Today we traveled to Bukchon Hanok Village, Jogyesa Temple, and the Starfield Coex Mall. Our schedule was up in the air the whole day since rain was set to hit Seoul in the afternoon. As we headed to Bukchon Hanok Village, we were told there were actual residents who lived within this village and that we had to be quiet. Over the years, this village has become a tourist attraction as well. It was so peaceful and beautiful when we visited. I don’t know how the civilians who reside their can handle the amount of people that visit. I got to go off with people in my group to see all of the residences and the sights of the mountains in the distance.

After we had reconnected with the others, we got back on the bus to head to Jogyesa Temple, a site we had visited in the beginning of our trip. This time the atmosphere was very crowded because of Buddha’s Birthday celebration. Tourists, civilians, and the press were gathering around the temple to witness the ceremony. The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, was also in attendance. We also received a pin of a lotus flower when entering the grounds of the temple. My group didn’t spend too much time around because of all of the crowding and decided to explore some of the other streets. We browsed around multiple shops and went to a cafe to eat before meeting back up with the group to head to our final destination of the day.

One of the most fascinating parts of the mall was the Starfield Library. There were so many books, and the area of the library was so huge and magnificent. We got a few hours to explore the mall and shop. There was so much in the mall that there was no way to even get to explore all of it. Overall, I had a lot of fun today and hope the rest of the day goes well as my time here in Seoul is running out.