"Dreams come true" trip to the Myeongjae mansion at Nonsan

Dreams do come true! Thanks to my Korean teacher, our family had the pleasure of visiting the Myeongjae Old Mansion in Nonsan. This is the mansion of a Korean scholar who lived from 1629 ~ 1714AD. This mansion was built by his students as a gift to the humble professor who believed in equal rights to all people when there was a marked difference in the life of the common people and the educated officials in Korea. I have always wanted to try to stay in a traditional Korean hanok, understanding the construction, experiencing the culture and enjoying the environment. I was looking into the hanoks at Bukchon in Seoul when this irresistible offer came by! Here, I had an opportunity to experience an authentic 300 year old mansion, for a night, enjoy a traditional tea ceremony in the outdoors next to the ginseng plantation overlooking the mansion itself and the kimchi pots and get a guided tour about the various aspects of the construction of the hanok itself and the philosophies of the scholar it belonged too. It was a dream come true!

We were taken to the Myeongjae mansion along with a camera crew who interviewed us about our experiences at the mansion. It was quite an experience! We were taken to Nonsan by KTX from Yongsan station and we took the taxi for a 10 minute ride to the mansion, all the while being clicked :) I felt like a princess ;) 

We were greeted with quite a view right when we get off the taxi. Beautiful setting of the mansion- with the mountain behind and an artificial pond in the front of the house- was typical of the traditional Korean houses. But this mansion did not have a boundary wall surrounding it like a typical Korean official's house would have. It was done as a sign to welcome all visitors, in accordance to the scholar's philosophy.

The picturesque pond in front of the mansion where meditation and relaxation would be easy, dont you think? 

The mansion along with the Doenjang (fermented soya bean paste)  pots. I was lucky, I even got to taste the paste!

 The Korean traditional mansion had separate areas for the men and women and had separate rooms for the 3 generations of men and women. The men's room was in the front, with separate rooms for the grandfather, father and the son with detachable door/windows. The women's quarters was behind with views to check on the kimchi and doenjang pots and with rooms for the grandmother, mom and daughter in law. The child's room faced the women's quarters so that the mom could care for the child.

The women's area at the mansion with storage areas in the top which kept the food airy and fresher for a few more days. The positioning of the quarters was such that it was easy for the women of the house to keep an eye on all the workers around the house.

Men's quarters in Myeongjae mansion. The mansion was made out of hanji paper and wood. The rectangular frames on the left and right are detachable. It ensured privacy as well.  

The child's bedroom which leads to the women's quarters.

What a view to wake up to! Interestingly, this detachable window had the same ratio as the widescreen TVs we have now! The view all through the house from each window or door was so pretty that there was no other need for an artificial picture/painting to pep-up the place! This was the grandfather's room.

The hi-fi camera used (by professionals) to take arial pictures of the mansion

We were treated with a yum dinner by the crew that night!


We also had a cultural treat at the mansion performed by famous artists in Korea.

Misty morning at the mansion

Trees around the mansion were decked with fruits

The Korean Tea ceremony was my absolute favorite time at the mansion. A close relative of the descendant of the scholar, attired in the traditional hanbok, taught us about the key elements involved in the tea ceremony while pouring us a hot cup of tea. My God! It was an hour i would never forget in my life! 

The interesting portable stove for our supply of hot water for the tea. 

We also had pretty tasty snacks along with the tea. 

The Myeongjae mansion was built with a lot of interesting ideas which included a low chimney- according to the philosophy of the scholar- that poor people should not see the smoke from the other person's chimney when they could not afford a proper meal. 

There were many people visiting the mansion while we were there, including the mayor of Nonsan! It was quite an experience to see the professionals at work! 

Double decker views

The Seoul city tour by night on the double decker bus was another one on the bucket list of things to do before i leave Seoul. I have no idea of what i was expecting. A brilliant night time of the city I currently call home, view from atop without the hassle of climbing up a mountain or was it just that I had seen too many movies featuring the double deckered ride that i felt the need to go on one? Anyway, with a lot of spirit, I boarded the bus which takes a Han river focussed route.

Image from http://www.visitseoul.net/en/article/article.do?_method=view&art_id=60309&lang=en&m=0004004007002&p=04

I got into the seat that was allotted according to the time it was booked. Comfy seats with the promised headset which provided multi-lingual audio translation. I was set on the seat behind the first seat on the top. It was good, but the front seat would have been the best seat for taking pictures. Though the view through the windows were pretty nice too.  We started out exactly at 8PM from Gwanghwamun and snaked our way through the traffic to the bridges of the Han River. The city itself is full of skyscrapers all lighted up in unique, interesting and sometimes weird ways. The bridges over the river are all lighted up and are distinct from each other. Good for pics! The audio did not do justice to the bridges in the sense that it was just delivered a two lines about each bridge. But it was a diversion listening the information in various languages :) We didnot get to see the rainbow fountain show in the Banpo bridge :( which I thought was the major attraction of the tour. The traffic too seemed determined to slow us down and it took us forever to move in some places which made the tour so boring and too long for me and the kids. This was not a fun tour nor informative :(

Night time view of Seoul atop the double decker Seoul city tour.

The bus started out fast...

Soon was slowed down due to the horrible traffic in Seoul. Jihachul is the way to go in Seoul.

Pretty views of the Han River 

Interesting patterns, dont you think?

Traffic shakes

Skyscrapers edging the Han River

I like the patterns made by the lights! 

Yet another bridge over the Han River

Shaky lights

The Changgyeong Palace in Seoul

There are five major palaces in Seoul, built during the Joseon dynasty by following the principles of Confucianism. The Gyeongbukgung is the biggest and most famous of all located in the center of Gwanghwamun square. The Chandeokgung is acclaimed to be the prettiest of all and a must-go place during the cherry blossoms and the fall season. The Changgyeongung was a part of the Chandeokgung until the Japanese invasion when it was separated and made into a zoo and a botanical garden. This palace is also the place where Jang Geum of the famous Korean Drama Dae Jang Geum- The renowned cook turned physician is said to have lived.

The Changgyeonggung at Seoul on a grey, gloomy, rainy day

The beautiful patterns on the gate of the Changgyeonggung palace.

The huge door of the Eastern gate of the Changgyeongung. It reminds me of the huge Temple doors in South India.

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The Forbidden stream in the Changgyeong palace.

According to Feng Shui principles, the best place for a palace is with a stream in the front and with the mountains in the back. Hence the artificial stream was built in the entrance of the palace.

The Haechi is a mythical animal which is a guardian of justice which could distinguish between the good and evil and also said to protect the palace. 

Haechi is now the mascot of Seoul. It is a mythical animal which is a part lion and part dragon. I am reminded very much of the stone "Yaalli" protecting the Temples!

Haechi, the mascot of Seoul

Another protection symbol- The Phoenix

The beautiful roof of the palace with protective images atop. The first one from the right is the Monk and the second is the Monkey king.

Graceful inclinations of the palace roof

All important structures in a palace had this bucket of water to ward away the "Evil Fire".

Beautiful patterns on the palace.

Patterns on the roof of the Changgyeong palace

Beautiful throne with the uniquely Korean painting of the important symbols.  5-mountains, with the sun and moon, waterfalls and pine trees.

The beautiful painting is an important Korean artefact denotes the Yin and Yan and is also found on the Korean 10,000won bill.

Ondol is the floor heating with hot water pipes which is the prevalent home-heating method in Korea. 

Garden in the Changgyeong gung, close to the botanical garden

Artificial lake in the Changgyeong gung.

Tricky Trip to the Trick Eye Museum

Summer holidays are here and the temperatures are climbing up! Thankfully, there are so many cool ways to keep the kids engaged in Seoul. Hongdae, where the student crowd of the Hongik University gather, is a hep and happening place with all the pubs, bars and awesome shopping all around and houses the Trick Eye Museum, which creates fun effects by optical illusion!

A famous spot for some serious camera work.

We started out with the Ticket dispenser

And then proceeded to more violent business!

All these drawings are done on the wall, all with 3D-like-aspects that tricks the eye in believing something else (trompe l'oeil). And, together with just the right lightings and a bit imagination with fun poses, the effects are really amazing!

The curious case of the colossal kid!

Get away from me pink skirted boy!

Don't mess with the Gods! Or suffer the consequences! 

This is a curious piece of art which shows three different paintings depending on the angle from which it is viewed.

The same painting, as viewed from the left

And as viewed from the right!

The Dino ride!

Stuck in the ceiling with the green monster! Oops! Should have placed the cap more carefully!

Climbing with the panda is a lot of fun!

The fierce fish attack! Thankfully he escaped unscathed :)

The fishy secret revealed!

This is how it works:  It is the corner where the realistic looking fish painting is at. On the right hand side of the painting are some suggestions on how to pose for the best effect and the foot picture at the bottom shows the perfect spot for the right shot.

The Trick Eye Museum is a good place for a hour or two of fun where cameras are mandatory! It also houses the Mirror Maze where we find our way out through the hall of mirrors. It was actually quiet fun!


How to reach the Trick Eye Museum?

Entrance fees is 13,000won for adults. But there are coupons found in the free Seoul magazine which can be used to get the admission for 10,000 won. Here is also another website that lets you print out the coupon after registering.

Take the Hongik University station exit 9. And it is possible to reach the museum in around 10 minutes.  The Trick Eye Museum in housed in the basement of a building.

Image from http://trickeye.com/English/info.html