2013 Coffee Price Samotoonge

 Let's go to Sanmotoonge again!

 (Also known as the Coffee Prince Filming Site @ Buam-dong)

 This is my 1st time visiting this cafe and viewing the scenery under the warm sunshine. The previous 2 times were during Winter, and I really enjoyed liked the ambiance!

Directions:

Gyeongbokdong Palace Station, Line 3, Exit 3 

Walk straight (do not cross any road) >> You will arrive at a bus stop >> Take the bus 7022 or 1020 >> Get off as per below instructions and walk uphill (about 20 - 30 mins)

 Upon exit from the subway station, you will be here! Just walk straight and you will hit a bus stop.

This is the bus-stop signboards which will show you a list of buses and drop-off points.

Both 1020 and 7022 will travel the same route. Just make sure you count the bus-stops.

In case you can't count well, just make sure you drop off once you see that building. Club Espresso Cafe.

 Upon drop-off, turn into the lane next to Club Espresso and start walking up-hill.

I personally enjoyed the walk cos it feels peaceful and I could take some time to look at the other surrounding buildings and even houses. But in the heat of Summer, do carry an umbrella!

(If not, you can just grab a cab from the subway station)

They even craved the Sanmotoonge's signage on the rockwall!

Sincere enough to write some words of encouragements for those who are walking up -

 "苦盡甘來" - meaning you shall enjoy the sweet fruits of labour.

 Finally, you will see this entrance which is the sweet destination.

 

There is a total of 3 different levels ...

(basement, first floor and second floor; of which both the first floor and second floor will offer options to have an outdoor seat to better enjoy the scenery)

What's in the basement.

What's on the second floor.

Outdoor viewing

Absolutely enjoyed this hangout!

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.

Hongdae 홍대

Did I mention i am staying in the Hongik area?

After "school" i decided to come home and i created an aim for myself... that was to find the Coffee Prince (Korean Drama) Cafe which was somewhere around here...

Like i said before, when there is an objective/goal, there is usually more motivation to do something. The goal need not be a big one, cos ultimately, the journey is what makes it fun, not the destination; but without the destination, the journey will never get started.

First... Hongik is pronounced as Hongdae (홍대) over here.

This area is one of the hot spots (there are quite a number of such "hotspots" actually and this is just one of them....) because there are 2 universities in the vicinity. The area here is often full of young undergrads and yuppies, streets are full of shops selling clothes, accessories, bags etc. And there are cafes and restaurants EVERYWHERE, there is seriously no lack of food in this area!

This is one of the intersections of the streets along Hongdae and this shop is one of my favourite accessory shop - cant recall the name though, but it blasts deafening music and has a pink signboard.

In comparison with many other accessory shops i have seen in Sinchon, Myeongdong and Dongdaemun, this shop actually offers accessories at pretty good prices. e.g. like the famous OWL necklace only costs 3000 won here about SGD3.60... I have seen it in Singapore at $19.90...

What i thought was only a 1 hour walk turned out to last about 3 hours?

These are the close-up shots of the accessories i found pretty...

Walking on.... the streets are full of people on a Monday! And those streets with glorious lights really boosted my spirits!

So according to the map, i was walking towards Coffee Prince... but it turns out there were 2 Coffee Princes. I don't know which is the imitation.

The picture on the bottom left is the first one i found, but i am convinced this is not the one i wanted to see, so i walked on reverse and somehow found the one of the bottom right. 

This was the site used for the filming but which was also closed!

Mission accomplished...
Though i did want to have a cuppa coffee there, i had dinner ready for me, so gotta accept that things don't usually always turn out the way i'd like them to turn out yeah...

This was my home-made (but not by me, by my housemate) dinner for the night...

Walking down these streets on my own did somehow cheer me up as i did felt kinda blue...

The thought of not having my friends (not new friends, but friends whom i know, like those in Singapore) to hang out with did dampen my spirits and i have began to miss home.

Perhaps i have came to a point where i learn to treat myself as a friend, to spend as much time with myself as if i were my own best friend it's a kind of self-discovery and reflection that can probably be encountered when you are alone...

Photo-spamming time!