Coffee Prince Filming Site @ Buam-dong 부암동

Gyeongbokdong Palace Station, Line 3, Exit 3
Spot the Dunkin Donuts and take the bus from the bus stop in front of Dunkin Donuts, 7022 or 1020
Get off when you spot "Club Espresso" cafe 
Walk up hill via the small lane 

The horrible flu and diarrhea has left me defeated. It got me down for the past 3 weeks now, and my body is reacting badly to winter, except for going to school, I had been staying home for almost the entire month.

This weekend, I decided I had enough, and headed to Buam-dong, one of the locations i marked down from my touring book.When I asked 언니 about this location, she researched on it abit and drew me a map to this particular Cafe saying that it will be fun for me to visit this site - guess she wanted to cheer me up... 

So very sweet of her. :)

This is her pretty map. (See Club Espresso and the yellow highlighted part? That's where i need to get off the bus and start walking - she estimated a 1 hour walk, but it didn't take that long)

The name of this cafe is called "Sanmotoonge" 산모퉁이"

More information can be found via this website : http://sanmotoonge.co.kr/

(in korean though, so best will be to ask for help to translate the directions)

This is the filming venue of the house in Coffee Prince Drama, where many scenes took place. I only came to realise when i was about the reach the place.. Sick and blur.

The walk up-hill is really therapeutic cause the area was tranquil and peaceful. Just what I needed.

This shot was taken by my lovely Japanese classmate whom i call 언니 as well. 

언니야..

The walk up may be a little confusing cos it seems like walking to no where, but you just gotta persist. Make sure you are walking upwards and not digress into any small lanes. You should be able to spot the cafe sitting atop the hill while walking. Keep looking at it and you will eventually arrive there.

And we even made new friends while walking up.

Finally, we arrived at the entrance of the cafe! Hooray!

All the rest are random shots taken in and outside of the cafe. The scenery was really good and there were lotsa interesting things including some old-school and arty stuff.

 I must say the beverages and desserts offered there are really pricy as compared to those in town, but this is afterall a filming site, so it's kinda expected. (Just don't expect the taste to be fantastic to avoid diasppointment)

 As it was really cold, we couldn't hang out too long outside.

 

 

 Other than what you see in the drama, there is a basement where you didn't get to see in the drama as well.

Korean Children's Centre - Snow Sledding Field

Subway Line 7, Children''s Grand Park, Exit 2

So, we had another field trip the past Friday - we know this to be Children's Grand Park - but a search on the net seems to reflect "Children's Grand Park" as a theme park with amusement rides (check it out here) and this place we went to is actually called "Korean Children's Centre Snow Sledding Field" (more information here) though both these locations are situated close to each other (it seems!)

Well anyway, because of my ill body, I was really in no mood/shape to attend this field trip. I was also feeling the downs of missing the snow-skiing arrangement that I made with my Taiwan friends last weekend - and I had already paid for it, only to give it up. Really.

It's been 2 weeks since I fell sick with flu and started having diarrhea, been to the hospital twice so far, still feeling ill, but staying home is not going to lift my mood and make me feel better, so my classmates encouraged me to "just come along!" I guess this was the closest to the snow-ski experience. And so, I did!

This facility is probably only opened in winter cause the place was just covered with snow - like a Winter white land!

There are huge slopes with varying gradients where one is expected to grab a "float"" or sled and glide down the slope - super childish activity, I know. But this is supposedly Children's Park. Let's all just go back to being kids! *yay*

 

Couldn't resist taking a picture of these cuties! Ultra colorful and cute!

Forcing a smile - felt really horrible inside, though.

언니 is really sweet, she keeps making sure I was ok, and kept taking pictures of me, so I focus on smiling and doing "happy" things.

The top of the slope was really cramp cos you have 589 other people who are gliding down with you! 

(I exaggerated - about 15 people at once?)

 

 

As the location was outdoor, there was almost no shelter to hide from the cold. You just gotta brace yourself!

Us standing around the heater to get all the warmth we can!

Apart from the snow sledding, there was also "ice-fishing" where you start catching fish from a tub of  "iced-pond". Really more like training for the kid's psycho-motor skills. But we did it anyway. Everyone went back to being a kid!

 

Well anyways, we caught the fish and then released them back into the pond. Not like we could eat them "live" or have them sliced fresh - poor fish!

Being out despite feeling sick did help lift my spirits after all. (But I am still staying home this weekend!)

The New Year Party I shouldn't have gone to!

THIS! THIS was the New Year Party I shouldn't have gone to!

Right after this, as of now, my body has succumbed to the cold  and I am starting to feel the after-party effects!

So much for a happy new year. :(

Nevertheless, I am still gonna post pictures of how my NY went.

Our class has significantly grew much closer as a group since the 1st term and the many field trips - so since it was New Year and the time to celebrate, we decided to do it as a class.

And this was also because everyone else was here in Seoul on their own - shouldn't we all group together and hang out?

Ever since Huiwen left for Taiwan, a few weeks back and the start of term 2, I realised I have been really serious about studying - so much so that every week I have 2 extra "classes". One being a 1-1 tuition with a Korean friend I got to know through Language Exchange website (he teaches me Korean and I teach him mandarin). The other extra class is a night class conducted at one of the pro-Korean culture centre in Seoul Station and it's free!

I am really glad to be spending more time to re-cap all that I have learnt (since my term 1 was really mediocre).

I digressed!

Ok, so we decided that we will have a party at a nice KTV place - bring food, cut a New Year cake and have a good time!

Nothing out of the extraordinary happened, we just sang, played, ate and had a good time hanging out together.

The drama came when everyone decided that the night was still young and they wanted to club - obviously, there was 1 key choice and it was HONGDAE - close to my place. Because I have not recovered completely from my previous flu and still have some remnants of the cold, I just really wanted to go home. And they so-happily offered to give me a "ride"" home in the train and whilst doing, psycho me to just hang out a bit longer, afterall my place is walking distance from all the action district. 

 

And there they were psycho-ing me - and I was left alone to battle whether to rest or to go.

Ultimately, I was influenced and I agreed to hang out for "just a bit". Feelings are unreliable! Seriously.

Because we only went home at 4am - big regret!

Nevertheless, I absolutely loved the streets of Hongdae. It's so vibrant and cheerful, despite being late in the night.

The weather was so cold that we kept stopping at those random street stalls 포장 마차 to sip piping hot soup & ate so much fish-cake and toekpokki. It was crazy.

And at 4am whilst walking home, random crowds were gathering and huddling around random 2-men bands, singing and rapping on a New Year's morning!

It was so spontaneous and suddenly, everyone started singing/humming to the popular tune in the deep of the night together with the performer. I dunno if "heart-warming" is the right word to use but it was definitely one of those moments I will remember for a long time.

These people weren't friends - they are random stangers who stopped to listen to the music and they started singing so loudly as a group - I felt this wave of warmth standing in the midst of them.

I better get going - for my much-needed rest!

Till the next time -cheers! HAPPY NEW YEAR!