Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbokgung & Yongsan

Statue of Admiral Yi Sunshin

Glad to see the sun on our second day in Seoul so we took advantage by visiting the Gwanghwamun Square which is located at the center of  Sejong-ro that connects Gwanghwamun Gate/Palace to the Cheonggye Square.

The 12:23 Fountain commemorates the victory of Admiral Yi Sunshin where he defeated 133 Japanese naval ships with only 12 ships of his own and winning 23 battles without a single defeat.


Borrow one of these costumes for the ultimate Korean experience.


Obligatory tourist shot with King Sejong the Great in the background.


Dear Ma, you look like the living wife of King Sejong. Hehe.


Man it was really sunny that day, I can't see my eyes! @_@


Guilty as charged! We got scolded by one of the Korean guards after taking this stolen shot of the US Embassy. Baka mamaya ipadala kami sa North Korea. Hehe. *peace*


Moving on.. we finally arrived at the gates of Gyeongbokgung. We didn't stayed that long though 'coz it was getting really hot that afternoon and we couldn't wait to have brunch.


Do not forget to check out the changing of the royal guards every hour from 10:00am-3:00pm.




Here's a panoramic shot of the palace facade.

We went straight to Yongsan for lunch to check out their electronics market and some of the outlet stores. I have no idea why the place looked like a ghost town but noticed that prices are cheap/almost the same here in MNL. I'm just not sure how many trusted sellers are here though so I suggest you do your research first beforehand. Anyway, I think we all lost our shopping mojo (definitely a sign of aging!) 'coz we went home empty handed. Hehe.

What a tiring day! To be honest, I have no idea with the history of Korea but the sights and landmarks we saw today were definitely a feast to my eyes. ;)