We started the day by taking the bus to the Bukchon Hanok Village. The residential area turned tourist attraction is a neighborhood that preserved the traditional Korean homes and architecture of the past. Though people still live in these homes, the beautiful craftsmanship of the homes has attracted lots of visitors. In order to not disturb the residents, there is a limited time that people can visit, and tourists are asked to keep quiet. As we walked around the village, I got the opportunity to try Omija-cha at a small cafe. The tea, brewed from dried Schisandra berries, is known as five flavor tea. These flavors are supposedly sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and pungency, but to me it just tasted like a nice fruity/tangy tea.
The next destination was the Jogyesa Temple. The most popular Buddhist temple is Seoul was adorned with colorful lanterns and decorations for the Buddha’s birthday which was earlier in May. We learned a little bit about the beliefs of Buddhism and some of the traditions and practices of Buddhists. Inside the main worship building were three huge golden statues of Buddha, showing just how impactful his ministry was and the dedication of his followers in Korea. Even today, the temple has practicing monks and provides free meals to people in need. After the temple visit, we were off to get some traditional Korean lunch. I got a noodle soup, which as always, came with many sides for the table. In particular, there were fish cakes and dried squid that were great.
After lunch, we broke for some free time. A big group of us walked along the Cheonggyecheon stream which runs for several kilometers and has a walking path on both sides. After enjoying a peaceful walk along the stream, we entered the chaos of Seoul’s most popular traditional food market, Gwangjang Market. As we walked through the packed rows of food vendors, Dr. Yun encouraged us to try some food that we’d only find in Korea. Feeling brave, we tried fried chicken feet and living octopus. The chicken feet tasted great but was on the chewy side. The octopus was also pretty good as long as you don’t mind food moving while in your mouth. To finish off our eating spree, Dr. Yun treated us to some milk flavored ice cream, which was like soft serve but a creamier flavor.
We then took the opportunity to visit a nearby fortress wall and got some good views of the city. After walking back to a subway station, we traveled to an Italian restaurant to see Korea’s take on pasta. I got a spicy garlic pasta with shrimp, muscles, and squid. It was delicious, but I have never had Italian food quite as spicy. Because we are waking up early tomorrow to go hiking, I called it an early night to get some extra sleep.