Myeong-dong (plus NANTA Show and Cathedral)

EJ, Annette, Ria and I went to Myeong-dong two times during our stay.  There are other shopping areas in Seoul like Itaewon and COEX Mall, but Myeong-dong had the Cookin NANTA Show and the Myeong-dong Cathedral.  Plus, it was hip and happening like Harajuku in Tokyo.

Myeong-dong is located in the center of Seoul.  There are a lot of international brands with stores there like Zara, Forever 21, Uniqlo and Gap.  But what caught my eye was the number of skin-care retail shops in the area.  I saw like 3 The Face Shops and 5 Nature Republics.  What's up with that?  And their models were guys.  What's up with Koreans and make-up?

We watched the Cookin' NANTA Show over at the UNESCO Building at 8:00pm.  Our tickets cost W40,000.00 (P1,600.00)

This is the view you get for W40,000.00.  The closest costs W60,000.00.  Then W50,000.00.

The show was okay.  There are five performers.  They're supposedly cooks/chefs working in a restaurant.  And they create music while cooking.  Most of the time, they use their knives to produce a beat.  It's like STOMP meets Iron Chef.  There is limited dialogue.  Any person can understand and follow the story.

We enjoyed the show.  If musical live performances are your thing, then Cookin' NANTA is the show for you.

We also visited Myeong-dong Cathedral--east of the shopping district.  It houses the Archdiocese of Seoul and is the oldest brick church built in Gothic style in South Korea. 

Myeong-dong Cathedral was one of the film locations of Korean Drama TV Series, You Are Beautiful ( Minami Shineyo).  In the show, Hwang Tae Gyeong was supposed to meet Minam in front of the Myeong-dong Cathedral, but he never show up.  Instead, Sinu takes Minam around the shopping district and the two have a great time shopping and eating.

In front of the cathedral is a statue of Jesus that looks like a minature version of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

The inside looks similar to the Manila Cathedral, only cleaner and sleeker.

Bean Pole is Soth Korea's version of Zara, Polo Ralph Lauren and Lacoste.  It is a high-end fashion brand which counts Gwyneth Paltrow and Wentworth Miller as its endorsers.  The penny-farthing bicycle is their logo.

UNIQLO is a Japanese fashion brand more up my alley because it is more affordable than Bean Pole.  And I like their designs.  Its current poster boy is Orlando Bloom.

Budget:

Cookin' NANTA Show            P 1,600