iTravel by maplRN: March 2018

Imagine Your Korea : Seoul and Jeju Island Winter Escapade

22 January - 28 January 2018

Seoul and Jeju Island South Korea

(Namisum, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do)

Two months have passed when I started my first travel for this year and now I'm so excited to finally let you see my entire photography experience in one of the most beautiful country in Asia,

SOUTH KOREA.

Living in a tropical country with only two season gives me the inspiration to pursue a dream where most of us wanted to experience since childhood. Winter escapade is one of my ultimate dream since the day I started travelling as a travel photographer. And so, this year, I've decided to visit South Korea for my very first winter experience happened last January. South Korea is a huge country with lots of beautiful and interesting places to visit and I choose to explore Seoul and Jeju Island.

SEOUL

Myeong-dong Shopping District

Myeongdong is a commercial area in Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the main shopping and tourism districts of the country and listed as the ninth most expensive shopping street in the world.

Korean skewers

A man preparing their famous Gyeran-Bbang (Egg Bread)

A woman cooking Cheese Butter Baked Scallops

Sweet Korean Strawberries

Prepare yourself as the street in day and night offers one of kind gastronomical experience from skewers to grilled foods perfect for the cold weather.

One of the notable landmark of Myeongdong is the oldest cathedral in Korea, the Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception also known as Myeongdong Cathederal.

Entrance of the Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral

Myeongdong Cathedral

Go around the Cathedral you will see some interesting subjects for photography.

Be sure to visit the cathedral at night for a different view with lights lit around.

On the other side of the road, you'll find the pathway to Mt. Namsan which lies the N-Seoul Tower or the Namsan Tower, widely used for radio and television broadcast and communications. With a good weather and a full energy, you can walk towards the tower but if you want to make your life easier, you can reach the top by the Namsan Cable Tower within 5 minutes.

Snowy Bridge of Love Padlocks

Snowfall at the Love padlocks N-Seoul Tower

Whoa! Snow!!! That's my reaction upon reaching the Namsan Mountain. It is my first time to see a real snow!

N-Seoul Tower

N-Seoul Tower is one of the iconic symbol of Korea. Many couples head to the tower to lock their "Padlock of Love" onto the railing and to dream for an everlasting love.

Padlock of Love

Since there is a massive (for me) snowfall that day, all I can see from the top is white. I failed to see the bird's eye view of the city but it was amazing to experience snow on my very first day in Seoul!

View from the top

Winter Sonata at N-Seoul Tower

With my itinerary, second day in Seoul wasn't my lucky day. First on my list is the Gyeongbokgung Palace and it is close on that day (Tip: don't visit on Tuesday) but I still manage to take a photo outside.

In front of the palace you'll get to see the Gwanghwamun Plaza or the Gwanghwamun Square, a public open space that features the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Joseon Dynasty and King Sejong the Great of Joseon.

Few steps from the plaza, you can reach the Cheonggyecheon Stream, a 10.9 kilometer long stream.

On the right side of the Gyeongbokgung Palace is a 10 minute walk to the Changgyeonggung Palace, originally named as "Suganggung" that was built in the mid 15th century by King Sejong for his father, Taejong.

In between of the two palace is the famous Bukchon Hanok Village, a Korean traditional village in Seoul with lots of alleys also called as "Hanok" preserved to show a 600 year old urban environment.

A well known traditional street to both locals and foreigners originally from two towns whose names ended in the syllables "in" and "sa" is the Insa-dong.

Don't miss to visit one of the major urban development landmark in Seoul, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. It is designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo with a distinctively neofuturistic design characterized by the "powerful, curving forms of elongated structure.

Just beside the plaza is a permanent exhibition of roses that light up automatically as the sun sets, the Garden of Light: DDP LED Roses.

Yeouido Park is a large public park near the Hangang River that is popular for its sporting and leisure options as well as its cherry blossoms.

Hangang River

A tiny half moon shaped island located in Chucheon is the Namisum or widely known as Nami Island.

It was inudated by the rising water of the North Han River as the result of the construction of Cheongpyeong Dam in 1944. The name was originated from General Nami who died at the age of 28 after being falsely accused of treason during the reign of King Sejo.

A french style theme park that was constructed in July 2008 in Gyeonggi Province is the Petite France.

Gapyeong, near the border of the North and South Korea

Winter view from Petite France

A 30,000 meter garden in Gapyeong is the Garden of Morning Calm. It is open year-round and is a great spot to visit for families, couples and photographers alike. Each season has its own festival and for the winter, it's Lighting Festival.

JEJU ISLAND

One of the largest island off the coast of Korean Peninsula is Jeju Island, Jeju Province of South Korea.

Seongsan, Jeju Island, South Korea

More than one hour bus ride from Jeju International Airport, you can reach one of the New 7 Wonders of the world, Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak also called as "Sunrise Peak".

It is an archetypal tuff cone formed by the hydrovolcanic eruptions upon a shallow seabed about five thousand years ago. Measures 182 meters high, has a preserved bowl-like crater and also displays diverse inner structures resulting from the sea cliff.

Udo Island, view from the peak

Seongsan Ilchulbong Port

Seaside of Seongsan

There are four waterfalls that can be found in Jeju Island and I am lucky enough to visit three of those.

"Sky connected with land" is the Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls, 22 meters high and 12 meters wide. It is also known for its diverse plant and animal life as the path to the waterfall goes through a garden of subtropical plants.

The second waterfall is a 10 minute walk from the Cheonjiyeon waterfalls, the Jeongbang Waterfall. It is 23 meters high and the only waterfall in Asia that falls directly in the ocean. It is considered Yeongjusipgeong, one of the ten greatest scenic wonders of Jeju.

The third waterfall is a three tier waterfall with 22 meters high, the Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls. Cold water flows out of the ceiling of a cave to make the waterfall.

First tier (no waterfall during winter)

Second tier

Third Tier

Above the falls is Seonimgyo Bridge that symbolizes the legend of Cheonjeyeon. It has seven nymphs carved on both sides that symbolizes the Korean legend of the descent of seven beautiful nymphs from heaven at night.

At the southern coast of Jeju Island lies a cliff with spectacular volcanic rock formation, the Jusangjeolli Cliff. It is similar to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.