The first time I laid my eyes on the expansive facade of the majestic Angkor Wat, I knew in a heartbeat that I was falling in-love with Cambodia. Siem Reap brushed my face with its fresh January breeze and took my breath away with its magical beauty and old, imposing energy. 

Walking through the structures, I felt like I'm traveling back through time and living the stories inside the complex right under my feet. The experience hit me in a good way; it's like a reminder of why it’s such a wonderful thing to be alive—to experience a piece of history in the flesh and marvel at the beauty that took thousands of year to make--to see remnants of great nations and stories even after countless years have passed. 

The Angkor Wat was one of the most amazing places I've seen in my life. 



I didn’t choose to have a tour guide inside the Angkor complex so I was only able to appreciate its beauty and history by what my eyes saw. The next day, a visit to the National Museum made up for the missed history lessons of the temple tour. 

I climbed half of the temples I visited and marvelled repeatedly at the view of the historical landscape, sweat pouring down my face and heart beating fast inside my chest.







Even the shadows cast by the balustrades and the carvings on the temples were poetic in their own right. If you don’t get awe-struck when you see the grandeur of the many temples in Siem Reap, then there must be something wrong with you.

Bantaey Srei





The popular filming location and inspiration for the movie Lara Croft, Preah Khan was brimming with energy with every ruin and every uprooted tree in its expanse.







Outside Bayon






Sunset view from Phnom Bakheng











I'm pretty sure I will be visiting Cambodia once again. Angkor Wat, to this day, is still my favorite historical destination.

I know it might look like I have been dragging my Seoul, Korea travel posts for months, but believe me, I'm not. Really. It's just that too much has happened since my trip and my work just piled up on top of all my other "interests" and so here I am, with my fourth entry about Seoul and still not the last. Hah. Someone's requesting for a full itinerary, I'm sorry for making you wait. I do have plans of creating a separate post of the full itinerary. But first, let me walk you through my 5th day in Seoul.



In true spring fashion, it rained during my visit. It was cold, it was dreary, and even though I love it when it rains in the Philippines, Seoul is an entirely different city and it was hella cold for my summer ass. Temperature dropped to 6 degrees and I wanted to drop back to my bed.

But despite the wet roads and the coldness I feel under my skin, the city was still poetically beautiful and quite romantic with the sound of rain as my background music. Now that I think about it, it looked prettier when it rained in Seoul compared to when it does in congested Makati. I'm sure you know what I mean. #baha #flood

If you're like me who checks the weather on a daily basis when you travel, I suggest you schedule most of your indoor activities for when it pours. In my case: museum visits and indoor shopping (yes, shopping again).

There were three museums I wanted to see: The National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and Seoul Museum of Art. And because nothing is ever perfect when I travel, I was bound to miss one of them. Fxxk Murphy's Law.

First stop: Deoksugung Palace (where the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is located)
In this palace I found my heart feeling contrasting emotions. First: love at first sight. Second: utter disappointment.

Huge and imposing trees bloomed under the grey skies and it was as though nature is saying, "the best art is found outside buildings". And I'd gladly agree. Even with the chilly air, I felt warm inside because blooming trees are just so goddamn pretty.

These photos below won't give justice to the beauty of Deoksugung Palace, but I'm sharing them just the same.

It's quite impossible not to get drawn to this kind of beauty. This particular tree looked like it was trying to take my attention away from the marvelous facade of the museum behind it. I can't explain how little I felt when I was standing between the two while I try to take decent photos of myself.



I wanted so bad to get inside the museum, but to my dismay it was closed during that week. What a bummer. However, all the beauty surrounding me made up for the missed chance of going inside the doors.  When I go back I will definitely visit here again.




The palace grounds was perfect for reading, resting, and generally just relaxing in the middle of the busy metro. The brick walls surrounding the whole estate were grandiose and the contrast of the pale sky to the blooming flowers was art in itself.




The fountain area in the middle of the palace was an interesting addition to the historic landscape, but I've read that this was added later on in history when westerners came to Korea. It's great that the palaces in Korea are all very well maintained and managed for the enjoyment of tourists and locals.

A few meters away from Deoksugung is Seoul Museum of Art, where one can see galleries of local works from Korean artists and the impact of classic and contemporary art to their society.

 


There's something about this area that transported me into drama/movie land--it's just too gorgeous. Imagine my excitement when I found out the road leading to my next destination was a filming location for the drama Goblin.

Across SMA

Bittersweet moment: I was craving for company while I walked under the rain. I always plan solo trips and then I would wish I was traveling with someone. Lol.

Seoul Museum of Art building view across the street

The Seoul Museum of Art is a quaint gallery filled with lots of local literature and art. It's where you'll see and feel the progress of Korean art in the modern society.

I liked the mixed media displays in the different exhibit rooms and the combination of old and modern art in telling stories by various Korean artists.



 

I've never really paid attention to art or its history when I was in school, but looking at the timeline of art inside SMA was fascinating. It made me feel humbled and ashamed of my ignorance.  Every now and then I'd marvel at a piece or two, but I know now that actually taking time to appreciate and know about art is something that's really enriching for a person. I'm glad I allotted time for this in my schedule.



After running yet again to another mall to have my lunch--it was pretty hard to go around the neighbourhood to look for local restaurants while it was raining--I went straight to the National Museum of Korea to see some more historical Korean culture pieces and Asian art. As a historical kdrama nerd, it just felt necessary to visit at least once to their largest museum.

My Pinoy friends, their national museum is jaw-droppingly enviable: from the train station, the entrance park, and the huge ass high-tech building itself. I could only wish for an art center of this scale for our country.








I want to share all of my photos so bad but I feel it would be better for you to see them in personal.

• NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA Address: 137 Seobinggo-ro, Seobinggo-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• DEOKSUGUNG PALACE Address: 99 Sejong-daero, Jeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• SEOUL MUSEUM OF ART Address: 61 Deoksugung-gil, Seosomun-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea

On my next post, I will line up activities you can/should do when the sun is shining and your life feels a little bit brighter. ;)

Tip: There are other galleries free of entrance ii other places in Seoul, for example: Insadong. Unfortunately I didn't get to visit them, because timing sucks and the universe likes to antagonize me.