Thursday, May 17, 2012

Seoul Trip (2)

Day 2. 17 May (Thursday)

We started our second day at Seoul with a visit to another palace, this time being the main palace Changdegeung. It was a picturesque place with beautifully landscaped gardens. we also witnessed the ceremonial changing of the palace guards, which are similar to the famous British one in Buckingham Palace.

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This is the postcard perfect photo of the banquet hall with a mountain as background.

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The changing of the guards ceremony conducted in the courtyard of the palace.

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A beautiful scenery as seen through an arched doorway. 

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A garden where the queen and concubines strolled and spent their time in tranquillity.

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Beautiful urns for storing and fermenting sauces in the kitchen area. 

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The afternoon was spent shopping at the Nandamun precinct. There are lots of trendy Korean fashion items but a lot of bargaining is needed to get a good price. Korean traders, especially the young ones, we discovered, are not very honest, bringing back memories of Petaling Street.

In the evening we took a leisurely stroll along the glorified ‘big drain’ of Seoul. It was amazing seeing them transforming what used to be a dirty drain into a beautiful place where white collar workers relaxed with ice lattes in hand and couples frolicked after a tough day at work.

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The place was also mesmerising at night, with light and water features keeping  people entertained.

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And that was how Day 2 of our trip to Seoul transpired.

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