Korea Day 18: Bukchon Hanok Village & Itaewon
Another wonderfully full day of taking in new sights and trying new things in Seoul. I enjoyed visiting both Bukchon Hanok Village and Itaewon. They were like two opposites ends of a spectrum: a 600 year old traditional Korean neighborhood vs a global nightlife and foodie community. The highlight of the day was definitely the Cha Masineum Tteul teahouse. I definitely have a greater appreciate and love for tea culture now. It was an enchanting experience.
Day 18 Highlights
- Kookmin
- Language Class
- Lunch at Baguk Hall
- Bukchon Hanok Village
- Bukchon Observatory
- Cha Masineun Tteul (teahouse)
- Itaewon with Kevin & Stacie
- Innisfree (skincare shop)
- The Halal Guys (dinner)
- Thursday Party
Kookmin
Another day of class in the Global Center. I had lunch at the food court in Baguk Hall with a few others. The dumplings and handmade apple pie were delicious.
Global Center 
Ramen snacks! 
Baguk Hall for Lunch 
Dumplings & Pie. So good!
Bukchon Hanok Village
Bethany, Tabitha, Jeremiah, Kevin, and I arrived at Bukchon Hanok Village around 3:30 in the afternoon. We grabbed some refreshments and began exploring the area.
Bukchon Hanok Village is a charming, historically preserved area featuring many traditional Korean houses called hanok that date back to the Joseon dynasty. The village gives visitors a glimpse at what a traditional Korean neighborhood looked like 600 years ago.
Repairing my backpack while on the bus. 
Grabbing refreshments before beginning our trek 
We entered the village through this little shopping area. 
There are a few souvenir shops and hanbok rental shops before you enter the neighborhood.
Bukchon Observatory
Kevin and I wanted to visit the observatory so we broke off from the group around 4 pm and paid 3,000 won (less than $3) to rest on a 3rd-floor observatory where we were greeted with a cool drink and a great view. We hung out at the observatory for about 20 minutes. It was a great little break.
Observatory Entrance 
Sitting area 
Observation Area 
Crazy steep steps outside the entrance
Cha Masineun Tteul (teahouse)
Kevin and I stumbled upon Cha Masineun Tteul by chance and it turned into the highlight of the day. We spent about an hour at the tea house enjoying the atmosphere and refreshments. Time seemed to slow down as we enjoyed the enchanting atmosphere and delicious tea.
Ice Flowers Tea – tea with acacia-flavored ice flower on top of the extract of omija and strawberries
Cha-teul Glutinous Rice Cake – strawberries, dried persimmons, chocolate & almonds in hand-made rice cakes
Entrance 
Small Courtyard 
Taking our shoes off before entering 
We were originally sat near the door 
but were later moved to an even prettier location 
with this view 
Kevin ordered the Jujube Tea 
and I ordered the Ice Flowers Tea 
We also ordered assorted flavors of rice cakes. 
Everything was delicious! 
It was an enchanting atmosphere with beautiful views.
We got a little turned around when we left the teahouse. It took us a bit to figure out how to get back to the main street but we got to enjoy more sightseeing along the way.
fun building 
Bukchon Museum – sadly it was closed when we arrived 
We were using a map app to help navigate us out of the neighborhood. It led us to this corner.
But this wasn’t the way it wanted us to go. 
On the map this stairway and the alleyway connected to it were marked as a road. 
It was a very interesting road? 
But it was fun and charming to walk down despite me feeling like we were somewhere we shouldn’t be. 
Thankfully it did indeed lead us back to the street! 
Another cool building 
Waiting for a bus 
It was super packed.
Itaewon
Next Kevin and I met up with Stacie in Itaewon to shop and explore. Itaewon is known as the global community in Seoul. It is designated as a special tourism district where internationals can enjoy a diversity of culture, shopping, and entertainment.
Waiting on our next bus. 
Arrived in Itaewon 
lots of winding roads 
densely packed buildings 
We met up with Stacie 
and had fun posing for photos 
I assume this is a clothing shop for fat people. Those figures crack me up. 
fun logo 
a lot of the shopping streets seem more like bustling alleyways 
there is a ton of diversity in Itaewon, I almost felt like I wasn’t in Korea 
We went shopping in various stores. 
Stacie helped me pick up a skincare regiment from Innisfree 
We petted this huge fluffy white dog
Then at Stacie’s suggestion went to The Halal Guys for dinner. 
It was a bit spicey but very yummy.
After dinner, we walked down a street lined with night clubs. 
Until we arrived at Thursday Party (popular with foreigners) 
We tried Stacie’s favorite dessert flavored shot 
It was super yummy 
and enjoyed the atmosphere for a bit 
We were there for about 40 minutes. Then left to return to the dorms.
I love the sculptural Tourist Information Centers in Seoul 
This one is probably the coolest. 
Farewell Itaewon!
View more photos from this day in our gallery.
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