Sell Your Seoul Trip 2 - Day 6 - Bukchon Walking Tour

After visiting a Joseon palace known as Unhyungoong, Park Dong Sik led me to the Gahoe Museum. Opened in 2002, this tiny museum up a very steep hill houses over 250 folk paintings and 750 amulets in an elegant Korean-style home. Testing my artistic abilities once again, I was told to select a design to paint on a fan. "The lotus flower," I yelped, knowing that it symbolizes rebirth and purity. With the New Year just around the corner, a fresh start would be welcomed considering some questionable behavior this past year.


I would have rather been carrying around a space heater than a fan at this point, but the idea of a new beginning pushed me onwards…and upwards. This neighborhood is hilly! I heard the voice of my step-dad in my head, "Sandy, pump your fists, dance, exercise, movement is survival." I ran and jumped and darted from sunspot to sunspot until I reached the Tea Guesthouse. Now this is totally my scene. Opened in 2006, this joint is designed to house foreign travelers who would like to experience an overnight stay in a traditional Korean teahouse. In the center of the guesthouse was a tiny open courtyard with a small bookshelf. Moon Guidebook to South Korea. This is a place that backpackers seeking tranquility would just love. All of the rooms are made of old pine tree and bamboo, and the bedrooms have heated floors that were a welcomed complement to my frozen toes. Shoes off, I ducked into the tearoom with Park Dong Sik and had, without question, the most delicious tea I've ever tasted. This comment is not to be taken lightly. Having traveled extensively through Yunnan Province in China (tea capital of the world) and considering myself a tea connoisseur, I have never tasted anything like Omija Tea (Five Flavor Tea). Rose colored and sweet, it was gorgeous in both body and taste. Don't worry friends and family, I'm bringing a ton of it home.

The final stop of the tour was the Museum of Korean Buddhist Art. Opened in 1993, this tiny museum has over 6,000 works of Buddhist paintings, sculptures, crafts, and various other National Treasures. It was a peaceful (and warm) way to round out the walking tour.