Day 4 is where we will set aside time to look for those shopping buys which we had put aside the previous days so that we can check that the buys are good or that we have made a decision to buy to prevent impulsive shopping.
(Above) Fashion apparel at Dongdaemun
Also, it allows us to revisit those places that we may have missed or rushed through in the first few days here. So we will go back to Dongdaemun area in the 1st half of the day and then go to Insadong area near our serviced apartment which will make getting back easier, especially after a full day of walking and shopping.
(Above) Different levels of shopping experience, from malls to markets.
After breakfast at our serviced apartment, we will walk to Anguk Station and take a train to the next stop at Jongnosam(3)ga Station which will allow us to make a transfer from Line 3 to Line 1. Taking the Line 1 train from Jongnosam(3)ga Station, we will alight at the the 2nd stop at Dongdaemun Station. At Dongdaemun station, we will exit from exit 3 of Line 4 of the station and use the overhead pass to get to the shopping malls like Doosan Tower and Migliore.
We will probably start with Doosan Tower which by itself is a feat to accomplish in shopping with 2000 stores in its nine stories. We heard that popular Korean pop stars often perform on the outdoor stage in front of the building so one can keep a lookout for them.
For lunch, we can either go to one of the many restaurants and eateries within Doosan Tower or proceed out of the mall to some recommended eateries in the area. We will shop till about 3 to 4pm in the afternoon before heading off to the 63 Building for some more shopping and getting a bird eye’s view of Seoul central.
Formerly called the Daehan Life Insurance (DLI) 63 Building(above), it is now know better by the local people as the 63 Building. While the building officially has 63 stories, only 60 are above ground. The other 3 are underground. Still, it remains the tallest building in Northeast Asia. Besides being a tourist and architectural attraction, the building contains many different attractions and amusement. The building resembles a small city, containing a beauty salon, post office, and ATM machines. Various stores sell everything from books to clothes to flowers to stationary.
To get to 63 Building, we will take a line 4 train from Dongdaemun station and transfer at the next stop which is Jongnosam(3)ga Station. At this station, we will transfer to Line 5 which will see us alighting 8 stops away at Yeouido Station. This station is located on an island on the southern side of the han River in Seoul. at side of the island has been paved over for parking, although a small patch has been saved for a small nature preserve.
Yeouido forms Seoul's (and therefore Korea's) financial and economic center, housing the Korea Stock Exchange and the headquarters of numerous securities dealers, banks, and other financial institutions. The National Assembly building sits on the western side, where Korea's polititians boycott meetings called by the opposing party and engage in occasional fist fights once they actually do get together. The eastern side of the island is dominated by the the 63 Building which we are visiting. We will emerge from exit 5 of the station and take a 10 minutes walk / or the free shuttle bus to 63 Building.
At 63 Building, we will pay about 5000W each to take the elevator to the 60th storey or 63rd Floor Observation deck ( depends on whether you see the 3 stories that are underground as the starting point). From the Observation Platform at 264m above the sea level, and 249m above the ground level there is a feeling as if one is floating above the clouds, we will be rewarded with a panoramic view of Seoul and the surrounding area. On a clear day or night, one can see up to 50 km. (However, we are told that clouds or pollution may limit our visibility to a lot less on most days.)
There are floor to ceiling windows to lean your camera up against for photographs. Take some. Try walking out onto the glass floor if you are brave enough. There is also a wax museum, an art museum(Hello Kitty fans may want to visit the art exhibit with Hello Kitty theme there), an IMAX theatre for visitors but visiting all these will incur admission fees of up to 38000W per adult so it is a personal choice whether that money can be better spend on food or shopping. Admission starts at 10am and last admission is at 9.30pm for those who want to take the night view of Seoul.
After coming down, we will do some shopping at the many shop areas at the 63 Building, and if we can find time to also visit Yeouido Plaza, a huge paved area in the center of the island which could theoretically be used for a landing strip for airplanes, has been ripped up and turned into a park with grass and trees- definitely something Seoul has needed for a long time! The Han River side contains a bike path (continuing along the southern bank of the Han River), several riverside parks, and a large outdoor stage with weekly concerts during the summer. Many people go to the park area behind the National Assembly building where they operate radio controlled airplanes, helicopters, and cars. This is a good place to get some nice photo opportunities of the Han river and the Seoul skyline.
(Above) Samgak Kimbap. You can see the numbers 1,2,3 indicating how to open the packet.
Along the way, we will probably want to try a popular Korean snack that we often see on Korean drama series which is the samgak kimbap, (Korean sushi). There is a skill involved in removing the plastic wrapper and keeping the seaweed intact. However, we managed to get some tips on how to open the snack intact. On the wrapper, there are the three numbers. 1 2 3. Follow the numbers when removing the plastic wrap. Pull down the tab (1), until it wraps around and you're left with 2 and 3, the sides. Gently, tugging at the plastic only, remove one side, then the second side and then wrap the seaweed back into place.
For an early dinner, I will bring Gayle back to 63 Building to try out ‘sky-dining’ at the 63 Building’s '63 Buffet Pavilion' offers delicacies from all over the world. Its huge facility and top-quality food has named the restaurant as the best buffet-style restaurant in Korea, styled after a European garden. The cooking staff have won various international cooking competitions, and much of the food is prepared in an open-kitchen with a wide spread of Korean food, Chinese food, Japanese food, vegetables, salads, Galbi, roast beef, drinks etc to cater to all tastes. Dinner is at 57000W per person so it’s a nice splurge to have a romantic dinner with Gayle on top of Seoul and have a nice view during dinner. For more details on the 63 Buffet Pavilion, you can visit http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FO/FO_EN_6_4_4.jsp?cid=553150.
After dinner, we will take the subway back to our serviced apartment at Anguk station. We will transfer from Line 5 to Line 3 at Jongnosam(3)ga Station which will allow us to reach Anguk Station. We will unload our shopping at our apartment. If we are still energetic, we will probably do some more night shopping down the street at Insadong Gil. If not, we will have an early night and do some laundry since we have a washing machine in our apartment.
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