Korea Tourism – My Dream Journey in Korea

Dear readers,

Gongjunim has just took part in an online video contest organized by Korea Tourism Organization and Buzz Korea. My video (Title: My Dream Journey in Korea) is based on my some memorable episodes which I had during my studies in Korea.

Please support by viewing the video above!

Your view is appreciated and let’s spread our love for Korea together~! Thank you very much~!! ^^

Loves,
Gongjunim

 

Korea Travel Diary – Boys over Flowers Shinhwa Campus

Gongjunim having fun riding Geum Jandi’s bicycle ^^

On December 30 snowing cold morning, Gongjunim set off with her friend to Cheongnyangni train station. We boarded the 9:00am train towards Yongmun. Our destination is Boys over Flowers Shinhwa Campus which is located at English Village (Yangpyeong Camp). The train journey took 1 hour. When we arrived at the train station, we walked towards the direction of Yongmun Police Station to take a cab to our destination. In less than 10 minutes, we arrived at the gate of the vintage European style looking school.

As the campus was deserted at that time when we arrived, my friend and I just wondered ourselves in. The first stop when I came excited is the signboard which said it is the filming location for Boys over Flowers drama. As we explored further, I reached a shelter area and I found it really familiar. Then I realised this was the place where they filmed the scene of Goo Joon Pyo, So Yi Jung and Song Woobin who were wearing Shinhwa school uniform and walking down while unwrapping and eating lollipop. There were also individual banners of Boys over Flowers drama main cast – Goo Hye Sun, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum and Kim Joon displayed at this shelter place. ^^

The shelter where the scene is being filmed ^^

Goo Hye Sun – Geum Jandi ❤ ^^

Lee Min Ho – Goo Joon Pyo ❤ ^^

As we moved on, we saw many nice vintage buildings in the campus. Eventually, we arrived at a corner and we saw Geum Jandi‘s bicycle and a banner board with Boys over Flowers drama scenes. I rode on the bicycle and cycled excitedly. Keke. (The bicycle is locked to the ground. ^^) It was fun nevertheless! And soon, we stumbled upon a building and went in. To my shock, it was the place where they filmed many scenes of Boys over Flowers drama. One scene is where F4 came walking in with their schoolmates screaming. And many more… ^^

  The door area which is filmed inside the drama ^^

The interior design of this building is nice and high class (which I think is the reason it is being chosen as the classroom setting for the drama). As I walked up the stairs to the second level. I saw lockers on my right. And as the lockers were not locked, I opened one to take a look inside. Keke. Overall, I will say it is really an eye-opener to actually relive those drama scenes in real-life.

The school locker ^^

After exploring the interior of this building, we walked out to take a look at other buildings. And I saw a open space with steps. As I recalled, it was actually the filming place where Oh Min Ji accidentally splitted ice-cream on Goo Joon Pyo‘s shoe. As it was all covered with snow and being enclosed, I could not go in. But seeing is good enough. ^^

The open space with steps which is filmed inside the drama ^^

Gongjunim’s favourite photo of Shinhwa Campus ^^

When my friend and I were leaving the campus, we stopped by the main reception (where nobody is around). We found 2 TVs which were playing the scenes from Boys over Flowers drama. We watched for a while and lazed around. And soon, we left the campus. Out of my surprise, my friend gave me a Shinhwa passport book which she took from a box she found nearby the toilet. Keke. There are no pictures of the cast though. Just some of the famous lines which the main cast said inside the drama. ^^

Personally, I am a vintage lover so I fell in love with this beautiful campus instantly~ If you are a fan of Boys over Flowers drama, perhaps you should pay a visit here~ The only con is that it is quite inaccessible when you are leaving. As there are not much cabs coming in, you will need to walk out and it will take you around 20 – 30 minutes to reach the main road… I took it as an exercise though it was freezing. Haha. Overall, it was really a unforgettable experience ❤ ^^

(credit – gongjunim.wordpress.com)

More photos of Boys over Flowers Shinhwa Campus:

Korea Travel Diary – Gallery Cafe Manolin (Winter 2009)

Gongjunim with her kooky fashion glasses at main reception of Cafe Manolin ^^

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve (December 24), Gongjunim and her 2 friends went to Seorae Maeul (서래마을) in Banpo-dong in search of Goo Hye Sun’s first gallery cafe – Gallery Cafe Manolin. The weather was freezing cold but it didn’t stopped my enthusiasm. Finally, we saw Gallery Cafe Manolin from not far away. It gave me a heart warming feel at the first impression.

Slowly, we moved on to the gallery located at first floor. As I opened the door in, the song playing from the gallery’s main sound system was “골목을 돌면” (“Around The Alley”) which is kept in Hye Sun’s first new age music album “Breathe”. Viewing the gallery along with Hye Sun’s music piece was truly a heart fulfilment. One by one, I viewed all the art pieces exhibited in the gallery. The raw power of art illustration by those talented artists have amazed me.

Gongjunim’s favourite art work

My friends moved on to the cafe located at second floor. As I was taking photographs, I followed up behind next. When I entered the cafe, I was greeted by Hye Sun’s brother-in-law. I feel an instant homely feel when I stepped in. There was a phootshoot going on inside the cafe on that day (I am unsure who is the male model). My friend chose the seats on a cosy spot beside the windows. The menu was in full Korean (forgot to take a picture). After looking through the menu, I ordered the assorted pancakes for my friends and green tea latte. While waiting for our orders, I was idling around my seat and almost fell asleep as it was too comfortable~! Soon, the cafe staff came with our food and my beverage. The pancakes were superb and the green tea latte has a heavenly aroma and taste~! ^^ Though the price of the pancakes was slightly steep (W15000), it is definitely worth the price~! ❤

Beautiful window display behind my seat

Assorted pancakes (original, walnut and banana flavours which comes with dips –  ice cream, whipped cream and honey)

Green tea latte (I give it a 5 stars~!)

My friends and I sat and chatted at our seats for some time. And I saw 2 Korean ladies coming in and they sat opposite of us. My friend decided to go to the toilet. And when she came back, she told me the cafe toilet decor was really beautiful. So I went to check out the cafe toilet with my camera. ^^ The toilet was spacious and well-maintained with beautiful tissue box and wall stickers. On my left side, I saw Hye Sun’s art work laid well on the floor. Then, I began to selca inside the toilet. Haha. ^^

Hye Sun’s art work which is kept inside her first illustrations novel “Tango”

After some time, I called for the bill and went to the reception. The lady talked to me in Korean with smiles. And I saw a set of really cute Christmas decors displayed at their cashier register. So I decided to ask if they were for sale. Sadly, they weren’t. ㅠㅠ Before leaving, I went on taking some photos of the interior and exterior of the cafe.

The cute Christmas decors which are kept inside the box ❤

Thinking back now, the most funniest and memorable incident which happened to me was that I almost left my neck scarf inside the cafe~! I ran back the cafe and with the help of the cafe staff, I found it under my chair. I recalled Hye Sun’s brother-in-law looking at me with full amusement. Haha.

I really love the overall concept of Gallery Cafe Manolin~! You’ll get indulged in the cafe atmosphere even Hye Sun isn’t there~ You’ll just feel her presence in the cafe~! It is amazing~ ^^ I’ll definitely visit the cafe again ❤

More photos of Hye Sun’s Gallery Cafe Manolin:

Korea Travel Diary – Year 2008 Spring (Jeju-do Part 1)

(Gongjunim with Dol Hareubang (돌 하르방) of Jeju-do (제주도). ^^)

It has been long that i blogged on my travel diary on Korea! So now, i am going to continue on some special moments which i experienced in Korea. The second time when i went Korea was on 2008 spring season. That time i was heading for Gimpo Airport to take the domestic flight to Jeju-do. It was raining slightly. But it didnt dampen my mood at all. I was looking forward to visiting the magnificent island of South Korea – Jeju-do (제주도).

After a hour of flight, I arrived at Jeju International Airport. It was still drizzling but my exciteness on exploring this island kept me unaffected by the weather. My first stop at Jeju-do was Yongduam Rock (용두암). It is also known as the Dragon Head Rock. It was a grand sight. You can walk down the pathway down to have a closer look of the rock too. Next day, we move on to Seongsan Ilchulbong (성산일출봉). It is also known as the Sunrise Peak. The scenery was breathtakingly gorgeous. Though i didn’t climbed up to the peak (due to weather condition, very disappointed though >.<), it was still a memorable moment there. The views from all sides of the Sunrise Peak was splendid. Should you be exploring Jeju-do, you should not miss here! ^^

Not forgetting to mention here, a distinctive cultural artifact of Jeju-do is the Dol Hareubang (돌 하르방). It is known as the “stone grandfather”. They are the symbol of Jeju-do and can be seen almost everywhere there. It was said that Dol Hareubang (돌 하르방) are gods who can bless human beings with protection against demons and women with fertility.

Yongdaum Rock (용두암)

Seongsan Ilchulbong (성산일출봉)

Other views from Seongsan Ilchulbong (성산일출봉):

Korea Music – Seems Like Breaking by Zia

i love 지아 (Zia)’s voice when i attended Music Bank KBS TV programme in korea last month. In here, would like to share with everyone one of her songs 터질 것 같아 (Seems like breaking) in her mini album. Enjoy ^^

Korea Travel Diary – Year 2006 Winter (6)

Our last travel destination was 무의도 (Muuido). I recalled travelling there, it was very “rushed” as we need to catch the last boat (if not we have to find a place to stay overnight there >.<). But still, i am happy that we have managed to come to this little beautiful island in Incheon. When we arrived at the jetty, our bus speeded to the beach. It took around 10 minutes to reach this beautiful beach (at a fast speed!). The sun was setting when we arrived. It was a beauty sight. ^^ And we saw the house which “Stairway to Heaven” drama was filmed near the beach. There’s a walkway up to the house. It was a beautiful decorated house. There was also a grand piano sited there.

As i walked down the stairway, i headed off to find seashells along the beach. There were many nice seashells and i collected some back. ❤ I enjoyed the gorgeous sight of the sunset with the sea background (although it was very cold >.<). 

And thinking back now, i just realised something familiar on the background. It is because this is the beach where “꽃보다 남자” (Boys Over Flowers) drama filmed its last episode at (the last scene where 준표 proposed to 잔디 and all the cast stand together facing the sea). Beautiful indeed! ^^ If you love mother nature, do come by 무의도 (Muuido) when you are in korea next time! ❤

(I was candid shot by my travel mate! *in the midst of picking seashells* haha.)

*end of year 2006 winter korea travel diary*

Korea Travel Diary – Year 2006 Winter (5)

Next, we moved on to Korean Entertainment Hall Of Fame. Basically, it is a mini entertainment publicity hall located inside KNTO (Korea National Tourism Organization) office which displays the current 한류 (Hallyu – Korea Wave) entertainment memorabilia. Saw many life size figures and merchandises of hit dramas (“Stairway to Heaven”, “Full House” etc). There are TV screens which played the dramas too. It is to let foreigners to know more on 한류. Would say that it was an impressive experience for me as i wasn’t much into K pop culture at then (now also too!) >.< All thanks to this “interactive” popular culture centre, i have know more gladly! ^^

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Korea Travel Diary – Year 2006 Winter (4)

Next day, we headed for 경복궁 (Gyeongbokgung). 경복궁 is a royal palace located in Seoul city. The first impression when i stepped in was a word “grand“. The south korea government have did impressive efforts to preserve this cultural heritage. Learnt a lot on korea history as we strolled around the ancient palace. ^^

Korea Travel Diary – Year 2006 Winter (3)

We came 롯데월드 (Lotte World) first when we reached Seoul. It was a Saturday night when we were there. The amusement park was packed with crowds, mostly koreans. Wanna have a try at the carousel ride but the queue was very long. I gave up. >.< Instead i went walked around the park with my friend. The park was very big with many interesting facilities. ^^ Love the ski rink especially. ❤  Do pay a visit to Lotte World if you love magical feel. ^^

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Korea Travel Diary – Year 2006 Winter (2)

The next travel stop was 용평리조트 (YongPyong Resort). It is located at 강원도 (Gangwon-do) which is the coldest province of South Korea. YongPyong Resort was famous for its winter ski activity (they do have other outdoor activities for other respective seasons too). The temperature was around -16 degrees celsius when i was there. The air was exceptionally chilly and frozen. Nevertheless, everyone was geared up for winter ski-ing. It was fun to see people ski-ing from the high point way down! ^^ The atmosphere there was like in a winterland dream (with tons of snow covered up). If you are a ski lover, you shouldn’t miss ski-ing in here! Ride on a cable car if you are not into ski-ing (like me!) when you are there. The scenery is tops! ^^