded me of my nieces and nephews because of Pororo's fame back home. 

 

Snow Magic Tree

Pororo 3D Adventure

Brunch at Burger Cafe America

    For energy boost, we stopped at Burger Cafe America for some Premium Big Burger, chicken balls, fries and hot chocolate.

    Wandering around the American Adventure area led us to the lift going to Carnival Square. I took lots of pictures of my husband, forgetting I was the one he's giving a tour. My frostbit husband, by the way, bought his gloves for 20,000 KRW at a kiosk  near the Snow Magic Tree, since it got too cold as we entered the park. Quite expensive, if you ask me, considering I find lots of knitted mufflers, caps and gloves in Manila and Baguio City for only 3 to 10 USD.

My frostbit husband

view from the lift

     The lift takes only a few minutes to get you to the Carnival Square. A very short ride for a spectacular view of the park. It makes me want to go back in the line of other guests with their teeth chattering because of the crisp winter breeze.    

       A few steps more took us to Zoo-Topia. Seeing polar bears and  penguins is like a dream for somebody who grew up in the tropics. The animals seem to know how to entertain their guests. The polar bears kept on nodding at us, the penguins and  stellar sea lions suddenly made lots of noise and took a plunge into the water and swam like Olympic swimmers back and forth.

the showoff penguins

the camera-conscious stellar sea lion

     A big part of Zoo-Topia is closed on winter since a lot of animals wouldn't survive the season. What a shame! I really wanted to experience Safari World where I can ride a  van and have a  close  

     

closed!

encounter  with the tigers, bears and more. I was also excited about the Amazon Express and get on a big tube for a ride along the man-made rapids. Even the Animal Riding area is closed during winter. I realized guests miss out on a lot of attractions if you go there in winter. Good thing my husband agreed to go back in fall. Imagine my smile when he said, yes! I'll be spending halloween in Everland next time. I can already see the autumn colors in my head. And I am curious of what the Halloween Parade will be like.

    Near Zoo-Topia is an igloo, maze and iceberg which seemed to be made of fiber glass at the snow covered Snow Village so we played around a little. I kinda wished my nieces and nephews were with us.   

                            

     Across the Snow Village, a romantic view of the European Adventure took my breath away. It really felt like Europe in there with the buildings' architecture, restaurants and cafes. It's also quite entertaining to see an excerpt from The Nutcracker in Korean.

Swiss-like buildings

The Nutcraker

                                     

     It was fun checkin' out the Mystery Mansion where you shoot ghosts with LASER guns but the attraction is for the kids. It's not as scary as it looks outside. The Rotating House, on the other hand, is quite enjoyable for everyone. It gives you the illusion of being in a house that is turning up side down while sitting in a room with dim light. Of course I wouldn't pass the chance to get a thrill from the Snow Buster! My husband refused to join me so he could take my pictures. It sort of gave me the chills as I was going up the hill and while waiting on queue, thinking it's gonna be a speedy, scary ride down the hill on a large tube. But it was not! I actually had fun and if only there were only a few people waiting for their turn, I'd give it another go.

Mystery Mansion

The Rotating House

Snow Buster

     We took a longer walk this time after that fun ride. We ended up at the Four Seasons Garden which gave us a real impression of white Christmas. The garden has more than a dozen christmas  

Four Seasons Garden

trees, hundreds of poinsettia plants, caroling snowmen and The Nutcracker-themed displays. Kids also had fun here throwing snowballs like in Snow Village. We could have stayed a while more in there if only my toes were not freezing. My leather boots lined with synthetic fur is still not enough to let me walk in the snow for a long time, so I walked fast where it is clear of snow. We followed the stairs which led us to Cocina Mario and had an excellent view of the Holland Village and the T Express Roller Coaster.

     I can't choose which one is my favorite. I get surprised every time we get to another area of the park. Everything about it is so amazing. No wonder a lot of families come back to visit. Especially, that it changes its theme every season. 

    It was a lovely walk through the Holland Village. It was just the two of us walking and taking silly pictures when a nice Korean park attendant offered to take our 

picture at the Holland Stage.
They don't speak English so I had a hard time figuring out what she's trying to say. My husband who knows Korean understood her, so we started posing and pretended we're dancing on the stage.


      Near the Holland Village and the Four Seasons Garden is the Rose Garden. Only, there are no roses this time, again because of the season. Everything's covered in snow. But the ambiance made me feel like I'm in a fairy tale.
     Magic Land on the other hand will give you the feeling of being in a children's story book by walking through a garden filled with characters from Aesop's fables.
     Before it became dark, we had spicy chicken in skewers and soda. The small tables have heaters under their umbrellas, so you don't have to worry about freezing while having snacks at the snack bar.

     We waited for the highlight of the evening, the parade! From afar, colorful LED lights illuminated the European Village, so we ran to catch what it is. I was the parade! The huge float, mascots and park actors had LED around them. I recognized some of them from The Nutcracker play earlier. Parade music plays as the actors mingle with the crowd.  Park attendants are very accommodating and kind in assisting us where to go and offered to take our pictures. The mascots and the costumes are so adorable.
 

       Everland looked like a different park when night came. It's like walking in a tent made of lights.
     Don't forget to grab souvenirs from the shops before heading home. They have cute, useful items at the souvenir shops found everywhere in the park. We got cute fruit-scented markers, white tiger flashlight and picture holder and Paul Frank lip balm in Julius' coconut cream and bubble gum flavors with key king. It's funny, but I even brought the cute plastic bag they're in back in Manila.

     If you're too tired get on the bus to get home, you may stay at the Home Bridge Hostel for night and maybe check out Caribbean Bay's Wave Pool, Sandy Pool, River Way and water slides the next day.

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Getting there:

Bus
Gangnam Station     - bus #5002
Incheon                   - bus #8862
Suwon                     - bus #66

Admission Rates:

Adults- 44,000 KRW     Youths- 37,000 KRW     Children/Senior- 34,000 KRW

Operating Hours:

10am to 11 pm