Bringing the Mother around Korea (Day 6) [Jeonju]

This last post about Jeonju is going to be very picture heavy so be prepared. As you know from the previous post, I went with my mum to Jeonju and on this day we went to the Jeonju Nambu Night Market and went around to take photos in the Hanbok. It's funny how when I was here last year, the Hanbok rentals were still around 5,000W to 10,000W and this year when we asked it went up to 25,000W. But I guess over the course of a year the designs improved greatly and the colors used were really flattering. On top of that they even have more designs that suited the younger generation. 

Anyhow, we got up bright and early the next day in order to beat the afternoon heat, headed over to a shop with no people in (as we thought that if there were lesser people they might give us better prices) and apparently they did. We got a time extension and also paid less for the one my mum liked. Honestly the colors made her look like Snow White instead of a person trying out a Korean traditional costume.

Oh! Not to mention our breakfast was pretty interesting. Since we stayed in the Hanok, every morning the owner brought breakfast to our room, inclusive of toast with jam, sliced apples and black sesame porridge. It was really really healthy and I was so glad I had packet sugar with us or else the black sesame porridge would have really been tough to eat. 

The great part about this new service was how they also provide hair services now. The lady was really nice and helped to wear the Hanbok and then handed over to another lady who did the hair and a little bit of make up. It was pretty interesting since I hardly see this very often. Walked around after that to take photos with the backdrop of Jeonju's beautiful Hanok Village. Now you'll understand what I said about Jeonju Hanok Village being one of the most beautiful places that Koreans love to come to for a short weekend getaway. 

Started out walking around the old houses behind the shops that went deep into the village. It was really nice to walk around and take photos since the entire area had the feel to it. Walked through the main street and then went up to the area behind the village where Omokdae is located. It's one of the places that the first king of the Joseon Dynasty stopped to celebrate his victory on the way home from a war with Japanese invaders. Alright I'll let the photos do the talking!

Omokdae

After we came back down to the village, we continued walking till the far end where the famous cathedral stands. The many times that I came here before, the place was either not opened or we didn't get to walk around the grounds. Other than the cathedral, the grounds was extremely beautiful and the place had a really European feel to it. The buildings were all made by bricks and it was a huge contrast to the Korean style houses that surrounded this place. Of course, this made for great photos!

After it got really hot and we were tired of walking, we went back to return the Hanbok and then went off to get lunch. Since the Hanok Village usually sold the food that is well known there such as Jeonju Bibimbap (which we ate on the first day) and beef rib patties, my mum wanted to eat something different so we took a walk out of the Hanok Village and went to another place where they sold different food. Ended up heading into a Korean eatery that usually people go for a quick meal. 

Headed back to the Hanok Village after a delightful lunch and decided to head back to take a rest before coming back out in the evening to check out the Nambu Market nearby. Walked around in the evening after a quick shower and rest and mum bought this beef bun that she had been eyeing for the last 24 hours and finally got it. It was really good for something that cost less than 5,000 and would have easily been $5 in Singapore.

After that we headed to Nambu Night Market which was a huge highlight and is featured in this post [INSERT LINK HERE] if you did not check it out from the start of the post. We headed back to Seoul after Jeonju the very next day and just spent time around Myeongdong where my mum needed to shop for cosmetics for her friends and herself.

A thing to note is that if you're in Seoul, have your meals in non-touristy places as the prices are rippy as hell in tourist areas but if you're buying cosmetics buy them in tourist hot spots because they have a lot of freebies, have a lot of sales and promotions AND they also offer in-house tax free services so you wouldn't need to apply for them separately at the airport.

Extremely happy that I got to spend a good 9 days with my mum and got the chance to bring her around to other areas that wasn't just Seoul or Incheon. Happy to have brought you around, eat good food, see nice things, and I hope that you enjoyed the trip as much as I have. Can't wait to be back in Singapore to spend more time with you and dad.

Last but not least, a huge pat on the back on my trusty sidekick that had been alongside me for the past 6-7 days traveling and take photos in the humid and scorching weather. Extremely happy that it's done what it's supposed to above and beyond. Looking forward to the next time I bring you out.