This is the continuation of my Seoul Experience Winter 2018
DAY 17 (5 Jan)
So today, Lee Kall auditioned at SMtown. It was all for fun but it was definitely an experience she would never forget.
We spent the rest of the day in because we had to make sure that we did our project for class. Yes. It was not all fun and exploring only. Although we did doodle on the poster to make it more fun!
DAY 18 (6 Jan)
We went out today with the intention of going to GyeongBokGung Palace and rent a Hanbok to enter. But it was far too cold (-4 degree). So we decided on another place to visit.
Side note: We always pray for positive single-digit temperature so it would be more warm and comfortable.
But atlas, the highest was always 0 degree Celsius.
We thought of getting our hair done near Ehwa Women’s University. New Year New Me. But after entering this hair salon, we decided not to because it seemed a bit dodgy.
I would suggest doing some research before going ahead with this plan.
So we visited the infamous Ehwa Women’s University. Why can’t NTU look so beautiful too? (JK. NTU is beautiful in their own way.)
On my way, we got some street food which was so spicy and I got some Starbucks tea because it was cold and I needed a hand warmer.
We stopped by one of the little cafes and finally found bubble tea which is remotely close to home. That was the best we found so far!
We decided to walk around the area for lunch and even saw a Singaporean restaurant here. That was cool! We decided to eat at another local restaurant. I got the bulgogi with rice. Yum!
For dinner, we circled back to Hongdae so we try the pretty famous Kyochon Chicken. It took us a while since we could not find the restaurant on our GPS.
We ended up asking the Tourism Guide who was kind enough to provide us with a map so that we could walk over.
Tip: There are tour guides around tourist destinations. So you can always ask them for advice on finding places in that area.
The best part, they are free of charge!!
So we had to see what the hype is Fried Chicken in Korea. Only one thought. Deliciousness.
After dinner, we walked around a bit more, even finding a bakery called Cake Butake, that is selling their cakes for just 10,000 won! The packaging for the box was really cute too!
For what it’s worth, I would say that the cake was pretty good. We couldn’t finish it though.
In Hongdae, we also stopped to watch some street performances which is a must-see while you are there. Talented beings.
Day 19 (7 Jan)
Today, we found out that it was the same price cabbing to school as well as taking the subway. So it was easier now getting to school since we did not have to climb the slopes and wake up as early.
However, this trick only works if you have 3 or more people sharing the cab ride though. Otherwise, you are better off taking the subway in the morning if you want to save some cost.
I had Omu Curry Rice for lunch at the cafeteria with potato wedges and kimchi (Of course!) for sides.
We took a train to Jamsil where LotteWorld is located.
Unfortunately, this trip, we did not buy tickets to enter Lotte World and just walked around the area. I did take photos in front of the Trevi Fountain replica though.
While walking about the area, I also got some Osulloc tea which smelt amazing and tasted really good. The one I got was the “A village road full of Cherry Blossom”. It’s a premium tea from Jeju Island.
DAY 20 (8 Jan)
School was a bit more exciting today.
At school, we presented our findings on the K-pop industry.
Yes. We actually need to go to class while we are in Winter School. It is not all fun!
Our Prof liked our little drawings on the poster we presented though. It was a chill affair.
I had Udon for lunch at the cafeteria with a corndog and a rice salad for sides.
We decided to head out to Daiso and a bookstore which I bought some scrapbooks to bring back. The paper quality was awesome.
Along the way, we also got ice cream from Paik’s Coffee. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted with the cornflake topping.
We also dropped by and got the Dairy Queen’s ice cream which was cool because when we turned it upside down, it won’t really fall. Although the store attendant advised us not to do that.
DAY 21 (9 Jan)
School was as per usual.
We got Burger King for lunch since school ended early.
We are OBSESSED with their cheese sticks and their 3,900 won meal (SGD$4.50?).
We spent some time chilling in our dorm before heading out to visited the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market.
It was pretty interesting seeing so much sea animals there (they are not food. Yet.). So the restaurant upstairs can prepare the food that you buy from the market.
The others were quite daring but I was not feeling too adventurous in trying the live seafood. Especially since I just recovered from a huge bug.
While waiting, Cheowyin, Elsie and I explored the area and walked past a store selling strawberries, so we had to get them for brekkie the next day.
We ended up heading to another cafe to wait for them but they finished eating. So we met up with them and went back to Dongdaemun to get some dinner.
We decided on a local restaurant and I got some Samgye-Tang (Ginseng Chicken Soup). I love that there was rice on the underside of the chicken.
DAY 22 (10 Jan)
Finally, the unofficial last day of school.
This is where we had our strawberries for breakkie!
We did our final presentation and unofficially graduated from Winter School! After taking pictures with everyone, we went back to our dorm before deciding on where to go.
Of course, we had to get Burger King for lunch again since we were broke college students. And that the cheese sticks were awesome.
We decided on going to the Cheonggyecheon Stream nearby our dorm which was renowned for a photoshoot.
The photos turned up pretty good!
We went back to Hongdae for KBBQ (which I still did not have as I was sick before). Some authentic KBBQ. It was awesome. The place we went to was called Meat-ing Meat Buffet and Salad (Get it Meat-ing).
We also got some ice cream because it was winter. I know. What a logical choice right?
We saw more performances and went past the store which caught on fire a few days prior.
DAY 23 (11 Jan)
Last official school day. It was Graduation Day!
Since our class ended the day before, there was no class in the morning.
We took the opportunity to go to GyeongBokGung and we finally rented a HanBok. Entrance Fee is free if you enter with a HanBok on so that’s a good experience that you may want to try. The cost adds up to be quite similar anyways.
In the Palace, I felt like a princess walking around. I loved it. The palace was huge but we did not have enough time to visit the entire place.
Nevertheless, it was great seeing the architecture. Every angle in that place was simply gorgeous. A great place for a photo opt.
For lunch, we went to a local restaurant and tried their Kimbab, Blood Sausage and their kimchi fried rice. I still do not know what their blood sausage is made of but it did not taste as bad as it sounds.
Finally. We have graduated from Winter School!!
Unfortunately, still a long time for our actual degrees (At that point in time, we just started our degrees).
The last night was spent in Myeongdong. We wanted to pick up somethings before we head back to Singapore the next day.
For dinner, we went to Han’s Deli which was pretty affordable.
At this point in time, we were pretty broke from shopping and staying there for more than 20 days.
Day 24 (Final Day! 😢)
I woke up early with Cheowyin so we could head to the airport together. We missed a few taxis after the taxi drivers saw our suitcases.
Thankfully this nice taxi uncle stopped and helped us.
We also missed the bus to the airport by a few seconds. Yikes. So we waited for the next one patiently in the midst of the cold winter morning.
We got our final Burger King meal at Incheon Airport for some lunch. We HAD to get our last cheese sticks before we left.
Cheowyin and I parted our ways as we were taking different flights.
As I was walking to my gate, I saw some “royals”. They were all dressed in their imperial outfits and looked like they walked out straight from the historical dramas. That was cool seeing them trying to showcase that part of their culture.
So this is the end of my almost-month long trip to Korea. Coming back, it was bittersweet. This had been a great introduction to Korea.
It was an incredible journey. I saw so many beautiful things, yet also experience many unfortunate events.
I met kind and beautiful people from the minute I reached Korea and some I kept in contact till today.
On the other hand, I was happy to be away from the cold and that I can see my family again.
I will definitely head back to Korea someday! I do want to visit other parts of Korea! 😊
One big takeaway from this trip is that whenever possible, do take that leap.
Step out of that comfort zone and head out to travel on your own.
Take Baby steps. It is okay.
You will realize how much you do not know when you are all by yourself!
I wish you all the best in taking that first baby step! <3
Have you been to Korea? What was your favourite place there? Comment down below!
