34 Things to do in Seoul and Jejudo, Places to see, Food to eat :D

Annyeonghasaeyo Yeorobun!!

Damnnnn, sem 2 has started but still, it felt like every piece of me are still in Taiwan and Korea :( The past 4 months was just like a dream to me, something I never thought would happen in my life (really). Grateful of all those experiences and fun moments.

Korea, was just amazing. It may not be the best traveling experience (considering the schedule was too packed) but it was one hell of an awesome getaway! So much to see and experience despite being 7 days only. Well I can't say others will feel the same, but I'm sure there are wanderers like me who crave for a multi-faceted experience.

Well I decided to do an overall post about Korea trip, just to tell you the essence of our 7days (coz God knows when will I finally have the time to blog in detail) ASK ME IF YOU NEED ANY DETAILS ABOUT OUR TRIP IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW

Day 1: Urban Seoul

1. Visited one of Seoul's beautiful campus: Ehwa Womans University 梨花女子大学

2. EAT: Tried Mandu (Dumplings) at Kim and Bab (Ehwa Womens University Station)

3. Observed Seoul's Cityscape at Yeoido Hangang Park

4. Mesmerized by Seoul's city lights : N Seoul Tower at Namsan

5. EAT: Korea's version of Chinese cuisine: Jjajangmyeon Black Bean Sauce Noodle

6. Spent the night exploring different types of Sauna rooms : Siloam Jjimjilbang

7. EAT: Drink Sikhye and Smoked Hard Boiled Eggs. Don't forget to crack the eggs with your head. It hurts haha

Day 2 : Jeju's World Heritage

8. Checked out a lava tunnel : Manjanggul Lava Cave

9. EAT: Jeju's Black Pork Barbeque OMGGGGG so good

10. Have a view of Jeju Main Island at Seongsan Ilchubong

11. EAT: Have a cup of coffee to warm yourself while rain hits hard outside

12. Have a glimpse of Korean's market with loads of seafood! : Jungmun Market

13. EAT: Koreans' everyday comfort food in one shot: KimDeokSun (RunningMan was here!)

Day 3: Nature wonders of Jeju

14. Breathtaking views and the FROZEN experience at Hallasan Eoseungsaengak Trail

15. Leisure stroll at a calm and peaceful park: Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls Park

16. The Majestic Waterfall that falls straight into the sea: Jeongbang Falls

17. Date with Teddy Bears at Teddy Bear Museum

Day 4: Glorious Seoul

18. Feel the vibrant atmosphere at Insadong

19. EAT: Korea's lunchbox and yummylicious Bingsu at Miss Lee

(you've probably seen this in We Got Married)

20. Try pretty Royal Hanbok at Insadong Tourist Information Center

21. Appreciate Korea's prime national identity, the beautiful Gyeongbuk Palace

22. Immerse yourself in the unique and ancient vibe of Bukchon's traditional houses

23. Seoul's Monuments of Transformation at Gwanghwamun Plaza and Cheongyecheon Stream

24. EAT: Enjoy Streetfood in bustling Myeongdong

Day 5: For the Vibrant Seoul

25. It's more than just Winter Sonata, enjoy nature with bliss at Nami Island

26. EAT: Take a sip of coffee, chew on Heoteok while smoke blows out from your mouth

27. Feel young and energetic like never before at Hongdae

28. EAT: Afternoon coffee time while watching street dance performance at Coffee Brown

29. Shop like there's no tomorrow at Myeongdong

Day 6: Ever Fun

30. Enjoy roller coasters while you are young at Everland

31. Get up close and personal with beautiful beasts at Safari (Everland)

32. Be Enchanted by the Christmas Illumination (Everland)

33. Futuristic world at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul.  

The filming set of "You who came from the Stars" 

34. Last minute shopping at Lotte Mart till midnight!

WHICH.....I DON'T HAVE ANY PHOTO OF IT lollllll

was too focused on shopping and totally forgot to take a photo of Lotte Mart at Seoul Station. It's one of the big hypermarkets where it opens till midnight. You'll see many tourist over there.

Personally think the only thing that was cheaper compare to here was Peppero and the Dokbokki Chips. Other snacks like the Market-O and Crown Biscuits are pretty much the same if not more expensive.

But I must say, the chilled beverage section was like wonderland for me!! So many types of coffee omggggg

If they didn't have to be chilled I would have bought one whole bag to Taiwan haha

Now time for the favorites, here's some of the things that I really enjoyed while I was in Korea:

1. Hallasan Eoseungsangak Hiking Trail. Hands down the most memorable experience. It was my first snowland experience (though I'd seen snow for the first time in Seoul on Day 2). I thought snowland was just about the visuals but damn it was about the feeling, cold winds, snowflakes, the sinking feeling when your foot steps on the soft and powdery snow, the moments when snow turns into water on your palm, the weird feeling of breathing out smoke while you speak..... these were all first times for me.

2. Hongdae. I don't know why, but I just love that place. It's really young and energetic and makes me feel proud of being a 20s. I swear I will go there again before I'm 28, spend at least half a day there next time, with pocketful of cash to shop haha.

3. Everland. Not to say I will visit there again, but I really think the experience was super worth it. We paid for a ticket price that is slightly less than USS's ticket price but the theme park was really huge and the visuals were overwhelmingly delightful. It's like a storybook to me. Not to forget the huge area of mesmerizing Christmas Illumination. The Safari was also something cool as well.

4. Gyeongbukgong and Bukchon. Just deeply fell for the unique Korean culture where you can't find else where in the world. In fact this area of traditional buildings are surrounded by all the modern sky scrapers. Stand at Gwanghwamun gate and you instantly sense a strong aura of the nation's proud identity and unparalleled prosperity.

Anyhow, Korea was really awesome to me despite me complaining about the prices most of the time. It was still a memorable and fun trip. The people!! I'm lucky to have met lots of nice people especially during our trip in Jeju Island. Koreans are really friendly to tourists! In fact I guess Koreans love traveling in their own country as well, which is probably why they love sharing their experiences to us. Our roomies in Jeju were super nice and friendly, and the strangers we met at Hallasan were super helpful and people will just say Hi to each other while you meet on the hiking trail (Though I'm quite sure they said Hi to us because Shiyien looked like a local haha). To the unni from our guest house and the family who offered to give us a ride to Jeju downtown, thankiuuuu so much! You guys really made my day!

well now that I'm back to SG, I do try to be kind to others, especially tourists but for some reason it's just hard coz you remember the many times where people just ignored your kind act. That's the sad truth over here, people are getting afraid to be kind now, including me. Well I guess you just have to be brave and step out of your comfort zone, don't be afraid of people's reaction but remember the meaning of your kindness :D

Lastly, I'm grateful to have a travel pal who is super tolerant of me and let me decide everything haha on the other hand she's good with keeping track of details as well. I really liked how we just do whatever we feel like doing. Thanks again dear!