Travelog #2: Sunday Mass at Hyehwa Catholic Church

It's Sunday, and since my mom is not here, no one was around to wake me up on time for the 9:30am English Mass at Yeoksam Catholic Church. So I decided to hear the 1:30pm Filipino Mass at the Hyehwa Catholic Church. It was in 1992, when a Filipino priest started to hold Filipino masses at the Hyehwa Catholic Church, that Filipinos in Seoul began to gather around the place.

Hyehwa Catholic Church

I was an hour early, so I decided to eat lunch first, my first meal of the day, since I was so lazy to fix myself some breakfast. I went to the nearby food stall that served Filipino dishes like Paksiw, Bopis, Pinapaitan and Chicken BBQ. I got myself Chicken BBQ and Paksiw, 1 rice and 1 can of Coke for KRW 6,000 (Php240.00). I wasn't able to take a picture of it; it disappeared in about 10 mins. :P

I still had 30 mins before the mass starts, but since it was so hot outside, I decided to go inside the church and join the novena.

30 mins before the mass. The seats were all filled up just right before the mass started.

It was a very beautiful mass. For one, all the songs were in Filipino, and the choir sang beautifully. Another thing is that, the priest gave a very nice homily. I was very glad that I decided to attend this mass.

Right after the mass, I walked down the street to what they call 'Little Manila'. It is a 'market' right beside the road, just outside the Hyehwa Catholic Church. Sold in the market are all sorts of Filipino stuff, from vegetables like Ampalaya, Sitaw, fresh, LIVE tilapia, Safeguard soaps, vitamins, etc.

There's even sinigang mix, toyo, suka, bagoong, Milo! They don't sell Milo in supermarkets here. 

The one buying was a Korean lady, and she got Ampalaya. She was asking the vendor what it was called, and I heard her saying Am-pa-la-ya.

J and J products and call cards!

You can also find cooked meals, like longganisa, lumpiang gulay, BBQ, isaw and balut! This is heaven for some Filipinos in Seoul, like me, since we can't cook at our place, plus the fact that I don't know how to cook! Heehee.

The market is not only popular among Filipinos, but to Koreans and Caucasians as well. You would often see  Koreans trying out Filipino food. They must be tired of eating Bulgogi and Bibimbap. =)

On my way back to the train station, I passed by this cute little shop called 'I Love Flat'. They are now having a sale and a pair of pretty flat shoes costs KRW 19,000, around Php 760.00.

Aren't they adorable?

I also saw this funny sculpture/bench near a bus stop.

That's all for now. Got to eat my dinner and finish my readings for the day. <3 Oh by the way, to get to Hyehwa Catholic Church, take Line #4 to Hyehwa Station, exit #1

It's just a short walk once you exit the station. You'll know you are in the right place when you hear people speaking in Filipino. You'll know that the church is near, when you start to smell the scent of inihaw na BBQ. :)

<3