Seoul - Chungdeokgung, Gyeongbokgung and Daenamun Market

/On our most recent trip to Seoul we actually visited some tourist destinations; namely the two main palaces of the Joseon Dynasty. While in Seoul we took the opportunity to visit the famous Daenamun Market. Back in Gunsan we were planning a Halloween party and we needed some materials for our costume, so we thought Daenamun would be the place to get what we needed. Unfortunately, the market is about the size of a small city and we were unable to find the items we needed. But, I did buy a hat so it wasn't a total bust. After the market we had a few hours to kill before we had to meet up with Jess and Brandon so we squeezed in a visit to Changdeok Palace (gung). This palace was the secondary palace to the Joseon royal family and is home to the scenic 'Secret Garden'. To entre Changdeokgung it is required that you join a tour group. As it turns out our tour guide proved to be almost as interesting as the palace. She was pretty much the funniest Korean I've encountered.


The shoe district of Daenamun Market. Its hard to tell but this backalley is about a kilometer long.

The Han River cutting through Daenamun. The market also includes the massive strip malls on either side of the River.

Our lovely tour guide at Changdeokgung. As I remember it she was making some sarcastic comment about the archway above. The archway called the "Eternal life" archway.

(Brydie and Kev)

The many sites of Changdeokgung.

The 'Secret Garden' at Changdeokgung. My camera was acting up and the colour in this picture turned out a little washed out.

Jess and X at a martini bar in Itaewan.

After the bar, we saw an amazing fireworks show on the banks of the Han River. The show was actually part of the world fireworks championships. We saw China and Italy perform.

/The next day we visited Gyeongbok Palace (gung) which was the primary palace to the Joseon family.

The secondary front gate at Gyeongbokgung.

Kev and me posing with the guards. Note the sly look of the guard on the left.

The changing of the guards at Gyeongbokgung.

The Main building at Gyeongbokgung.

The Pagoda temple.

A 'Taek Gung' demonstration at the foot of the Pagoda temple. Taek Gung is a really amazing acrobatic martial art.

A ceremony at Gyeongbokgung.

The many sites of Gyeongbokgung.

/After the palace we met up with Jess and Brandon and strolled the posh district of Insadong.

A trial performance in Insadong.

Dinner out in Insadong. (Brydie, Kev, Brandon, Jess and me). The food was incredible and the floors were heated.

Maisan Park

/Maisan Park (Mai = horse ears, San = mountain). Maisan is a mountain comprising of two horse-ear shaped peaks between the Sobaek-sanmaek mountain range and Noryong-sanmaek mountain range. The peak on the east side is called the 'male' Maibong and the one on the west side is called the 'female' Maibong. They are 667m and 673m a.s.l., respectively. These mountains mark the boundary of the Seojingang and Geumgang watershed (geog. nerd I am). Within the park surrounding the two peaks are a couple of temples (Geumdangsa and Eunsusa), a lake, and a cave called Hwaamgul. There is one main trail which will take you up the female peak, but there are also numerous side trails which will take you to one of the many other mountains.


Brydie, Mike and Gavin treckn' it through the village at the entrance to the park. There were a lot of great shops and restaurants selling all the usual touristy niknacks. The path was really scenic.

A lake alongside the trail. These swan boats are found on just about every lake in Korea.

The golden Eunsusa temple at the foot of the trail.

A golden shrine on the Eunsusa temple complex. Surrounding the shine are a number of stone pagodas.


The beautiful and mysterious Geumdangsa "Three Pagoda" temple. This temple is located in a narrow valley between two mountain peaks. Throughout the temple complex are a number of stone pillars which are said to have just appeared magically. Also, it is said that if you leave a bowl of water at the foot of one of the pillars, the water will turn to ice if left over night (even in the summer).

A statue dedicated to some old dude at Geumdangsa. Sorry can't remember the name.

Some developing stone pillars.

Shrines along the rockwall path up to Geumdangsa temple proper.

The view looking back from the trail to Geumdangsa.

A view looking down onto the stone pillars.

Past Geumdangsa on the way up to the female peak. The sides of the mountains were scarred with these bizzare pockets. I'm not sure what causes them, some sort of erosion I guess. Sorry, I never took geology.

Getting closer to the Male ear.

Some ancient graffiti artist's work above a garden along the trail.

A big bug eating Brydie's discarded silkworm lavae snack.

A traditional drum next to a temple. A mallet was left next to the drum. The sound echoed throughout the valley.

Unknown temple.

The stone stairs up to Hwaamgul, the cave near the summit of the female mountain.

The stairs were pretty dame steep, as seen in photo.

The entrance to Hwaamgul.

The view of the male mountain, as seen from the entrance to Hwaamgul.

/After the hike up the female mountain we hiked down to the base of the male mountain only to find the path was closed off. Fortunately we remembered seeing the beginning of another trail part way back to the lake. We successfully found the trail and made our way to the top of another mountain adjacent to the male mountain. Parts of path were so steep rope was tied to trees to aid with the ascent. Before reaching the summit we spotted a giant gorge through the forest. There was no path through the dense forest so we followed the edge of the gorge/forest boundary until we reached an opening.

Not for the faint of heart.

The scary path was definitely worth it.

/After the gorge we continued on to the summit of the mountain.

The summit. In the background is the male mountain.

The view.

I don't know what they were laughing at, but it must have been pretty funny. Wood and stone statues of man and wife are very a common sight.

Back at the lake at the end of the day.