Gyeongbokgung

Gyeongbokgung or Gyeongbok Palace was the main and largest palace of the Joseon Dynasty and one of the five Grand Palaces ( Gyeongbokgung, Gyeonhuigung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung, and Chandeokgung) built by the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongbok Palace is located in northern Seoul, and can be reached by subway line no. 3 exit 5.

Gyeongbok-gung "shinning happines" palace originally constructed by King Taejo in 1394 as atribute to permanent happines and prosperity of Korea's Kings, their children and people.

There are tens of buildings on the site and each has its own functions. The main gate is guarded by the palace's guards who wear traditional-colorful dress. The changing of the Guard Ceremony is one of the most interesting attraction for tourists.

Visitors can take photo with them, or try to wear the dress like a guard , which have been provided by the palace 's manager on the left side of the main gate. Through the main gate, you can see Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall of the king. The other buildings are Gyeonghoenu pavillion, Gangyeongjeong, Jangyeongjeon and also National Museum.

You can enjoy all the attractions on the site by paying 3000 won for adult (19-64 years) and 1500 won for Children (7-18). Children below 7 years or senior citizens more then 64 years old are free.

Finding your taste in Ansan

Have you ever been to South Korea ? If yes, did you visit Ansan ?

Ansan is a small city in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul. It takes more than 1 hour from Seoul Subway station (line 4) to reach this place. Ansan is quiet popular for foreigners especially who are from China, Vietnam, Mongolia, Philipine and Indonesia etc. This industrial city is a home to many small and medium industries.

And most of the factories in this area hire workers from those countries. Since the number of foreign wokers increases from year to year, many Koreans start new business by opening restaurants which offer specific food of each country, like Restoran Nusantara which offers Indonesia food, Vietnamese restaurant, Chinese restaurant etc. Besides, they also run grocery stores which sell food, drinks, ingredients and some things which can "cure" their longings to their home countries.

I have been living in Korea for 2 years, and my family is still in Jakarta. I take a leave and return to Jakarta once a year, for three weeks. It means, I can taste Indonesian food only during my stay in Jakarta. However, last year a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to eat Indonesian food. And I said "yes". Then, he took me Ansan and introduced several Indonesia restaurants, and several grocery stores. You know...I was so happy at that time. And now I regularly visit Ansan when I want to eat Indonesian food.

Now..how does Ansan's administration deals with the growing number of foreigners in the city. In my opinion, Ansan's government pay good attention to the existence of foreigners in its administration. The government of Ansan has provided some facilities such as; Foreign Worker Welfare Center, Consultation Office for Foreigners, Cultural Center, Education Center etc. A local bank has also established network with some banks in the countries where the foreign wokers are from. Thus, the foreign workers can send money to their family in their home countries.