PYEONGTAEK MARKET

     I alternately go to three grocery stores around Jinsari when ever I want to pass time but I never saw a public market around even once, so I made this weird request to my husband. I asked him to take me to the market where he usually buys all sorts of fresh meat that are hard to find in the groceries near our place.

     The market is only a 15-minute bus ride from Jinsari. We got off in front of the Pyeongtaek Station. After a short walk from AK Plaza, a mall at Pyeongtaek Station, we reached the public market. Cheap finds like sneakers, jeggings and jeans for around 7,000 to 10,000 lined the first alley we went to. Every alley offers different commodities as expected. We passed by an alley of cooked food, then to an alley of street foods like topokki. If Korean side dishes has grown a spot on your taste buds but doesn't have an idea how to prepare them, there's an area which sells side dishes that are ready-to-eat. Name every kind of kimchi you know and you'll get it from there.

     The market is small but is so clean even the seafood area. They sell fresh and dried fishes . I didn't recognize a single species in there even the fresh ones. Seeing the mountains of dried fish was like seeing the daings in Taboan Market in Cebu City, Philippines.

     We didn't buy a single thing in the market but my curiosity was satisfied now that I know how to get there and how it looks like.

Clean Pyeongtaek Market at night

Ready-to-eat Korean side dishes

Dried fish and seaweeds

Mountains of dried fish

SUWON HWASEONG FORTRESS IN WINTER

   
     The gates and walls I saw on our way back from Everland Resort to Suwon made me want to go back and take a closer look. So after three weeks, I was successful in dragging my husband to Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

     This area was surrounded by 5.7 kilometers of stone walls and has four gates, the Janganmun (north gate), Hwaseomun (western gate), Changnyongmun (eastern gate) and the Paldalmun (southern gate) and has towers used for different purposes. The fortress was influenced by both Eastern and Western architecture.  It was built before the end of 18th century when King Jeongjo tried to move the capital from Seoul to Suwon to get away from the ugly memories of his father, Prince Sado's death caused by his grandfather King Yeongjo. The Crown Prince was locked in a rice chest for eight days until he died. King Jeongjo moved his father's tomb to Suwon and built these walls to protect it. Now, it's in the list of UNESCO's world heritage sites.

Dongbuk Gangnu

     We didn't have a tiny hint that this is going to be another mountain hike but it's worth all the leg muscle cramps we got. We started trekking from the Janganmun and the first pavilion we saw is the Dongbuk Gangnu in the northeast of the fortress on a slightly elevated terrain which was used for resting.
     That was just the beginning of a long, tiring hike up the mountain. We followed the wall, taking 2-minute breaks each time we're out of breath and finally reached the highest part (or so we thought). There's another pavilion, a tower, some benches and a nice view of Suwon.

      Not far is the Seoammun(Western Secret Gate), which provided secret access to the fortress, and the Filial Piety Bell. The bell was hung by the people of Suwon for visitors to ring to wish them well. Guests should ring it thrice- first as a symbol of gratitude to his parents and to wish them good health, second ring for his family's health and harmony and third for the realization of his dreams. We didn't get to strike the bell that day because the ticket booth was closed and a minimal fee needs to be paid to do this.

Seoammun

Filial Piety Bell

     A few more walks took us to the Unesco marker and a small gate. Inside is a pit stop if you need to go or get some ramyun 

UNESCO stone marker

(noodles). Then to another gate which leads to the Southwestern Pavilion or Seonamgangnu that served as a resting place for the soldiers and doubled as a watch tower because of its strategically high location. There's this small area just before the gate. I apologize for forgetting 

what it was and for not taking pictures since it didn't trigger my

gate going to the convenience store

interest because of it's not-so-tidy grounds but it has some sort of a marker with Hangul scriptures. If you want to check it out, it's a bit hidden behind some trees on the left before the gate to the southwestern pavilion.

gate and muddy trail to Seonamgangnu

     We dared to take a different route back and went down a muddy trail. We were led to another road and a shrine but it's closed and no one else was checking it out that time. After the shrine is a view of the Hwaseong  Haenggung on the right side of the road.
     Hwaseong  Haenggung is a temporary shelter where the king
used to rest or retire from a war. This is the biggest among the temporary palaces built in South Korea. The king stayed here at the time of Wonghaeng (his long journey) and this is where his mother's 60th birthday was celebrated. 

Hwaseong Haenggung

     The last stop we made was at the bronze statue of King Jeongjo. He is one of the prominent kings of Joseon Dynasty. The statue is huge and very detailed but what caught my attention were his shoes! I don't know, maybe it's a girl thing. Behind the statue is an amazing gallery of the ancient life of South Koreans etched on the granite walls as you walk towards the exit.

King Jeongjo's Statue

gallery behind the statue

     Suwon Hwaseong Fortress is one of the foreign tourists' favorite cultural tourist spots. We haven't explored the whole fortress yet because of our limited travel time and I still have a lot of other reasons to go back, so I'm sure we'll visit it again on my next visit this fall.

 HOW TO GET THERE
Subway Line 1, Suwon station (exit 2)
take bus #2, 7, 7-2, 8 or 13 to Jongno 4-geori

OPERATING HOURS
Summer- 9am to 6pm
Winter  - 9am to 5pm

Osan Military Base

     Osan Military Base, also known as K-55, is located on the northern part of Songtan, Pyeongtaek City. Contrary to its location, the name Osan was chosen since it is hard to pronounce and remember the names of nearby areas. 
     Across the base is the popular Shopping road or Arcade Street. This is one of the places in Pyeongtaek-si where you can find people from different parts of the world all at once. Many who just want to relax come here especially during weekends. 

     If you're planning to go hardcore bar-hopping on a Saturday night, Arcade Street in front of Osan Military Base is a good choice. The entire strip, including the small alleys, is a chain of bars and clubs. Some even offer live music. But Blue Opera caught my attention with their big and maybe we can call it artistic (though scary) facade.

     If you're not much of a drinker and just plain love shopping, you'll enjoy every nook of the area with both Korean and U.S. boutiques. Many stores have American brands, mostly sporty goods, that are hard to find in Korean Malls. Not all would offer a good deal though, so try to search in the internet first for prices if you have things in mind that you plan to buy and want to compare. Cosmetics shops offer a better deal in Pyeongtaek-ro area than in K-55 so you may also want to check that out. It's just four stations away from Songtan, anyway.

     High quality Korean goods from collectible dolls in Hanbok to elegant bed covers are also here. Children's toys, pillows, pajamas and anything you need in your apartment is here.

     Being away from home makes anyone miss their local food and coming to K-55 may give you a chance to enjoy something native to your palate. Food that you've been craving since you stepped foot on South Korea may be here! If you're sick of sundaekuk and kimchi or grabbing burger from a Korean burger chain or the usual ice pop from the supermarket, McDonald's and Baskin' Robbins are here. I even found a Filipino restaurant which has halo-halo and leche flan in their menu! Too bad it's closed when we went there. Before hitting McDonald's, I just had to beg for some streetfood. It's been a year since my boyfriend, now my husband, bought me something from the street. The spicy chicken on stick perked me up.

     A few turns around alleys will take you to a market where you can find the usual goods you need in your kitchen. There are also small houses for rent at a low cost nearby, where a lot of foreigners reside.

     We were advised by an ahjumma to get a cab to and fro K-55 from Songtan Station but, again, we preferred to walk and enjoy the conversation and the unfamiliar roads. It's approximately a 15-minute walk if you're up for it like we do. 

Here's how to get to Arcade Street :

1. From Songtan Station Line 1, walk to your right after you exit the station. Walk down the stairs from the bridge and turn right on the next street. This is the Tanhyeon 1-ro. You'll see a parking lot to your right. 
2. Walk straight ahead until you see a flyover or an elevated road perpendicular to Tanhyeon 1-ro. 
3. Cross the street and walk under the elevated road. If you're familiar with Quiapo, Manila, it's as if you're walking under the Quezon Bridge with all the fruit and streetfood vendors minus the native handicrafts. 
4. Keep walking until the end of the road and turn right. You should be in Sinjang-ro now. 
5. Follow the slight curve of the road to the left and you'll see the gate of Osan Military Base. If you see it from this angle (check the first photo), you're probably standing at the corner of Sinjang and Arcade Streets.

Osan Military Base

Arcade Street/ Shopping Road

Yummy Korean street food

McDonald's Angus Burger

In an alley of bars and restaurants

Souvenirs

Blue Opera Bar

GYEONGBOKGUNG AND GWANGHWAMUN IN WINTER

     Gyeongbokgung or Gyeongbok Palace (Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven) is located just before the Bugaksan Mountain with Mount Namsan on the foreground. The main entrance of the palace is the Gwanghwamun or the southern gate where we saw the Ceremony of Gate Guard Change. In front of it is the Yukjo-geori (Street of Six Ministries), now known as Sejongno, where major government offices are found.

Geunjeongjon

    The Geunjeongjon (Hall of Industrious Administration), where the King's throne is found, is immediately seen as you enter the 
Geunjeongmun. This is the biggest and most formal hall in the palace where large official functions were held. This has a big court yard made of stones. The aisle is said to be the place where officials line up before the king and the stone markers indicate where each official should stand. My husband and I wandered around with lots of tourists along the corridors of the court. We noticed the intricately designed wooden beams and posts that carry the tiled roof of the walkway as we followed the thick walls of the palace.

     We saw lots of halls and residences which reflects Korea's rich culture and it's people's patriotism in the solemn ambiance of Gyeongbok Palace.

     We passed by a big lotus pond, west of the King's residence,

with a banquet hall at the center. This is the Gyeonghoeru where the King threw feasts for his foreign guests and his officials. The frozen pond looks like a skating rink during winter. Walking around it took us to another vast land covered with trees which leads to a secluded area at the northwest, the Taewonjeon Shrine. It was where King Taejo's portrait was placed then used for other puposes like keeping the mortuary tablets and performing rites for the deceased.

      I imagined the officials taking their ride with horses with this long trek back to the middle part of the palace. We literally had to walk up and down the mountain to get from one area to another.

Our eyes were glued for several minutes on this beautiful structure in the middle of another pond. It is the Hyangwonjeong, meaning "Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance". The small island where the pavilion was built is connected through a small bridge called Chwihyanggyo which means, intoxicated with fragrance. This garden was redesigned when the Geoncheonggung residence was built.

     Geoncheonggung played an important part in their history. Aside from being King Gojong favorite place where he and his

wife often stayed, this is where he  met ministers from United States, Great Britain and Russia to solve certain political issues during his reign. This was also where a two-storey library was built by a Russian architect, the first electric lights were installed, and where one of the bloodiest parts of history happened . Queen Myeongseong was murdered by Japanese assassins in 1895.

     My idea of a romantic walk with my husband inside the palace was wiped off by the gory and gloomy part of Korea's history. But, of course, it's a part of everything. Everything that Korea has become. I admired their patriotism more after this tour. From how I see it, they  have become a stronger nation with loyal citizens which will never be easily taken down by anything.

     That ended or palace tour, or so I thought. It's impossible to go back to Gwanghwamun Station since it would be a very long and tiring walk, so we looked for another gate. We passed by the National Folk Museum of Korea to get to the nearest exit. It's a shame that we didn't have enough time for that museum that afternoon because we had to head back, but we were able to go around the village and check out the zodiacs, totem poles, ox-drawn millstone and other traditional items.

National Folk Museum of Korea

Totem poles

     Across the street, after we got through the gate were some eye catching ads for another museum. One day is really not enough for this trip. We followed the walls and ended up at Gwanghwamun again. We crossed the street and explored Gwangwhamun Square. 

     Gwanghwamun Square is a view of Korea's excellent economy today and a glimpse of their past with King Sejong's and Admiral Yi Sun Shin's statues being surrounded by modern, towering buildings. This is where King Sejong, his officials and subjects mingled together. It was then known as the Yukjo Street of Joseon period, like what I've mentioned earlier. In front of his statue is a rain gauge and a sundial. I knew how to read a sundial since we also have some in parks back home but, honestly, I can't figure out how the rain gauge works.

     Not far from the sundial is Admiral Yi Sun Shin's Statue. As admiral, the famous naval commander led the fight when they were invaded by the Japanese in 1592. He made the Japanese fleet go back with his Geobukseon or Turtle Ship and was then called a hero by many Koreans. His life was ended in the Battle of Noryang by a stray bullet in 1598. He was given the title Chungmugong (Duke of Loyalty and Arts of Chivalry), posthumously.

King Sejong and the Air Gauge

The Sundial

Admiral Yi Sun Shin's Statue

Sky Scrapers of Gwanghwamun Square

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How to Get There:

Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), exit 5

Gwanghwamun Station (Line5), exit 2

Admission Rates:
adults   - 3,000 KRW
children- 1,500 KRW

Operating Hours:
June to August             - 9am to 6:30pm
March to May              - 9am to 6pm
September to October   - 9am to 6pm
January to February      - 9am to 5pm
November to December- 9am to 5pm