Hello everyone! If you follow me on instagram, you would've probably seen (read: PICSPAM) most of the pictures and know that I went on a trip recently. (Not so recently anymore, I guess. This post is 3 months late, TSK!)
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We arrived at ICN around 8pm (I know, insane 12hr flight from Asia to Asia no thanks to the stopover) and being internet-reliant, we went over to the Olleh KT counter at the arrival hall to rent an iPhone with unlimited data usage for the next 5 days that we're going to be in S.Korea. It costs 8000W per handset per day for unlimited data usage on an iPhone5 but after the trip I realised we could have rented a mobile wifi 'egg' at 8000W a day and shared the connection instead. It worked fine but it's a basic iPhone so you'll have to download the apps that you want to use on the phone and log into your account. Alternatively you can also do it like me and use the spare handset as a wifi pod and turn on the internet tethering just so you could still use your own iphone5 while having internet on the go… Which I thought was quite stupid now that I think of it. Oh well, first timers! Read more about the phone rental here: visit Seoul.
Board a black cab (which I realised was extremely stupid once again because the cab fare is insanely expensive and we could have taken the airport limousine which will take us directly to myeongdong) to our hostel in Myeong-Dong and the fare was about 89,000W (S$98++)…………………. Blame it on the lack of research prior to the trip, haha!
We stayed at Residence EO for our trip and it costs 70,000W per night for a double room. Do not expect much, it is a hostel (not a hotel) afterall. The room was clean with amenities like washing machine (which we did not use anyway), cable TV (which we couldn't figure out how to turn it on) and a microwave which was super helpful in heating up our leftover food from the night before. As the night temperature was about 10-15 degrees, there was no need for air conditioning so the remote control was taken away to prevent excessive wastage. The room couldn't accommodate two of our giant luggages so we had to put one in the wardrobe and one on the floor. Do not attempt to squeeze 3 persons in the room, it is not possible. Anyway, the bed was quite alright and blanket kept us comfortably warm, so we had good sleep for our nights in Korea.
Dropped our luggages off and made a dash for Myeong-Dong ("MD") at close to 10pm and spent a bomb on cosmetics and skin care products at shops like Banila Co, Etude House, Skin Food and The Face Shop. I have never stepped into Etude House in Singapore (IKR!!!) so I had no idea what the price range was, but nobody can resist grabbing 2200W eyebrow pencils and 5500W concealer sticks, right?! For the whole of my trip, I think I spent close to 200,000W on cosmetics alone. Daebak.
Took the metro to Dong Dae Mun and almost died from the cold (I swear there was like mist or something coming out from my mouth when I exhaled, 12 degrees! Good lord.) so I went in and grabbed a coat that was about 90,000W………. I wonder what I was thinking. Price range for clothes and shopping at DDM is about 25,000W and above for chiffon tops and 60,000W and above for coats and jackets… Not cheap at all but it was pretty good in quality and usually there are discounts when you buy more than 3 pieces. I didn't buy much because I was pretty exhausted from the flight and everything was out of my budget so I called it a day after buying my coat.
Started our day early the next morning and headed to MD for some 'real' shopping! We had zero idea of what to do in Korea and what to eat so we kinda roamed around and depended heavily on GPS and this Visit Seoul magazine that had features on what to eat, what to do and what to visit in the main areas of Seoul.
Wandered into Yoogane Dakgalbi store which was recommended in the guide and ordered a set to share. The chicken was pretty good and we added cheesy rice (not pictured) to it after cooking the chicken and it absorbed all the goodness of the chicken and gravy… So yum! Forgot how much the bill was but it's definitely less than 20,000W, very affordable for two.
After lunch, we wandered once again and set foot on Ssamziegil, an arts district (or so, I think) in Insa-dong. Expect A LOT of tourists here (as it was a Sunday) and the mall there had lots of little stores selling handicraft items and clothes. There were also many youngsters dating there and well, they are mostly in couple clothes. Interesting or what?! Also, we passed by Hongdae and Sinchon but did not stay there for long as there were too much shopping to be done… Haha!
What to expect at the top of the mall… Interestingly there is no direct flight of stairs or what for you to reach the top of the mall, but the walkways are diagonally upwards so as you walk, you are actually walking upwards (do I make any sense here LOL)! It is a really quaint little area for you to rest and relax with some pat bing-su and pine tea while people watching. Dang, I miss this place already!
Met up with Shaun's (Sybil's brother) friend Ellie who very kindly brought us around in Gangnam! We went on a wild goose chase (hehe) for the best millefleur crepe cake in town and the pat bing-su was TDF!!! It was about 40 minutes walk (LOL) from Apgujeong-rodeo station but the cakes and pastries were very worth it. Visit C4 Cake Boutique / instagram pictures!
Went back feeling tired from all the walking and guess what? We could see this tower from our room! Still didn't figure out what tower this was, though.
Day 3 was allocated for Ginseng and sightseeing so we had ginseng shopping in mind! Before that, we headed to the famous Myeong Dong Kyoja to satisfy our tummies. Everything on the menu was 8,000W and there were only 4 dishes. We ordered a ramen each and one of the Kyoja to share and honestly, it was too much for just two of us! (laughs)
The queue can get a little crazy so if you can, try to go early to avoid the crowd. We queued for about 5 to 10 minutes but it is said that the wait could go up to 30 minutes during peak dining hours!
Namdaemun… Many ajumma clothes and ginseng shops. However do take note of which one you go to, I went to the shop that was highly recommended by Sybil's family so it was guaranteed 100% authentic Korean Ginseng. Read horror stories of how some shops scam you with lower grade ones and those actually do not benefit your health at all. If you are interested in the shop name, drop me a text and I'll find out for you! :)
Our ginseng and seaweed loots were quite heavy so we decided to head back to the hotel, drop our stuff and head out again so we could travel light. This twotwo fried chicken smells damn good everytime I passed by but I never got the chance to try it. I'll definitely get it the next round! Also seen above is tempura from a random stall outside our hostel… There is a school behind our hostel so there are many students around on weekdays - these eateries are perfect for them! Also I wonder how the girls eat things like this everyday and never get fat. #lifeisunfair
We were headed for Gyeongbokgung Palace on a Monday because it seems like lesser people would visit the palace on a Monday compared to weekends (right?) and we were right! The crowd wasn't insane, except for school kids on excursions so you could hear young girls screaming, shouting and running everywhere… Anyway can you believe that this tunnel of scriptures and paintings were in a train station?! So interesting!
Searching for the elusive Tosokchon Samgaetang which was located near the Palace… This place was featured on many TV shows and it is said to be really fantastic! The soup was very thick, sweet and flavourful. Chicken meat tears easily and it's so soft that it disintegrates in your mouths after a few bites. Most of all I love the glutinous rice which was stuffed into the chicken: it absorbed the essences of the soup and is so full of the ginseng flavour - feels like it would boost your HP up to 10,000 after eating. (LOL)
OLD x NEW
How do you even tell the time with this thing?!
The servant's chambers.
Peeping Tom.
Little human sculptures on the roof tops!
Do you know what this is used for and what is behind these closed doors?
All in all I have to say that this Palace is really a great place to take photos… Every little sculpture, every little detail seems to be telling you a story, every touch brings you back to the time where Kings and Queens ruled the country and how life differs from the modern one we lead. I am extremely fascinated by the history of this place and I wonder: what would I be if I were from the past?
We kinda finished touring the entire place in about 3 hours… Think non-stop walking. Then we came across the National Folk Museum of Korea (AIRCON!!) so we went in without hesitation! There were many, many artifacts on display and I was so mesmerized by them that I stopped by and looked each and every single one possible.
Imprinting technology of the past. Look at how they arrange the little words one by one and transfer them onto paper!
Tens of thousands of words that they fit onto the mould above before printing on paper.
Is this manchurian?
Concluded of day of sightseeing with dinner at MD once again and we had this hotplate with ramyun dish that was so so so good! (Pardon the quality, didn't take pictures with my DSLR!) You can read more about this place (in korean) here and this place is called "심슨탕 부대찌개"!
Strange corn tea that I had, HAHA!
The next day was our last full day in Korea so we thought of visiting the Trick Eye Museum in Hongdae as well as shop our day away at Hongdae and Sinchon (university towns)! Before that we had a light brunch at a western restaurant DUBU near our hostel…
Very good pizza! The bill came up to about 30,000W for two. After that, we went on to Seoul station to take the train to Sinchon, which was probably the worst decision I made on the trip because we waited for close to 30 minutes for the train and the ride was only about 5 minutes. #whut
Did a bit of shopping there (no photos) and roamed about the streets of Sinchon before heading to HongDae…
… to look for my favourite Korean store STYLENANDA
…and visiting the Trick Eye Museum!
My true self
And after that, we had some street food along the Ewha fashion street.
… Before meeting Ellie again for dinner at 오늘한점 / directions! This Ohneul Hanjeom BBQ restaurant is located near Jeongja station. They serve up really good and nicely marbled pork with equally delicious sides like beansprouts, kimchi and kelp strips. Must try if you have time to spare! :)
After which we headed to TOM & TOMS COFFEE for a little dessert! I don't even take cream usually but this is so heavenly… They have this in Tanjong Pagar as well but the reviews weren't fantastic. Try it if you're in Seoul!
Also there are many Paris Baguette stores in Seoul that I did not once visit on my trip… Quite sad. Woke up at 4.45am for our flight to HK at 7am and we dragged our luggages to take the airport limo bus at only 10,000W! Compared to our cab fare………. What is this. HAHA!
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Also if you are into shopping, please also do visit the Gangnam Station underground shopping market as the clothes there are much cheaper than what you get at the Myeongdong underground shopping market! It's huge (like bugis street, underground) so expect to spend around 2hours there, haha! Prices range from 8,000W to 20,000W, pretty affordable!
So this concludes my short but sweet trip to Seoul! Personally if I were to go there again (soon, I believe) I would visit busan and do more shopping because that makes the trip a whole, right? 4.5 days definitely wasn't enough for me, I wish I had 7! :'( But nonetheless I'm happy I decided to step out of my comfort zone (BKK, hello!) and go somewhere beyond the border. I'll be back!!!
Bye.
