Navigating the streets of Bukchon Hanok Village

What is a hanok? It’s a traditional Korean house. An ideal hanok follows the principle of baesanimu wherein the house is built with a mountain at the back and a river in front. Geography also dictates its design—square with a central courtyard to block cold wind and retain heat in the cold northern region, a straight line to allow good wind circulation in the southern region, and L-shaped, open design in the central region. The all-natural materials used to construct and design are the unique features of hanoks.

One of the featured alleys on the map. View No.5 on the list - Gahoe-dong Alley (Harmony) downhill looking up

But what else makes the hanok so special that it draws the crowds? For one, history. The hanok was first designed and built 600 years ago, in 14^th century Joseon Dynasty. There are several villages with hundreds of well-preserved houses. Second, pop culture. Korean TV shows and dramas shoots on locations that became desirable to fans, and Bukchon Hanok Village has been featured in several scenes. TV has encouraged them to travel to the attractions and relive the scenes in rented hanbok.

400 years of history. Hanok tiled roofing. View No. 4 on the list- view from the Hillside area at 31 Gahoe-dong

Bukchon Hanok Village has been preserved to present a 600-year-old urban environment. Bukchon, which literally means “northern village”, lies on a hill north of two city landmarks, the Cheonggyecheon Stream and Jongno. The village showcases hundreds of this traditional houses that date back to the Joseon Dynasty. It is said that this was the address of nobility and high-ranking government officials of that era. 

Beautifully preserved

Korea has several well-preserved hanok villages and Bukchon in Seoul is one of them. It's easy-to-reach address makes it doubly popular to the tourists. 

Downhill scene

The village is a few meters away from the Anguk Subway Station. There are tourist information centers and guides posted on primary areas to assist tourists. Visitors can opt for a guided tour or tour the area at their own pace. Ask for a map of the area (available in different languages), they will mark the eight of the most picturesque views of the village. 

Photogenic backdrop

What visitors should keep in mind is that Bukchon Hanok Village is an actual residential area. Tourists are advised to be mindful at all times not to disturb the residents. Areas can get very crowded but tourist police are present to maintain peace and order.

Be mindful

At present, many of these hanoks have been converted to guesthouses, restaurants and tea houses, and cultural centers. It’s a chance for visitors can immerse themselves in traditional Korean culture.

Bukchon Traditional Culture Center

Learn of Bukchon's history at the Bukchon Traditonal Culture Center

Commercial street

Still baking her original recipe for years now JungAe of JungAe Cookies

Find this at Bukchon- Artisan Croissant

Hanok turned coffee shop and gallery

Now, to realize another of your Korean drama scenes. There are several hanbok rental shops in the area. Suit up and make your dreams come true. 

Rent a hanbok

Hanbok dreams in Buckchon

Also published in the SunStar Davao newspaper.

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For lifestyle features, visit www.ofapplesandlemons.com
Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com

It’s summer and you need a break. You’re having second thoughts about traveling abroad and even domestic travel does not appeal too much. Where to go? How about making the most out of what’s within reach? 

This is the Staycation Davao Series, stories that will give you an idea where you can have great time for a summer frolic with the family, or enjoy a much-needed me time. You need not go far to have it.

Park Inn by Radisson Davao. It’s not just a favorite of businessmen but of leisure travelers as well. The location is a plus and the amenities can cater to everyone’s needs. You need not step out, tempting the mall beside it may be, and that’s what I did.

Welcome to Park Inn

2:00PM. Check in. Park Inn’s rooms are bright and cheerful. It has the amenities you need for a staycation—room service, cable TV and internet connection to connect to your favorite Korean TV drama. Have your afternoon snack delivered to your room or have it by the pool.

Welcome treats that's all about Davao

Stay in bed, read a book, enjoy a Korean drama, do whatever you like.

3:00PM. Make your staycation sweeter with "Davao Indulgence," a delicious, refreshing, light and moderately sweetened mango-based dessert. It’s like an ice cream cake.

3PM. Start the staycation with Davao Indulgence, a refreshing, light mango-based dessert that's lightly sweetened

Too lazy to get out of the room? Order room service

4:00PM. Take a dip. What is summer without splashing in the pool? Take a few laps or read a book while getting a tan. 

You must try the summer mocktail of Pomelo Mojito, it's so tropical, so refreshing!

4PM. Take a dip and lounge by the poolside and get a good tan

Summer cooler, thirst quencher- the Pomelo Mojito, a mocktail that ghighlights Davao pomelo

7:00PM. Have a light dinner. Any of the four RGB Hearty Bowls is delicious as it is healthy. It’s a complete meal with vegetables, protein and carbohydrates. Calorie count ranges from 294kcal to 681kcal only.

7PM. For a guilt-free dinner, enjoy a healthy RGB Hearty Veggie Bowl (Photo by RGB)

9:00PM. Book a massage. Sleep will come easy after a good rub-down. The hotel offers in-room massage service by professionals from a highly-rated spa. A good massage can offer a number of benefits but what you may need is to ease tense and tired muscles accumulated from weeks of work. 

9PM. Get a massage in the comforts of your room

7AM. Have breakfast at the RGB's terrace. The morning sun, cool breeze and lush greenery offer a tropical vibe

9:00AM. How about spending more time at the poolside for a second coating of tan? Or head back to the cool comforts of your room and catch on your favorite TV series.

12:00PM: Check-out and grab lunch. The house specialty is a must try—RGB Classic Burger. It's a quarter pound of all beef goodness with everything you dream of on it. Yep, it’s quite indulgent but you deserve it, and nobody’s going to judge you. If it will make you feel less guilty, order a healthy drink instead of a soda. The Mint Detox with mint, calamansi and cucumber is a refreshing drink that can transport your mind to the beach.

12NN. Check out and grab lunch. RGB Classic Burger, a n indulgent all beef goodness and a Mint Detox drink to pare off the guilt

Park Inn has an exciting Staycation Package coming out soon. Give them a call and find out. 

Also published in the SunStar Davao newspaper.

Follow jeepneyjinggoy on  Instagram  and  Facebook 
For lifestyle features, visit www.ofapplesandlemons.com
Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com

Entering Insadong, one of Seoul's popular shopping attraction referred to as an art Mecca

Hanbok, janji, calligraphy items, tea, pottery, antiques, art and other traditional Korean handicrafts and souvenirs, locals will point tourists to Insadong. 

At the center of the city, the 700-meter long Insadong-gil ,which runs from Tapgol Park to Angok-dong Rotary, is one of the most popular shopping destinations. But it’s not all tourists that fill up the main street and the alleys, the locals too are regulars in this area. 

Korean art on souvenir items

There is much more than the place other than a souvenir and handicraft attraction. The culturally-rich address was a very prominent area in the past. During the Joseon Dynasty, a number of buildings along the street were once owned by government officials, merchants and bureaucrats.

Locals will point you to this address for souvenirs and traditional handicrafts

Along the crowded street and myriad of craft shops are art galleries. Art flows in Insadong’s veins, so to speak. In the past, Insadong was once the location of Dohwawon, the National Department of Painting, the division which created paintings and woodworks for the royalty and the palaces for centuries. Maybe this was the reason why artists made their way to the place. 

After the Korean War, art galleries started moving in. With more than a hundred galleries in the address today, Insadong is an art mecca. 

Art beats in the heart of Insadong. There are more than galleries in the area

If you’re in search of traditional Korean fine art, then this is where you head to. Popular galleries are the Gana Art Center and the Gana Art Gallery, which promotes budding artists, and the Hakgojae Gallery, which functions as the folk art center.

A shop selling block prints

A calligraphy shop

Pottery is also an art form and there are several in the area too. Fancy a souvenir for a few wons or a dearer set that can set you off by a million won or two.

Traditional decorative pottery and tea sets can set you off a few wons to a million or two

Minature ceramic figurines

Where there are pottery shops, expect to find teahouses (Osulloc has an outlet there), and restaurants too. Venture to the side streets and discover these establishments. 

Which is sweeter? The Korean delicacy or the smile? Dragon's Hair candy is a sweet delicacy of Korea

If you think that the 700-meter stretch is easy to navigate, think again. Not only will the heavy crowd slow down your pace, consider the hundreds of interesting shops and galleries. Stopping at each, or most of it, and go through through the merchandise will make you forget time. Oh, there is the street food, too. 

Daily scene along the 700-meter stretch

Also published in the SunStar Davao newspaper.

Follow jeepneyjinggoy on  Instagram  and  Facebook 
For lifestyle features, visit www.ofapplesandlemons.com
Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com

Novotel Bangkok at Siam Square is in a perfect location (Photo- Novotel)

What is it that draws Filipinos to Bangkok? Food and shopping, though many will put the latter on the top of the priority list. Whatever it is that takes us to the Thai city, the place to stay should be conveniently close to where we need to be. Luckily, some hotels—good hotels— are close to both.

Be it for leisure or business, the 4-star Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square is well situated making it very popular choice of hotel by visitors in Bangkok. Style, comfort and convenience is what the hotel can offer—in all aspects. 

Retail therapy will be an accomplishment. This Novotel sits on a chic shopping zone with stores and malls a few steps away. You can drop the shopping bags from your preferred local stores or favorite luxury brands back at hotel and head out for more boutique hopping. 

Dining? The hotel has restaurants you can indulge in, including Lok Wah Hin, a Chinese restaurant that has been voted as the best in Bangkok for fourteen years. Or if you wish, you can venture into the neighborhood’s multitude of culinary offerings. 

If your want to go farther and explore other shopping emporiums, foodies’ haunts and the city’s cultural attractions, the BTS Skytrain Siam Station is next door, too! Getting to your desired destinations across the big city will be a breeze. 

Rest is essential as recreation, and Novotel has the relaxing cocoon for you to cool down and rejuvenate at the end of each hectic day. While each of its 450 spacious rooms and suites (can sleep a family of four, two adults and two kids) is fitted with the modern amenities any world traveler yearns for, the plush bed is a real treat. The memory foam hugs you and will lull you to sleep.  Or you can opt to burn off the calorie intake for the day at the gym or soothe tired muscles at the day spa before calling it a day. Your choice.

What's exciting with Novotel today is the recently-renovated lobby and deluxe rooms. Hip and ingenuous, the spaces sport a contemporary look attractive –and oh, so fashionable— enough to win you a big audience on your social media posts. At the lobby is a working desk lined with swinging chairs, a bar designed like any popular watering holes in the city, it even integrates a pool table and a children’s play area. The entire space is brilliantly planned.

In the deluxe rooms, an accent wall displays the artistic rendering of mural-sized Bangkok postcards that serves as the bed’s backdrop, and perhaps a visual map pointing you to city attractions you should not miss, like the famed Chao Phraya River and the magical city skyline at sunset.

Memorable inside and out of the hotel, Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square can be that on your next trip to the Big Mango.

Also published in the SunStar Davao newspaper.

Been there, done that. You can say this about the Harbour City Mall. You’re familiar with the shopping paradise. But in Hong Kong’s largest shopping mall, I’m sure you haven’t seen everything.

Always exciting. The 2016 Holiday set-up of Harbour City

Here are six things you can add to your list to make your next trip to the mall an interesting one.

The art gallery.

Check out the art gallery

That bag or shoes may be your artwork, but for another kind of art head to the Gallery by the Harbour (Shop 207, Level 2, Ocean Centre) beside Fendi. Setup 10 years ago, the gallery has hosted exhibitions by top-notch international artists, including Yayoi Kusama, and local artists as well.

The Michelin-starred restaurants.

There are countless dining choices in the complex and if you want the cuisine with a “star,” there are three Michelin one-star restos in the complex: China Tang (Shop 4101, 4F, Gateway Arcade), serving Cantonese cuisine; Sushi Tokami (Shop 216A, Level 2, Ocean Centre), said to have its fresh ingredients flown daily from Japan; and Epure (Shop 403, Level 4, Ocean Centre) serving contemporary French cuisine in an elegant and strikingly decorated dining room.

That “tea shop”.

Chances are you’ve passed by this teashop. But I bet you don’t know it’s also a luxury skincare store as well.

Cha Ling is more than just a teashop.

Cha Ling is a cosmetic line developed by LVMH Recherche using Pu’er tea from the Yunnan Province of China. Harvested from 1,800 year old trees (for drinking tea) and 500 year old trees (for the cosmetic line), the Pu’er forest teas is known for its detoxifying and antioxidant properties. It is healthy as it is helpful in preserving beauty due to its purifying and strengthening effect on the skin, which maintains its youth for longer.

Cha Ling's skin care line is made from Pu'er tea

The French brand only has three stores in the world, one is in Paris and two are in Hong Kong, one of which is in Harbour City.

The Japanese ice cream shop.

The taste of gold. i Cremeria's Japanese soft ice cream with gold leaf

For dessert, try I Cremeria (Shop OTG03A, G/F, Ocean Terminal). It’s Japanese ice cream using premium ingredients and presents it in a fun way, like fresh fruit parfaits including ice cream in Japanese watermelon or even your ice cream in a sugar cone—but wrapped in gold leaf. Precious!

The Terraces, the 4th level terraces of Ocean Center.

Waiting for sunset. The mall's west terraces are great for viewing sunsests

Take a breather and head to the 4th level terraces of the Ocean Center. Facing the West, this area offers a spectacular view of the setting sun with the Victoria Harbour on its foreground. It’s a dreamy sight, and romantic, too, if you’re with someone special.

The Shoppers’ Care Center.

Although there are concierge desks to point you at the right direction, the Customer Care Center is a lounge that offers amenities to visitors.

It’s difficult to be romantic when you’re lugging a ton of shopping bags. However, there is the Shoppers’ Care Center to help you. It has lockers to store your shopping bags, serve complimentary beverage, and offers a lot more services. Shop 306A, Level 3, Ocean Terminal.

Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com. For more lifestyle & travel stories, visit www.ofapplesandlemons.com & www.jeepneyjinggoy.com

Also published in the SunStar Davao newspaper.