Wanggwan House (parrot cafe), Sinchon

Halfway between Edae and Sinchon is an awesome little place called Wanggwan House. Why is this place so awesome? Because it's a cafe that's filled with parrots, and parrots are something that everybody needs more of in their lives. Hurrah!

The place is owned by a parrot breeder and if you're in the market for a parrot, you can find your future pet here, along with food supplies, toys, health supplements, and all other necessities. If you're not looking to buy though, this is still a great place to hang out with some cool birds and learn a thing or two about them.

Upon entering the cafe, this was the view that greeted us:

We were there on a weekday so it was pretty quiet, and that gave us an excellent chance to get up close and personal with these gorgeous parrots (and some finches, hah).

Cockatiels

African grey

Cockatoo

Blue-and-yellow macaw

Cute little finch

In the exterior section of the cafe are even more birds, including some beautiful little babies..

Adorable babies waiting for their feeding time :3

We spent most of our time inside, sipping on our drinks (included in the entry fee of 5,000 won) and just watching the birds do their own thing. The drinks aren't really anything special, but if you're at a parrot cafe then chances are you're not there for fancy-schmancy gourmet drinks. Plus a lot of dog and cat cafes will charge you at least 8,000 won for a very mediocre drink, so this is a lot cheaper. Bargain!

Tomato juice, with a stalker in the background

Entry to the cafe is 5,000 won and that includes a drink of your choice 

The cafe also sells snacks for 1,000 won that you can feed to the birds.

Omnomnom

This cockatoo (a girl, we were told) was uber gentle and didn't seem to mind being patted. However, my absolute favourite was this handsome fellow: 

It was love at first sight. :3

I asked the owner if it was okay to touch him and she replied that he might be a bit dangerous and that I should go pat one of the other birds instead. But you know me.. I'm the kind of idiot who doesn't listen to people, so I stuck my arm out to him anyway. And hey, it was just as well that I did because all he did was lick my arm gently before tentatively climbing on. 

How many licks does it take to... Oh, never mind.

He even obligingly posed for a selfie. Such a gentleman!

I'm not sure what it was, but perhaps he liked the taste of my hand cream? Or perhaps we had amazing chemistry that caused him to take an instant shine to me? I personally like to think it was the latter, and that we have now forged some kind of ever-lasting spiritual bond.. It broke my heart to say goodbye at the end, but as people say, true love never dies.. Here's hoping my love will remember me next time I go back!

Wanggwan House, Sinchon

Hours: 11am - 7pm

Address: 서울시 서대문구 대현동 101-5, 2층 (2nd floor, 101-5 Daehyeon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul)

Website: http://www.parrot-house.co.kr/

Directions: From Edae Station exit 1, head straight down the road and take the third right. Then, take the second right onto 이화여대3길, and look out for Wanggwan House on the right, a couple of metres from the entrance of the street.

OR

From Sinchon Station exit 4, go straight and take the 5th left. Cross over the street and take the second right onto 이화여대3길, and look out for Wanggwan House on the right.