Travel Diary - South Korea part 1

Annyeonghaseyeo my avid readers & those who just happen to stumble upon my blog. 

I welcome you with a huge warm smile that can only be shown in this emoji :D (hahaha!) 

So as you all know (or don't know...cause you don't follow my awesome Instagram account *cough cough ig:sarahhilmee cough cough*) I am currently on my semester vacation and I recently got back from 16 days of traveling in South Korea!! 

I know I know, you've read my blog before and you already know that I've been to Korea before. But this time it's different. (I sweareeee kahkah)  

So since I was there for 16 days, and I did so many things and went to so many places, I figured I'd break it down to 3 or 2 parts (5 days in Seoul, 5 days in Daejeon & Jeonju and 6 days in Seoul) so that it won't be such an overbearing read and I'm pretty sure you'd probably just skim through the photos. 

So sit back, relax and get your mouse ready to scroll! because it's gonna be a long one. Hehe~

16 DAYS IN SOUTH KOREA - Part 1

26.1.2015 || Day 1 - Malaysia to South Korea

Amal and I went to Korea on 26th January 2015. We booked a flight a year ago with AirAsia and got a sweet promo deal that costs us less than RM1000 (I'm writing on my phone now, so I can't do the conversions for you) 

Which is affordable since it's flying to Korea. We booked our flight at 8am so Amal stayed over at my place that night and my mum helped send us to the airport at 4am the next day. Once we arrived, we went to the check in counter and checked in our bags. Since we didn't book a meal on the flight, we had breakfast at Texas Chicken. ('Twas geeewwwdd) 

Finally our flight was called and we went on board the airplane. Being Low cost (I've much to debate about this actually), there wasn't any inflight entertainment and of course the seats were cramped and there was hardly any leg room. Luckily for my small frame, my legs folded nicely and I was ok, not entirely comfortable but I wasn't in agony. I pity my dear neighbour who was (I reckon) about 1.8m. 

Eventually we arrived safely in Incheon International Airport at 4pm. Since it was winter, it was a dramatic change to my skin and I pretty much suffered from severe dry skin...plus I was already dehydrated from the lack of water in the airplane. 

After getting all our documentation done and got our bags, we finally set out on our adventure in Seoul. And by that I mean we took the train, searched for our Hostel and finally crashing that night. Hahaha

So we booked our hostel at Inno Hostel & Pub Lounge through Booking.com. We got an awesome offer for 4 nights which was about RM36 a night? The room we booked was a 6 bed mix dorm and it was more than enough for us. It had the basic facilities such as a bed to sleep on, locker, showers with hot water (except after a certain time. I reckon the hot water ran out), there was also a pantry, a washing machine and a dryer. 

Apart from that, there was also a bar downstairs with 2 PC's where some of the backpackers would chill out and have a beer or something...I didn't chill out there since a) I don't drink and b) we were dead tired after a full day of discovering Seoul. Maybe next time I'll try to be a bit more friendly and order a sprite. Hahaha.

So as you read earlier, Amal and I reached the hostel and crashed that night. We did get to meet our roommates apart from the usual hi, good mornings and bye, all 6 of us didn't talk much. They probably thought we couldn't speak English...

27.1.2015 || Day 2 : Gyeongbukgong, Insadong, Dongdaemun

We went to the Gyeongbukgong Palace the next day to check out the majestic palace, but because we failed to look at the fine details written in my trusty travel book, Gyeongbukgong palace was closed on every Tuesday. -___- so we eventually went to Insadong to scout out souvenirs to get and had noodles at a small little restaurant in Insadong. 

After exploring Insadong and it's treasures, we went to Dongdaemun to check out Dongdaemun Design Plaza designed by the famous Zaha Hadid. It was beautiful and amazing and too huge to fit in one screenshot. 

After that we met with our friend Jungjun and had chicken galbi for dinner :D 

Jungjun! 

Chicken galbi cooked by the waitress

28.1.2015 || Day 3 : Itaewon, Noryangjin Fish Market & Seoul Forest

The next day we went to Itaewon to check out the famous Leeum Samsung Art museum. 

After lunch in Itaewon, we went to Noryangjin Fish Market to check out the fish and the outer parts of Seoul. The lobsters, crabs & octopus' were HUGE! and a lot. not to mention the prawns and other sea creatures. But we didn't try them cause we couldn't speak Korean and almost all the fishmongers there either spoke Korean or Chinese. (maybe I should take up Mandarin...)

After that we took the subway & walked to Seoul Forest to try to find the Sika Deer, which we failed to because it got too cold and dark for us. By the time the sunset, it was too dark and we had to head back. On our way back to our Hostel in Hapjeong, we stopped at Dongdaemun to have dinner.

Sculpture in Seoul Forest

you have to cross a bridge that overlooks the train tracks to get to Noryangjin Fish Market

29.1.2015 || Day 4 : Hongdae & Lotte World

We went to Hongdae the next day and went to Trick eye Museum. It was rather difficult to find as it was located at the basement level in a building. Eventually we managed to find it with the ever so helpful Tourist info centres & tourist police. 

We spent half our day there and had so much fun! After that, we met with my friend Ryu and his uni friend at Lotte World! 

30.1.2015 || Day 5: Nami Island, Gangnam & Myeongdong

Ryu accompanied us to Nami Island the next day. We took the express train to Gapyeong station and then took a taxi to Gapyeong wharf & hopped on a ferry to Nami Island. Anyone who wants to visit Nami Island can easily search for the info from their official website here

Amal & Ryu

Nami island is very much famous for it's famed rows of trees and because it was part of a memorable scene from the famous drama Winter Sonata. Ask any K-drama fan and they will definitely say they'd want to go there. (Ok maybe not ALL...but you get the picture)

Nami Island is a very popular scenic tourist destination. However, the island is small and there is a limit to the number of visitors. DO BE PREPARED! There were so many tourists (myself included) that you'd wonder if you were in Korea...

Hahaha, but nonetheless, if you walked along the less popular stretch, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the island. 

There was an ostrich farm (why??)....do be careful as the ostrich will attack you. Like in this photo of the ostrich attacking the buttons on Ryu's jacket because he thought it was food. -_- Not advisable for young children and people who are afraid of getting pecked on...like me. HAHA

Ice sculptures!

really tall Gingko trees! 

I imagine Nami Island would be spectacularly beautiful during the other seasons and when it snows. But there's always beauty in nature, no matter what season it is. 

It does get extremely cold and muddy (when there's no snow) so be prepared with waterproof shoes that you don't mind cleaning afterwards and warm clothing. Ditch the 'I'm-so-gorgeous-I-don't-need-thick-winter-clothes-cause-in-dramas-they-look-fine' persona. It got freaking cold. (even Ryu complained)

We then went to Gangnam, that has been popularised by PSY's song : Oppa Gangnam Style. (it literally was EVERYWHERE and got rather annoying.) I was curious about what Gangnam had to offer.

To me, It's like every other city, with tall buildings, traffic jams & crowds of people. I would say Gangnam is very much like the centre of Kuala Lumpur or any other city. However, there is an awesome bookstore tucked away underground and was really nice to get lost there. (I'm sorry...I Don't remember the bookstores name :( ) 

Ryu had to leave us after visiting Gangnam. So Amal and I decided to go to Myeongdong just to scout for souvenirs & have dinner.

31.1.2015 || Day 6 : Gyeonggbukgong Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, head to Daejeon

Finally Amal and I got to go to Gyeongbukgong palace. Initially we wanted to go on the guided English tour but eventually we decided we'd just explore each part of Gyeongbukgong on our own.

Gyeongbukgong Palace was divided into various sections and each building had a specific function. 

I advice anyone who wants to go there to grab a copy of the English tour book at the ticketing counter, as there are no English explanations around the palace. I forgot about it after we were walking halfway to the main throne hall.

After touring around the palace, we met Ryu again at the National Folk Museum and then went to Bukchon Hanok Village. 

Bukchon Hanok Village is a traditional house village up on a hill. Initially, Ryu, Amal & I got lost and we ended up eating at a store that sold Odeng, Topokki & deep fried fritters. We eventually found the Hanok Village with the help of some local and very friendly aunts.

Bukchon Hanok Village is a residential area, so to those who are thinking of going there should remember to keep your voices down.

After that, we went to our hostel, took our bags and headed to Daejeon. 

Thank you so much for being so patient with me and reading through this long post! 

In my next entry, I'll write about my visit to Daejeon & Jeonju :D

Xx, 

사라

(Sarah)