Day 3 : Seoul Wall Fortress - Bukchon Hanok Village - Deoksugung - Itaewon - Gangnam - FNC Entertainment - Banpo Bridge

Assalamualaikum~

Hari Ke-3 di Korea. Hari ini seperti biasanya kita bangun pagi. Ketika menyusun itinerary, sebisa mungkin saya memasukkan tempat tujuan yang tidak memiliki jam operasional sehingga pagi - pagi benar kita sudah bisa ke sana sehingga eksplor dalam sehari bisa lebih maksimal.

Day 3 in Korea. Today, as usual, we woke up early. When compiling an itinerary, as much as possible I include destinations that do not have operational hours so that we can get there early in the morning so that we can maximize our exploration in one day.

Seoul Wall Fortress
Petunjuk Arah :
Naik bis no. 8 dan turun di halte Myeongryundong 3-ga (pemberhentian terakhir). Setelah itu berjalan di sisi kiri jalan sampai bertemu tangga. 

Directions :

Take bus no. 8 and get off at the Myeongryundong 3-ga stop (last stop). After that, walk on the left side of the road until you meet stairs.

Ini pengalaman pertama saya naik bis dalam kota di Korea dan lumayan ngeri. Bukan karena supirnya ugal-ugalan tapi jalannya yang ngeri. Bayangkan bis sebesar itu melewati jalanan yang sempit, tikungan yang horor, tanjakan yang wow dan belum lagi kalau papasan sama mobil atau bahkan bis lain.

This was my first experience riding a city bus in Korea and it was quite scary. Not because the driver was reckless but imagine a bus that big going through narrow roads, scary corners, and 'amazing 'uphill. 

Tangga menuju Seoul Wall Fortress memang tampak tidak meyakinkan, karena tangganya kecil seperti tangga menuju rumah orang. Saya sempat bertanya dengan Ahjusshi yang saya temui di sekitar sana saking nggak yakinnya sama tangga itu tapi ternyata memang itulah tangganya. Mari tarik nafas dulu sebelum menempuh perjalanan full tanjakan.

The stairs to the Seoul Wall Fortress did not look quite convincing, because the stairs are small, like the stairs to someone's house. I asked an Ahjusshi, who I met nearby, because we wasn't sure about where the stairs lead us to. But it turned out that those were the right stairs. Let's take a breath first before taking the full uphill journey.

Baru 10 menit jalan, nemu toilet. Pesan moral yang saya dapat selama jalan - jalan kemarin, kebelet nggak kebelet mari kita manfaatkan toilet umum yang kita temui dengan sebaik - baiknya. Belum tentu pas kebelet nanti nemu toilet kan? Seperti kemarin waktu keliling - keliling nyari Bukchon dan nggak ketemu, saya tiba-tiba kebelet. Alhasil saya masuk ke tempat pameran cuma buat numpang ke toilet :D

Just 10 minutes into my walk, I found a public toilet. The moral of yesterday’s trip? Whether you need to go or not, use every public toilet you find—you never know when you’ll see one again! Like that time I was wandering around looking for Bukchon and couldn’t find it… then suddenly nature called. I ended up entering an exhibition hall just to use the restroom 😄

Rute menanjak menuju Seoul Wall Fortress / Uphill route to the Seoul Fortress Wall

Waktu saya nunggu temen saya yang lagi di toilet tiba - tiba lewatlah Oppa - Oppa tinggi ganteng. Kelihatannya habis jogging. Selama 3 hari di Korea, ini cowok terganteng yang pernah saya lihat. Sayang nggak dapet fotonya dari depan. Hahaha

While I was waiting for my friend who was in the restroom, a tall handsome oppa passed by—looked like he just finished jogging. In my three days in Korea, he was definitely the most handsome guy I’d seen. Too bad I didn’t get a front photo of him, haha.

Si Oppa ganteng / The handsome Oppa

Lanjuut... Di perjalanan, saya banyak menemui orang - orang yang lagi olahraga selain Oppa ganteng tadi. Sepertinya Seoul Wall Fortress merupakan tempat favorit untuk cari keringat bagi warga Seoul (sok tau). Setelah jalan sekitar 15 menit kami bertemu dengan persimpangan jalan. Di sana ada tulisan Waryong Park. Saya jadi ingat dengan blog yang pernah saya baca tentang petunjuk arah lain menuju Seoul Wall Fortress yaitu dengan naik bis warna hijau (Jongno 2) lalu turun di gerbang Universitas Sungkyunkwan dan berjalan 10 menit menuju Waryong Park. Did I mention Sungkyunkwan University? Iyesss... Yang pernah nonton Sungkyunkwan Scandal pasti langsung excited kayak saya. Setelah lihat Seoul Wall Fortress saya mau ah lewat Universitas Sungkyunkwan :D

Moving on… along the way, I saw lots of people working out (besides the handsome oppa earlier, of course). Looks like the Seoul Fortress Wall is a favorite workout spot for Seoul locals (just guessing, haha). After walking for about 15 minutes, we reached an intersection with a sign that said Waryong Park. That instantly reminded me of a blog I once read about another route to the Seoul Fortress Wall—taking the green bus (Jongno 2), getting off at the Sungkyunkwan University gate, then walking about 10 minutes to Waryong Park. Did I mention Sungkyunkwan University? Yesss… if you’ve watched Sungkyunkwan Scandal, you’ll get why I got so excited! After checking out the Seoul Fortress Wall, I decided I had to pass by Sungkyunkwan University 😄

Atur nafas dulu sambil menikmati pemandangan / Catching my breath while soaking in the view.

Kita bukan penggemar naik gunung dkk jadi jalurnya cukup membuat kita kewalahan. Dandanan kita hari ini juga bukan dandanan orang yang mau cari keringat, kita malah pakai rok + sandal seperti mau ikut pengajian. Hahahaha. Pokoknya kita jalan aja sekuatnya, capek ya turun. Yang penting sudah bisa melihat temboknya biar cuma secuil.
Seperti yang saya ceritakan tadi, saya pengen melewati Universitas Sungkyunkwan meskipun cuma lihat gerbangnya saja. Untungnya jalannya sekarang menurun jadi nggak terlalu melelahkan. Dari kejauhan kita dengar suara cowok-cowok teriak seru banget. Ternyata suara cowok - cowok lagi main sepakbola yang berasal dari Universitas Sungkyunkwan.

We’re definitely not the hiking type, so the trail really wore us out. And our outfits? Totally not hiking-appropriate—we were in skirts and sandals like we were heading to a study group, not a workout. 😂We just kept walking as far as we could, and when we got tired, we turned back. At least we got to see a bit of the wall—that’s what matters!

Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted to pass by Sungkyunkwan University, even if it was just to see the gate. Luckily, the path downhill made it much easier. From a distance, we heard guys shouting excitedly—it turned out to be the Sungkyunkwan University students playing football.

Universitas Sungkyunkwan Tampak dari kejauhan / Sungkyunkwan University from afar

Foto Setelah diperbesar / Zoomed-in shot

Bukchon Hanok Village
Jodoh emang nggak lari kemana. Setelah kemarin muter - muter nyari yang namanya Bukchon Hanok Village dan nggak ketemu, eh hari ini nggak sengaja malah ketemu. Jadi dari Waryong Park dan gerbang Universitas Sungkyunkwan tadi kita jalan terus saja mengikuti jalan yang menurun. Karena capek, akhirnya kita naik bis hijau yang lewat. Baru naik beberapa menit kita melewati bangunan tradisional yang terlihat mirip dengan Bukchon Hanok Village dan kitapun langsung berhenti di halte selanjutnya. Sengaja nggak saya share petunjuk arah menuju Hanok Village yang ada di itinerary saya karena merujuk petunjuk arah itu kemarin saya gagal menemukan tempat ini.

Fate really does have a funny way of working. Yesterday, we walked around in circles looking for Bukchon Hanok Village and couldn’t find it—then today, we stumbled upon it by accident! From Waryong Park and the Sungkyunkwan University gate, we just kept walking downhill. Since we were tired, we hopped on a passing green bus. Just a few minutes later, we saw some traditional-style buildings that looked a lot like Bukchon Hanok Village—so of course, we got off at the next stop!

I’m not sharing the directions from my itinerary this time, because following those was exactly how I failed to find the place yesterday 😅

Ini dia pemandangan yang membuat kita turun dari bis / Here’s the view that made us hop off the bus.

Salah satu pintu antik rumah tradisional Korea / One of the antique doors of a traditional Korean house.

Bukchon Hanok Village

Donglim Workshop

Sebenarnya saya penasaran pengen masuk ke workshop ini, sayangnya masih tutup. Selama di Korea saya baru menyadari kalau toko, cafe dll itu bukanya paling tidak jam 10.30 ke atas. Beberapa kali kita kecewa datang ke area pertokoan dan perbelanjaan tetapi belum buka. Kalo di Indonesia jam 8 gitu toko - toko udah pada buka ya. Hihihihi...

Area di sekitar Bukchon Hanok Village juga worth to be explored. Saya nggak tahu nama areal ini namanya apa, tapi saya suka karena banyak bangunannya yang antik dan berbau tradisional. Di area ini banyak yang jual pernak - pernik, bunga dan kerajinan keramik. Saya tertarik dengan kendi - kendi besar yang ada di bawah ini. Kalau di tipi - tipi Korea kendi ini biasanya berisi bumbu - bumbu fermentasi ala Korea seperti Gochujang, Doenjang dan Ganjang. Penasaran pengen buka tutupnya tapi takut diomelin >.<

I was actually curious to check out this workshop, but sadly it was still closed. During my trip to Korea, I realized that most shops, cafés, and such don’t open until at least around 10:30 a.m. We got disappointed a few times when we visited shopping areas early and found everything still closed. In Indonesia, most stores are already open by 8 a.m? Hahaha.

The area around Bukchon Hanok Village is also worth exploring. I’m not sure what this specific area is called, but I loved it—it’s full of charming, traditional-style buildings. You’ll find lots of shops selling trinkets, flowers, and handmade ceramics. I was especially drawn to the big earthen jars below. If you’ve watched Korean dramas, you’ve probably seen these used to store fermented seasonings like gochujang, doenjang, and ganjang. I was so tempted to peek inside one, but I didn’t want to get scolded >.<

Ini dia toko antik dengan kendi-kendi berisi bumbu fermentasi khas Korea / Here’s the antique shop with those traditional Korean jars filled with fermented seasonings.

Tampak samping / Side view

Toko dengan desain antik yang menjual pernak-pernik / An antique-style shop selling trinkets and souvenirs.

Istana Deoksu / Deoksugung / Deoksu Palace
Petunjuk Arah :
Naik Subway ke stasiun City Hall Exit 5

Directions:
Take the subway to City Hall Station, Exit 5.

Deoksugung berada di seberang Seoul City Hall. Begitu sampai di depan Istana Deoksu.... jeng jeng... ternyata kartu sakti alias integrated ticket kita ketinggalan di guesthouse. Mau beli tiket lagi kan sayang integrated ticketnya jadi mubazir. Kekecewaan kita terobati ketika menyadari upacara pergantian penjaga Istana Deoksu akan segera berlangsung. Tidak seperti pergantian penjaga istana Gyeongbok yang dilakukakan di dalam Istana, pergantian penjaga Istana Deoksu dilaksanakan di luar Istana. Jadi kita tetap bisa menyaksikan upacara pergantian penjaga tanpa tiket. Pergantian penjaga Istana Deoksu berlangsung jam 12, setiap hari Senin Istana Deoksu tutup.

Deoksugung is located right across from Seoul City Hall. When we arrived in front of the palace… tadaaa! we realized we had left our magic card—aka the integrated ticket—back at the guesthouse. Buying another ticket felt like such a waste since the pass would go unused. Our disappointment quickly faded, though, when we noticed that the Deoksugung guard-changing ceremony was about to start! Unlike the one at Gyeongbokgung, which takes place inside the gates, the Deoksugung ceremony is held outside—so we could still watch it without a ticket! The Deoksugung guard-changing ceremony starts at 12 p.m., and just so you know, the palace is closed every Monday.

Upacara Pergantian Penjaga Istana Deoksu / Deoksugung Guard-Changing Ceremony

Tidak seperti pergantian penjaga Istana Gyeongbok, pergantian penjaga Istana Deoksu berlangsung singkat sekitar 15 menitan. Setelah upacara selesai, dengan berat hati kita balik kanan karena kita nggak bawa tiket. Untuk menghibur diri, kita foto - foto dengan bunga - bunga yang lagi bermekaran #ceilaaah di Seoul City Hall. Postingan berikutnya akan saya bahas pengalaman saya ketika ekplor bagian dalam Istana Deoksu.

Unlike the guard-changing ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace, the one at Deoksugung is quite short—only about 15 minutes. After it ended, we reluctantly turned back since we didn’t have our tickets. To cheer ourselves up, we took some photos with the blooming flowers around Seoul City Hall #cheers 😄In the next post, I’ll share my experience exploring the inside of Deoksugung Palace!

Masjid Itaewon / Itaewon Mosque
Petunjuk Arah :
Naik Subway menuju stasiun Itaewon Exit 3. Jalan lurus sekitar 100 m lalu belok kanan (Jalan Usadan-ro). Jalan lurus sekitar 150 m lalu belok kiri (Jalan Usadan-ro 10gil). Jalan terus saja sekitar 200 m, Masjid Itaewon ada di sebelah kiri.

Directions:
Take the subway to Itaewon Station, Exit 3. Walk straight for about 100 meters, then turn right onto Usadan-ro. Continue straight for about 150 meters, then turn left onto Usadan-ro 10-gil. Walk for another 200 meters, and you’ll find the Itaewon Mosque on your left.

Itaewon salah satu tempat yang tidak sabar untuk saya kunjungi. Di sini terdapat Masjid Itaewon, yang kalau tidak salah merupakan masjid pertama yang ada di Korea dan di Itaewon banyak sekali makanan halalan toyiban. Terus terang saya sudah mulai kangen makan daging. Wkwkwkwk.

Itaewon was one of the places I couldn’t wait to visit. Itaewon Mosque is the first mosque in Korea (if I’m not mistaken). The area is also known for having plenty of halal food options. Honestly, I was already starting to miss eating meat. Hahaha.

Begitu keluar dari exit 3, tiba-tiba hp bunyi centang-centung terus tanda ada pesen whatsapp. Selama di Korea saya hanya mengandalkan wifi di guesthouse. Bener-bener fakir koneksi internet. Jadi begitu dapet koneksi internet, kita minggir dulu ngemper di depan toko buat bales chat dari keluarga dan temen-temen yang nanya kabar.

As soon as I came out of Exit 3, my phone started ding-ding-ding-ing nonstop—WhatsApp messages flooding in! During my trip in Korea, I relied solely on the guesthouse Wi-Fi… basically, I was internet-deprived. 😂 So when I finally got some connection, we stopped and sat by a shop just to reply to messages from family and friends asking how I was doing.

Lanjut ya ceritanya... tujuan pertama langsung ke Masjid Itaewon. Pengen merasakan sholat di sana. Pertama - tama kita langsung jalan lurus aja dengan PDnya tanpa nanya dulu Masjid Itaewon letaknya dimana. Hihihihi... Di sana banyak pedagang yang jual jaket seperti yang dibeli teman saya di sekitar Bukchon Hanok Village dengan harga yang lebih murah. Dia langsung BT. Wkwkwk.

Anyway… our first stop was, of course, the Itaewon Mosque. I really wanted to experience praying there. We confidently walked straight ahead without even checking where the mosque actually was. Hahaha. Along the way, there were lots of street vendors selling jackets—exactly like the one my friend bought near Bukchon Hanok Village, but at a cheaper price. She was totally scammed. 😂

Kami tidak sengaja bertemu dengan petugas informasi yang tugasnya membantu turis yang mau bingung seperti kita. Ternyata Masjid Itaewon arahnya berlawanan dengan yang kita tuju. Untung saja belum jalan terlalu jauh. Kami kembali melewati exit 3, ternyata di dekat sana ada yang jual kebab Turki namanya Kebab Ankara. Perut tiba- tiba terasa keroncongan, baru teringat kalau ini sudah waktunya makan siang. Mampirlah kita di Kebab Ankara.

We accidentally ran into an information officer whose job is to help confused tourists like us. Turns out, the Itaewon Mosque was actually in the opposite direction from where we were headed. Good thing we hadn’t walked too far yet. We went back past Exit 3, and right nearby we spotted a Turkish kebab place called Kebab Ankara. Suddenly our stomachs started growling—we just realized it was already lunchtime. So of course, we stopped by Kebab Ankara.

Tempatnya super duper kecil sekali. Di dalamnya hanya ada 2 meja yang membentuk L dan 6 kursi. Beberapa pengunjung ada yang memilih makan kebab di luar sambil ngemper. Kita akhirnya pesan sambil nunggu kali aja ada tempat kosong. Kita pesan kebab daging domba. Seumur-umur saya belum pernah nyoba daging domba dan saya penasaran :D. Harga kebab 6000 won. Kalau mau sekalian nambah cola yang gelas besar tinggal nambah 1000 won. Lumayan sisanya nanti bisa diminum pas dijalan karena perjalanan masih panjang. Selesai makan, kita lanjutkan perjalanan menuju masjid Itaewon. Seneng banget di sana banyak ketemu saudara muslim dan saling mengucapkan salam. Hati rasanya adem.
Lanjut.... Udah kenyang, udah sholat saatnya mengunjungi tujuan kami selanjutnya. Tiba - tiba temen saya nawarin ke Gangnam terus ke kantor SM Entertainment dan FNC Entertainment untuk nemenin saya fangirling Kpop. Saya langsung semangat 45.

The place was super tiny—like, really tiny. Inside, there were only two L-shaped tables and six chairs. Some visitors chose to eat their kebabs outside, sitting on the curb. We decided to order and wait, hoping a seat would free up. We went for the lamb kebab. I’d never tried lamb in my life, so I was curious :D. The kebab cost 6,000 won, and if you wanted to add a big cup of cola, it was just 1,000 won more. Not bad—you could save the rest of the drink for the road since our day was far from over. After eating, we continued our walk to the Itaewon Mosque. I was so happy to meet many fellow Muslims there, greeting each other with assalamu’alaikum. It felt so heartwarming.

And then… with our stomachs full and prayers done, it was time for our next stop. Suddenly, my friend suggested we go to Gangnam, then visit the SM Entertainment and FNC Entertainment offices—so I could fangirl over K-pop. I instantly got super hyped!

Gangnam
Petunjuk Arah :
Naik Subway ke Stasiun Gangnam

Directions:
Take the subway to Gangnam Station.

Terus terang saya nggak ngerti ke Gangnam mau ngapain Hahaha... Cuma penasaran aja Gangnam kayak gimana. Katanya di sini kan kawasan elit, siapa tahu nanti di Gangnam ketemu PSY :D

Honestly, I had no idea what we were supposed to do in Gangnam. Hahaha… I was just curious to see what it looked like. They say it’s an upscale area—who knows, maybe I’d run into PSY there :D

Gangnam

Petunjuk Arah di Gangnam / Signpost in Gangnam

Tapi ada kejadian lucu di Gangnam. Jadi tiba-tiba temen saya kebelet dan langsung panik, dimana mau cari toilet? Akhirnya kita melihat petunjuk arah di atas itu. Mari kita cari tempat umum yang pasti ada toiletnya. Sampailah kita di The National Library for Children & Young Adults demi mencari toilet. Masuklah kita ke sana. Kita langsung krik... krik gitu di depan meja resepsionis. Karena untuk mengakses toilet perpustakaan ini harus melewati pintu khusus macam pintu kalau mau masuk ke stasiun subway. Dan sepertinya kalau mau masuk nggak gampang.

But something funny happened in Gangnam. Suddenly my friend really needed to use the restroom and started to panic—where could we even find one? Then we spotted the signboard above. Let’s find a public place that surely has a toilet, we thought. That’s how we ended up at The National Library for Children & Young Adults, all in the name of finding a restroom. We went inside and immediately felt awkward standing in front of the reception desk. To access the restroom there, you had to go through a special gate—kind of like the ones at subway stations. And it didn’t seem easy to get in.

Kita berjalan menghampiri resepsionis dan bertanya apa turis boleh masuk dan melihat-lihat bagian dalam perpustakaan. Ternyata yang boleh mengakses perpustakaan hanya member saja. Langsung lemeslah temen saya, mana udah kebelet banget. Akhirnya saya coba menjelaskan kalau kami sangat tertarik dan ingin melihat ke dalam, basa-basilah kasian temen saya. Akhirnya resepsionisnya luluh dan mengijinkan kami masuk dengan dipinjami kartu member + koin untuk menyimpan tas kami di loker.

We walked up to the receptionist and asked if tourists were allowed to go in and take a look around the library. Turns out, only members are allowed to enter. My friend immediately looked defeated—she really, really needed to go. So I tried explaining that we were very interested in seeing the library, making small talk to help my poor friend out. Thankfully, the receptionist took pity on us and let us in, lending us a member card and a coin so we could store our bags in the locker.

Begitu masuk temen saya langsung ngibrit ke toilet dan tinggal lah saya sendirian. Saya naik ke lantai atas ke bagian perpustakan. Sebenarnya saya bukan penggemar buku, tapi daripada mati gaya nungguin temen mending saya baca buku. Seingat saya perpustakaan ada di lantai 3. Mulailah saya menjelajahi rak demi rak. Ternyata di sini ada buku berbahasa Indonesia. Akhirnya saya ambil 1 buku tentang permainan tradisional anak-anak di Indonesia. Selama di sana saya nggak berani ambil foto karena saya nggak tau boleh foto-foto apa nggak. Nggak lucu entar kalo kita diusir gara-gara foto, kasian temen saya yang lagi di toilet.

As soon as we got in, my friend sprinted straight to the restroom, leaving me alone. I went upstairs to the library section—if I remember correctly, it was on the third floor. I’m not really a book lover, but rather than awkwardly waiting around, I figured I might as well read something. So I started wandering through the shelves one by one. To my surprise, they even had books in Indonesian! I ended up picking one about traditional children’s games in Indonesia. While I was there, I didn’t dare take any photos since I wasn’t sure if it was allowed. It would’ve been pretty awkward to get kicked out for taking pictures—especially with my friend still in the restroom!

Oke saya cuma tahan baca beberapa lembar. Saya keluar dari ruang baca dan menemukan dispenser. Saya pun ngisi ulang botol saya. Bener-bener deh, udah numpang ke toilet masih minta air juga. Saya turun untuk menemui teman saya, mestinya udah selesai lah dari toilet. Benar saja, teman saya sudah naik ke lantai 2 untuk nyusul saya. Karena sungkan mau pergi gitu aja akhirnya kita sekalian aja mengeksplor The National Library for Children & Young Adults ini. Mau masuk sini butuh perjuangan jadi mari sekalian lihat-lihat.

Okay, I only managed to read a few pages before giving up. I left the reading room and found a water dispenser, so I refilled my bottle. Seriously—after borrowing their restroom, now I was taking their water too! Then I went downstairs to look for my friend, who should’ve been done by then. Sure enough, she had already come up to the second floor to find me. Since it felt a bit awkward to just leave right away, we decided to take a look around The National Library for Children & Young Adults. After all, getting in here took quite the effort, so we might as well explore it a bit!

Ternyata cukup banyak anak-anak yang mengunjungi tempat ini. Di sini bukan hanya ada buku saja tetapi ada mainan yang sarat edukasi dan akses internet yang mungkin bisa dipakai untuk  mengerjakan tugas atau sekedar nonton video. Kalau tempatnya nyaman gini, anak-anak pasti seneng main ke perpustakaan. Kemudian saya melihat ada kotak kaca yang isinya cendera mata dari berbagai negara, salah satunya dari Indonesia.

Turns out, there were quite a lot of kids visiting this place. It’s not just filled with books—there are also educational toys and internet access that kids can use to do homework or even watch videos. With such a cozy atmosphere, no wonder children enjoy coming to the library. Then I noticed a glass display case filled with souvenirs from different countries—one of them was from Indonesia.

Puas mengelilingi perpustakaan, kami memutuskan untuk cuss. Tidak lupa kami berterima kasih pada resepsionis yang dengan baiknya mengijinkan kita untuk masuk dan lihat-lihat sambil muji perpustakaan mereka yang asli bagus banget dan nyaman.

After exploring the library to our heart’s content, we decided it was time to go. We didn’t forget to thank the receptionist who kindly allowed us to enter and look around. Of course, we also complimented their library—it was honestly so beautiful and comfortable! 

Credit : http://visitkorea.or.kr

FNC Entertainment 

Petunjuk Arah :

1.  Naik subway ke stasiun Cheongdam dan pilih exit 9
2. Jalan lurus sampai ketemu perempatan besar (jalan sekitar 10 menit) nanti akan ketemu Citi Bank yang berada di seberang jalan
3. Sebrangi jalan yang ada Citi Banknya tadi. Setelah nyebrang, belok kanan sampai ketemu kantor pos yang ada di sebelah kiri kita
4. Masuk jalan kecil di sebelah kiri , setelah kantor pos. Jalan kecil ini berada di antara kantor pos dan gedung yang ada lubang-lubangnya (bentuk gedungnya memang gitu :D)
5. Jalan lurus saja, FNC berada di sebelah kanan

Directions:

1. Take the subway to Cheongdam Station and exit through Exit 9.

2. Walk straight until you reach a big intersection (about a 10-minute walk). You’ll see a Citi Bank across the street.

3. Cross the street toward Citi Bank, then turn right and keep walking until you find a post office on your left.

4. Right after the post office, turn left into the small alley between the post office and a building with lots of holes in its design (yep, that’s really how the building looks :D).

5. Walk straight ahead—FNC will be on your right.

Rencana awalnya saya pengen mengunjungi SM Entertainment, secara artisnya banyak dan terkenal semua. Karena satu arah, sekalian aja ke FNC Entertainment. Eh ternyata SME nggak ketemu yang ketemu malah FNC. Hihihi...Ya sudahlah nggak apa-apa. Setidaknya hasrat kpopers saya sedikit terpuaskan. Nanti di Hari ke-5 akan saya ceritakan pengalaman saya yang tidak sengaja menemukan SM Town Exibition, ketemu dan sempet foto bareng Kai + Xiumin EXO.

Since it was all in the same direction, we decided to stop by FNC Entertainment as well. But turns out, we couldn’t find SM Entertainment — instead, we stumbled upon FNC! Hihihi… oh well, that’s okay. At least my inner K-pop fangirl felt a bit satisfied. On Day 5, I’ll tell you about how I accidentally found the SM Town Exhibition and even got to meet and take pictures with Kai and Xiumin from EXO!

FNC Entertainment, managemennya FT Island, CN Blue, AOA, Yoo Jae Suk, dkk / FNC Entertainment — the management company of FT Island, CN Blue, AOA, Yoo Jae Suk, and many others.

Banpo Bridge, Rainbow Fountain

Petunjuk Arah : Naik Subway ke stasiun express bus terminal pilih exit 8-1. Dari exit 8-1 jalan terus saja sekitar 400 m sampai ketemu jembatan. Sebrangi jalan  yang ada lampu merah + zebra cross. Nanti akan ketemu terowongan. Banpo Bridge ada di ujung terowongan. 

Directions: Take the subway to Express Bus Terminal Station and go out through exit 8-1. From there, just walk straight for about 400 meters until you reach a bridge. Cross the street at the traffic light and zebra crossing, then you’ll see a tunnel. Banpo Bridge is right at the end of that tunnel.

Pertunjukkan air mancur berlangsung pl. 12.00, 20.00, 20.30, 21.00 saat week day dan pk. 12.00, 19.30, 20.00, 20.30, 21.00 saat weekend.

The fountain show takes place at 12:00, 20:00, 20:30, and 21:00 on weekdays, and at 12:00, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30, and 21:00 on weekends.

Kita ke Banpo Bridge terlalu sore. Kita sampai sana jam 18.30. Kalau mau nunggu seharusnya bisa, tapi keadaan kita saat itu tidak memungkinkan :D. Angin super kencang, hawa dingin, nggak punya bawa jaket dan perut lapar. Kalau nekat, bisa-bisa masuk angin. Waktu di sana rasanya nelangsa banget.

We got to Banpo Bridge way too late. We arrived around 18:30. We could’ve waited for the show, but the situation wasn’t really ideal :D. The wind was super strong, it was freezing, we didn’t have jackets, and our stomachs were growling. If we’d pushed it, we probably would’ve caught a cold. Being there felt really miserable.

Jadi orang-orang yang berniat lihat pertunjukkan air mancur warna ini sudah siap perbekalan, ada juga yang order ayam goreng delivery. Tau gitu tadi belanja-belanja dulu di underground shoppingnya express bus terminal. Di sana banyak yang jual macam-macam dan info dari roommate saya yang orang Kanada itu di sana murah-murah. Ya udahlah besok-besok aja ke Banpo Bridge lagi sekalian belanja di underground shopping tadi.

So the people who came to watch the colorful fountain show were all prepared with supplies—some even ordered fried chicken delivery. If only we had done some shopping earlier at the underground shopping at Express Bus Terminal. There’s so much variety there, and my Canadian roommate told me it’s really cheap. Oh well, looks like we’ll just have to come back to Banpo Bridge another day and do some shopping at the underground mall too.

Banpo Bridge ramai pengunjung, Namsan Tower terlihat dari kejauhan / Banpo Bridge was crowded with visitors, and you could see Namsan Tower in the distance.

Pulau Sevit / Sebitseom Floating Island, di dalamnya ada restoran juga / Sevit Island / Sebitseom Floating Island, which also has restaurants inside.

Pemandangan di Banpo Bridge pada pk. 18:21 KST, di bulan Mei langit mulai gelap pk 20.00 / The view at Banpo Bridge at 18:21 KST. In May, the sky starts to get dark around 20:00.

Kamipun naik bis meninggalkan Banpo Bridge. Lupa bis nomor berapa, bisnya warna biru. Karena perut dalam keadaan lapar, yang ada di benak kami hanyalah Itaewon. Surga makanan halal. Kami turun dari bis dan berjalan menuju Itaewon. Dari halte, kita lanjutkan perjalanan dengan jalan kaki. Kaki mulai pegel dan pengen istirahat, akhirnya berhenti di convenience store. Beli minum dan makanan andalan saya, samgak kimbab. Kita duduk-duduk di depan convinience store sambil ngeliatin orang lewat. Udah berasa kayak penduduk lokal aja. Hihihi...

We took a bus leaving Banpo Bridge. I forgot the bus number, but it was blue. Since we were starving, all we could think about was Itaewon—the halal food paradise. We got off the bus and walked toward Itaewon. From the bus stop, we continued on foot. Our legs were getting tired and needed a break, so we stopped at a convenience store. We bought drinks and my favorite snack, samgak kimbap. We sat in front of the store, watching people pass by, feeling like locals. Hahaha…

Setelah istirahat sebentar dan makan makanan pengganjal perut sementara, lanjut kita ke Itaewon lagi. Di sana kita lihat ada restoran yang menarik hati. Jadi orangnya lagi bakar ayam di depan restoran, baunya bener-bener bikin ngiler. Setelah yakin restoran itu ada logo halalnya, kita langsung masuk. Nama restorannya Siti Sarah. Ternyata pemiliknya orang Indonesia dan ketika kita makan ke sana kebetulan pemiliknya juga sedang di sana.

After a short break and some quick snacks to fill our stomachs, we headed back to Itaewon. We spotted a restaurant that immediately caught our eye. The staff were grilling chicken right in front, and the smell was absolutely mouthwatering. Once we saw the halal logo, we went straight in. The restaurant is called Siti Sarah, and it turns out the owner is Indonesian. By chance, the owner was there while we were eating!

Stafnya juga orang Indonesia, tepatnya Jakarta. Mbaknya di Korea ini kuliah sambil kerja di Siti Sarah. Kita pesan ayam bakar seharga 8000 won + nasi 2000 won. Ayamnya luar biasa besar, setengah ekor. Kita emang laper, tapi gak selaper itu sampe bisa makan setengah ekor. Akhirnya kita minta sisa ayam dibungkus. Lumayan untuk  sarapan besok pagi.

The staff were also Indonesian, from Jakarta. She’s studying in Korea while working at Siti Sarah. We ordered grilled chicken for 8,000 won plus rice for 2,000 won. The chicken was huge—Half of a whole chicken! We were hungry, but not that hungry to finish that, so we asked to have the leftovers packed. Perfect for breakfast the next morning.

Dan itulah pengalaman hari ke-3 di Korea. Kita sengaja menyudahi perjalanan kita lebih awal karena besok kita akan menempuh perjalanan jauh ke Nami Island.

And that’s a wrap for Day 3 in Korea. We intentionally ended our day a bit early since tomorrow we had a long trip planned to Nami Island.