This is a long overdue Korea post that I've been wanting to do. I went in March 2015 for around 2 weeks. Long story short, let's go into the details.
We took Scoot airlines for around S$550, worst money I've paid ever. I lost my luggage when I came back to Singapore and they never found it back. The customer service was slow, and I did not get a reply for the longest time ever. They kept pushing the blame to Singapore Changi Airport and its luggage handling department. Moral of the story is to fly with only full-fledged airlines next time.
We stayed a combination of different Airbnbs in Seoul and Jeju, some were great, some were mediocre, and some were horrible. I'll explain why in the subsequent posts but a tip for booking accommodation on Airbnb is to book one with many good reviews, and make sure to take the time to read all of them to have an expectation of what you are going to stay in.
The actual trip:
Since our flight actually touches down in Seoul at 11PM, we immediately checked in to OH House in Hongdae. I personally think this is a pretty good place for its price and location. It is around 10 minutes walk from the subway, and the owner is pretty nice too. It is a womens' only lodging, so it is quite safe, except the fact that the owner is a guy himself. He took care of us quite well, making sure to greet us whenever we are back at the accommodation and engaging in small talks. However, we only stayed for 2 nights and there were not many chances or occasions to talk.
The rooms were filled with power sockets, so do not worry. The beds, however, are bunks and it is a tad too hard for me. It got comfortable after the first night but don't expect soft and fluffy mattresses. Mr Oh also kindly included some food in the refrigerator for the guests to cook if they want to. And there was a Water Cooler/Heater as well where you can fill some water before you head out for the day, and that was really convenient.
Onto our first morning, we went out for a late breakfast and basically just walked into the first shop we saw. Couldn't wait any longer to fill our tummies with some Korean goodness!
Just me holding up some Kimbap. LOVE IT!
Kimbap
Toppoki
A simple ramen noodles with egg
We shared this among 3 persons
It was pretty affordable as I can remember it, probably around 3,000KRW a person? It shouldn't be too expensive if you are sharing. I had always set aside a food budget of 6,000KRW per meal per person, so I set aside around 20,000KRW a day, just in case if you are wondering.
After brunch we headed to our next destination, which is Namdaemun market. Namdaemun market is a pretty good place to shop around when you first get into Seoul. It ranges from cheap to mid range products, although I would not recommend to buy clothes from there but you can get some pretty good deals at times.
Just on our way to the station
They look SO GOOD! We didn't try the strawberries though.
Off to Namdaemun from Hongik University!
This is from REDEYE, which you can probably find in Singapore now.
Some of the street snacks you can see here. Love the fishcakes (odeng)!
This was really random, in one shoe shop at Namdaemun.
You get what I mean by not wanting to buy clothes here? Probably not our fashion.
Look out for these information booths if you are lost! Most of them can speak some English.
They even walk around the streets. They are situated at most tourist spots.
After an afternoon at Namedaemun, we headed to Ewha Womens' University around 4pm, and could catch this beautiful hue of the sky. It's really great to take photos there, I think I'd want to even take my graduation photos there if I could. There were many students, and a couple of passerbys. We took the photos with everyone judging us but I guess it was worth the shots. Just be mindful to use a good lens with a low aperture and you can get this bokeh that I have in my pictures. Below are some of the photos that we took there. :)
Group shot!:)
It was getting pretty late by the time we finished shopping at Ewha Womens' University's vicinity, but I had insisted on going to the flagship Stylenanda Store in Hongdae. Sorry to my friends as they have probably went there with an empty stomach and waited a really long time before dinner. It was a good experience to just step into the shop, but the service of the staff were quite bad. Perhaps they might have been entertaining lots of tourists in the shop, but they were really unfriendly. No smiles, no initiative, and they were just doing their own things.
I was contemplating to buy some make up from the 3CE counter but I decided not to since they were not helpful at all. It was, however an experience to just walk around and admiring the layout of the store. The best thing was probably the photo booth at the first floor! It is free to use for all, you can take as many as you like (but please be reasonable) and the staff would not bother you. That at least, compensated for our trip all the way there, The photos turned out really nice as well, and it is a good souvenir to keep when you go to Stylenanda in Hongdae.
Mandatory mirror selfie!
I'll be releasing bits and pieces of our itinerary so stay tuned:)
Bear in mind that when planning a trip, it is important that not everything will go according to plan and you'll have to flexible. For instance, we didn't manage to go to the Sheep cafe as it was too late and thought we could save some cash for other days.
The Seoul itinerary for today was:
10:00AM - Light Breakfast
10:30AM - Hong-ik University Stn → Hoehyon Stn (21mins)
11:00AM - Shop at Namdaemun Market
1:00PM - Lunch
Mokja Golmok (”Let’s Eat Alley”) in Namdaemun Market.
Walk along the whole street and check all the food first
2:00PM - Hoehyon Stn → Ewha Womans Univ Stn (22mins)
2:30PM - Shopping around Ewha Womans University
Directions
Take the metro to Ewha Woman's University Station. Exit via Exit no.2 then turn left when you reach the junction. You should see shops all around and as you walk down further, you should be able to see the university entrance.
6:45PM - Dinner
7:45PM - Ewha Womans Univ Stn → Hongik Univ Stn (4 mins) (or can try walking)
8:00PM - Cafe Cantata (Sheep)
121, B1F Prugio, 486, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea
Hongik University Station line 2, exit 9
Direction: Walk upstreet towards Hongik University. Find "Cafe Cantata" on your left and Thanks Nature Cafe is just at the basement floor.
kristy wanna drink mocha
9:00PM - Stylenanda (Hongdae Flagship Store) close at 11PM
Hongik University Exit 8
Turn right after you come out from the exit and walk straight. You'll see 6.9% plaza on your left, turn right and cross the small street. Walk straight and when you see a 7/11, turn left and walk straight. At the 4th junction, turn left and you'll see Style Nanda!
OR
From Hongik Subway Station Exit 9, Walk straight (you will see Burger King on your left as you pass by the 1st street) Turn left on the 2nd street. You will pass by this Korean BBQ eatery on your right. Turn Right when you into this street when you see S nails and 7-11. Walk straight down for 4 to 5 streets and you will see Stylenanda on the street on your left.
STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT PART!
Set your eyes on the above,
Kristy
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