Day 17: Korean Baseball Match!

In the morning, I reached class that day to know that we have breakfast provided for us by the school! To celebrate the end of our first week, the school prepared for us rather traditional food. Ddeok (떡) and Sikhye (식혜). Ddeok is made of flour I guess, and then Sikhye is a traditional rice drink. I think it was a pretty interesting breakfast, and something very local. I love Sikhye though, but some ddeok isn't very nice.

On the way to school, Jenny told me that her dorm mates asked her to go for a baseball match that evening. I have heard briefly about Korea's baseball, and how much Koreans love baseball, but I personally do not have much knowledge about the game. Was pondering whether I should go and decided I should not miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance. Sorry I do not have any information on how to get the tickets, but I heard that you need some Korean ID if you want to purchase them online, so if you are a foreigner, it is best to purchase them right before the show outside the stadium.

The match for that day was Doosan Bears V.S. Samsung Lions. Of course, I didn't know which group to support, and neither have I heard their names. I also didn't buy any baseball jerseys/shirts which I totally regret. By the way, the ticket is 15,000KRW, which is a little pricey I think, but totally worth it. I had doubts on whether I will fall asleep halfway, because afterall I am not a sports fan, much less a baseball fan. But I totally became one after watching the games.

The game was held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, but the subway stop to stop at was Sports Complex Subway Station instead. If I remember correctly, leave from exit 5 or 6 and you will see a stadium in front of you.

I totally became a fan of Doosan Bears after the show. In Korean baseball matches, every baseball players have their respective cheers. They usually incorporate the names of the players and are sung in this light-hearted tune. I caught some of the tunes and sang along with them halfway through the games. It was really catchy and if you could understand some basic Korean, I think it is pretty easy to understand the meaning etc.

Oh, and not forgetting that in between, there are a lot of entertainments. Like when the teams are changing sides or something (sorry I really know nuts about baseball). They have performances and dances and cheerleaders singing and dancing in front. They was also one screen time and the theme was "Kiss Time". So the camera man will go around shooting anyone that they felt look like couple. You can see a lot of couples waving their hands madly to be filmed. Hahah so if you happen to be the one caught on screen, you are supposed to be spontaneous and kiss the other party. There was a daddy and his toddler son kissing, hahah so cute and heartwarming. The camera man also shot this old couple probably in their 70s, and the ahjossi (uncle) kissed the ahjumma (auntie) so hard on her cheeks. So cute!!!!

Look at the crowd behind me. 3.5 hours of matches passed way too fast!!! This is one of my fondest memories because for that 3.5 hours, I really felt like I was truly able to experience the life of a Korean.

Thoughts: Alternating between the life of a tourist and a local.

I am going to add in these 'random thoughts' post, which are things that suddenly dawned on me during my trip. It was something worth exploring I think so somewhere in between, you will see these posts coming up. Also because if the next day's post is a really long one, and I'm really tired to write it up, this short one comes in to substitute and keeps this blog going. :P

Anyway, I'm talking about a rather meaningful event (to me at least) that happened to me on Day 16, which relates to this post. After the dinner at the chinese restaurant, Jenny and I then went to a mart to replenish some fruits and biscuits. T.T Btw there are only few fruits which you can buy in Korea, and I eat banana most often. Because fruits are so expensive in Korea, a whole watermelon can cost nearly S$30.

Anyway, main point wasn't this. After I bid Jenny goodbye, I strolled back to the guesthouse in the rain. It wasn't raining so heavily now, but it was still raining. I stopped at the traffic light and waited for the signal for me to cross. While waiting, a man came over to me and talked to me in Korean. I don't know if I've said this already, but even though I took Korean level 2 back in Singapore, my standard wasn't that good at all. I was good with grammar and tenses and writing, but I was always weaker when it comes to speaking and listening (conversational) foreign languages. So guess my horror when the man spoke to me in Korean. Thankfully, I understood what he said. He asked me for the directions to Hyehwa Subway Station Exit 1. 

HE ASKED ME FOR DIRECTIONS!!! Hahah why is he asking a foreigner for direction?! Guess what I told him. I replied him in Korean (I'm amazed I complete the sentence without any stuttering, or wrong pronunciation.) and I said, "죄송합니다. 저는 의국사람입니다." which translates to "Sorry I'm a foreigner." Come to think of it, the content I said contradicts with the language I said it in. Anyway, I roughly knew where he wanted to go, but I wasn't too sure, and giving directions was too hard for me, I think I would stutter all the way, so I took the easy way out opps. But anyway, I was beaming with pride because I must have looked like a Korean for him to ask me that, or it shows that I am already assimilating quite well hahah. It was honestly pretty meaningful to me, because it was around that time that I got confused with my identity - am I trying to be a foreigner, or a local.

Which brings me to my point - how do you feel like alternating between the life of a tourist and a local. Some people apparently don't care, some people do. Well, I am the kind that will care, because I think if you get the right mindset and attitude, then you will be able to fully experience what you want to experience. Like if you wanna be a tourist, feel free to take out your pictures and snap photos and speaking in your own language among yourselves. I started the trip off being a tourist, and by day 17, I am starting to doubt my identity of a tourist, partly because I also live in a guesthouse which is in a very Korean housing estate. And I would really love to be able to experience the life of a local there. I get tired of pulling out my camera to take a picture, because that shows the Koreans around me that I'm a tourist and not a local. I hate to speak loudly in Mandarin or English, because once again people will know I am not local. I want to be treated like a local, do the things a local does, eat the food a local eats.

And that is the reason why I yearn to go back so much, because I haven't seemed to be able to complete that task I wanted to do. I'm trying to plan a trip back next Spring, and if all goes well, there will be more posts to sustain this blog hahah! Though some things might be repeated, because again, I'm not going there with a purpose of travelling, so I'll probably cover places I've already gone before, to find back that kind of familiar feeling, to just meet with my friends there, to find back the feeling of my second home (or so I wish). Wish me luck!

Day 16: Monsoon rain attack!

It was cloudy the entire day. July is the wettest month in Korea, and also the most humid month. Which means there will be a lot of rainfall. Well, it rains a lot in Singapore too and I hate the rain when you have to go out. It's nice relaxing at home on a rainy day though.

But Korea's monsoon season is nothing like Singapore's rain, so for those who are interested to go travelling in Korea, I will say skip July and August. The monsoon rain really dampens your mood, and makes travelling and sightseeing hard especially if most activities are outdoors. August, on the other hand, is the hottest month of the year. The temperature might be just 32 degrees celsius (so normal in Singapore), but the sun rays really burn. I got a few shades darker despite spamming sunblock on my last 10 days of trip (which happens to be the hottest period ever).

Showing you a typical meal in SKKU canteen. Tada~! And I believe most canteens too. Kimchi are usually free flow and self-service, but take only what you can finish please. Soups may or may not be complimentary. Menu of Day 15 was Omu-rice, and honestly I hate this brown sauce that they drenched over Omu-rice in Korea. This was my third time having it drenched all over my rice but I personally felt that it was a bit like plum sauce - sweet and sour, and anything sweet doesn't go over my main meals, they are only for desserts.

Oh, btw, this costs about 5,000KRW. So yeah, canteen food isn't much cheaper than outside food too.

We wanted to go Myeongdong again this evening, and also to settle our dinner there. But the heavy rain really put us off. I've tried being stuck in Myeongdong twice with heavy rain - it sucks. You have to go in and out of shops in Myeongdong so if it rains, you have to keep hiding in the shops, and everyone is also hiding in the shops, so you cannot shop because it is too crowded, but you cannot go out into the rain too.

But we still have to settle dinner. Lydia was reluctant to step out in the pouring rain so Jenny and I decided to meet. I waited for 15 minutes but the rain did not show any signs of it getting smaller, so we just decided to head out anyway. (Also cause it's almost 8pm and we're dying of hunger) And 10 seconds after I am out of the guesthouse, my feet are soaking wet and I am drenched already! 

From that day onwards, I was pondering about whether I should get those rain boots that Korean girls wear. Rain boots come in so many designs in Korea - high cut, low cut, flowery, plain etc etc. No doubts about that though because Koreans are so into fashion. But my Korean friends told me the 10,000KRW ones really hurt and cut your feet and no way am I gonna get those 50,000KRW Hunter boots because there was only two more weeks of school and I will be on a 10-days road trip already. So... say hi to more wet shoes and soaking feet.

Jenny and I met and then settled down at a Chinese restaurant in between her dorm and my guesthouse. Actually, we have been wanting to go there to eat because we always see them delivering jjajangmyeon and stuff in their bikes with a huge metal box to put the food. So they must have been quite a traditional Chinese restaurant. I had some clams kalguksu (noodles) while Jenny had her jjajangmyeon again. I guess she hasn't satisfied her craving for jjajangmyeon hahah. I really wanted to try jjampong but I'm afraid that it was too spicy and I didn't really know how to tell them to make it less spicy. Turns out the owner speaks Chinese , though a little bit hard to understand. I think he is from some province of China - a very strong accent/dialect of Chinese we couldn't really catch. He chatted with us though and told us that his son is also studying in SKKU but of course we wouldn't know his son.

But still, I think it's quite comforting to meet people whom you can understand (sort of) and strike little conversations with in a foreign land.

Day 14 & 15: Meet-ups

Day 14
I met up with XQ, who was here for travelling after she finished her exchange in China. She was only here for about two weeks I think, and we tried to find time to meet asap, and luckily we did. After lessons ended at 4pm, I got home to wash my laundry. YES, YOU SEE THAT CORRECTLY. Hahah I'm amazed too that I survived well on my own, because I don't do any housework back in Singapore. Well, but not doing (because I'm too lazy) and not knowing how to do are two different things. I always watch while my mum does it, so I do know the basics at least.

So, I rushed to Myeongdong to meet XQ for dinner. Because she (or we) were both feeling meh about Korean food, we decided to have western food. Brought her to Han's Deli (which was my all-time favourite western restaurant in Seoul) and it's my third time at Han's Deli already, in my short 14 days in Korea. And not to mention, it was my 7th time in Myeongdong. Well, because partly because Shan and I went to Myeongdong every single night (also because it was only 15 minutes from our guesthouse) during our 4 days in Seoul. There is just this amazing feeling about Myeongdong that keeps drawing me back somehow, maybe I will talk about it some other time.

XQ was my senior when I went for Freshmen Camp back when I was in Year 1. We seldom have a chance to catch up, so meeting up in Korea was pretty good, and also heartwarming to see an ever-so-familiar face in a foreign land. I think it's also XQ's first time meeting up with a friend (other than her exchange mates) for her long 7 months away from Singapore. A pity the rain kind of dampened our mood, and also I wasn't feeling well that day, so I left shortly after dinner. But it was still a good catch up!

Day 15
The girls wanted to meet up for dinner at Edae. Partly because I wasn't feeling well still, I decided to give this a miss. Jenny and Lydia brought Okta along though to meet Cheryl and Winnie. I believe they had a good time shopping and eating, and I had my instant noodles for dinner.

It was not too bad for me too in the sense that it was the first time in 15 days I can just sit down and relax and not do anything but just scroll through Facebook etc and wasting time.

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As you can see, I combined both days into one entry. No photos even HAHAH. (Except one with XQ) Kind of because by day 15, I got a bit bored and tired of going out consecutively for two whole weeks. I kind of just wanna rot my life away hahah, and also because the monsoon season in Seoul was arriving and it was irritating to get my feet soaking wet everytime I step out of the room. But thankfully, I started to cherish my very limited days in Korea again and go out more often. But for now, I guess you guys have to bear with this for a bit. :P

Day 13: My first day of school!

Sorry I haven't been active for some time. Because it is my examinations period.

Anyway, taking a break (as if I did study much) to blog about my first day of school in SKKU.

I took Strategic Management Formulation as my morning class, and I took it alone. This course is a business module, and there was no one from my home university in business course (not that I know of). So, I was alone. But it was my core, and I am more than glad to clear it. Subsequently, I got to know a few other SIM students, even though I wasn't close with them, but glad to hear Singlish around in the class. :P

Anyway, we had a group presentation to do, and we were allocated into our groups. So thankful I don't need to find my own groupmates, if not it's gonna be so awkward for meeeeeeee. We were a pretty international class - I thought we had quite a lot of balance in terms of nationality already. For your information, there were A LOT of Singaporeans going for SKKU ISS program. Hundreds and hundreds. From SIM and NTU, I heard there were at least 200 each. And even though I wanted some comfort and thus some Singaporean friends around, I did not come to Korea to hang out with Singaporeans again. So I was so glad that we had a pretty good ratio in the morning class.

My morning class ended very early that day. Only an hour long instead of the scheduled 2.5 hours because it is the first lesson. Since I was so early, I decided to take a walk and snap some photos of my school compound. I love the 600 years old campus and all the rustic feel.

Jenny and I then met (because our classes were in the same building) and contacted Lydia (who was in another building) for lunch. She brought along some friends who she had met in her morning class, which are mainly HyoEun and Oktavia. Mainly meaning those that we met for the next three weeks of school. HyoEun was the first Korean girl that I met as I have mentioned earlier. And Oktavia is a lady studying in Netherlands but she is an Indonesian. Okta is an amazing lady! She is 27 but looks just like us, plus she has so much life experiences and stories to share, because she left Indonesia on her own to study in Netherlands when she was just a teenager.

Best thing, I realised that Oktavia is in the same afternoon class as me!!!! We went together to class after lunch and were grouped with two very awesome Korean ladies for presentation and group work. The professor was an American who is teaching in SKKU and the class was "Poverty, Inequality, and Economic Growth". It was something like a mix of history lesson and geography lesson, but I personally find it rather interesting. (Though I always fell asleep when he played videos, because we had such a good lunch in the school canteen everytime.) Jihye and Minkyeong spoke pretty good English for a Korean, and in addition to that, Jihye speaks Mandarin too, because she lived in China for a few years.

For dinner, Jenny and I met to explore the other side of Hyehwa, which was equally happening and had lots of nice cafes which we swore we had to visit (but didn't manage to find time to). We passed by this classy looking restaurant and it serves Chinese food, and we kind of crave for it because it has been Korean food everyday for so long. Food there wasn't as cheap (around 10k won) but it was once in a while plus it was pretty good.

Day 12: Everland

Finally, the day for Everland arrived!!! Jenny and Lydia and I were all very excited for this trip hahah because it is one of the main highlights of my trip! We met up with three other friends of Lydia at Hyehwa  station at 9am and set off for Everland early. Because it is a long journey to Everland, which is in Gyeonggi-do, outside of Seoul.

There are a few ways to get there, and I will suggest two:

1) Express bus. This is the most convenient but of course more expensive way of getting to Everland. There are a few places to take this express bus. One of them is at City Hall station, exit 5. Another one is Samseong station, exit 5. This express bus service is operated by Daeseong Tour and reservation is required. So, please dial 031-919-1244 to reserve seats beforehand. 12,000KRW for round trip. However, do note that this express bus service will send you back from Everland at 6pm, but the 9pm fireworks display is awesome and not to be missed! So, I think you have to weigh the pros and cons yourself.

2) No. 5002 from Gangnam station, in front of Krispy Kreme donuts. This public bus is pretty cheap I guess. About 2,000KRW but the thing is that Koreans can be really rough sometimes. Really kiasu in fact hahah. The whole journey takes about 40-50 minutes, but if you do not have a seat, this journey can seem really long actually.

People have mentioned about the Everline, which is a line that extends all the way to Gyeonggi-do. However, I really would not recommend Everline because it takes too much time and effort to figure out the way. I used Method 2 (the public bus method) to get to Everland, and the Everline back from Everland. If I remember correctly though, I had to transfer line 4 times, and the entire journey takes nearly 2.5 hours from Everland back to Hyehwa. It was about 1.5 hours on my trip there.

Anyway, enough of transportation, here are some photos of the gorgeous place.

We had an early lunch inside Everland. One thing I like about Korea is that they do not purposely hike up the prices when in tourist attractions. For instance, this meal I had cost 9,000KRW. It is slightly steeper than the usual meals, but that is because food in Korea is not cheap anyway. Stepping into any restaurant costs at least 5,000KRW too. And this is so damn good, and a huge portion, and this is the more expensive restaurants. There are meals starting at 7,000KRW in other restaurants.

One of our stops was Safari World. Safari World allows us to take a bus around and view animals upclose. We got to see white tigers, lions, hyenas, brown bears. And these creatures were just roaming around in their designated areas (separated by their species) and the brown bears were just walking on the road!!! It is so cool to see the animals 50m away from you.

Besides Safari World, Everland of course has all those amusement park rides!! A pity though that we didn't get to sit on the ferris wheel (which I was anticipating for the longest time ever) because it was down for maintenance. Bumper cars caught our attention too because many of us haven't had a chance to ride on bumper cars before.

And definitely, this!!!! Everland is famous for its T-express, which is a roller coaster entirely made of wood, and it has the second steepest slope at 77 degrees. Can you believe it?!?!? A maximum vertical height of 77 degrees!!! It is also the world's ninth fastest, fourth tallest, and sixth longest wooden roller coaster. Amazing records!!! Also rated as the No. 1 scariest ride in South Korea. Definitely, we cannot give this a miss!!

Which is also the reason why we ate lunch so early. We hope to have our food digested by the time we went for T-express, because I don't think I will want to puke argh!! Truth be told, I do have a certain fear of heights, and I HAVE NEVER EVER BEEN ON A ROLLER COASTER IN MY ENTIRE 22 YEARS OF LIFE!!!! This is mad crazy, me challenging one of the scariest roller coasters in the world, while I am a total noobie in this!! I still cannot imagine how I manage to get myself on this. The 77 degrees felt way more than that!! And it was hurting my neck so badly because I cannot even lower my head because of the speed. Also, I couldn't even scream out loud because I was so scared that my voice got stuck in my throat. Literally screaming with no voice!! My throat hurts so much after that too!!

But if you love these games, you definitely have to go for this T-express! Strongly recommended! And I do not think I will ever have the courage to step up on this again.

Parade shows are everywhere in amusement parks, and of course there is one in Everland! We missed most of it, but it looks amazingly grand! 

I love carousels since young. Most girls grew up imagining themselves to be princesses, with their Prince charming come riding to them on a white horse. I am for anything princessy, and despite being a little lame, I still enjoyed this ride! :P

Amazing gorgeous view of Everland!! Besides all those rides, Everland is also famous for their Four Seasons Garden. They have lovely roses everywhere in this place and I snapped so many photos here and easily spend an hour here gawking over the beautiful flowers and amazing sights. Definitely come here too okay!

Everland is HUGEEEEEE so if you are wondering about the transportation within Everland, we took this sky tram thing from one location to another. Also, Everland is entirely outdoors too, so we were really lucky that day that it didn't rain a single bit. It was scorching hot and I have weird tan lines all over my body after that day and have my nose peeling due to sunburn. This skytram thing is cool and I was damn scared that my slippers will drop down and we were grabbing on to the bar firmly. And see the amazing sunset in Everland!!

Last but not least, there are definitely more rides and attractions to see in this place! Do try out the Amazon Express, and also the Hurricane. Some other amazing rides (which I did not get to try) include Double Rock Spin, and Let's Twist, as well as Columbus Adventures. Some of the rides though, scare me at the sight of it, because I get giddy and nauseous very easily. 

Also, Carribean Bay, the water themepark, is just next to Everland. And both are stated as not to be missed. However, I don't think it's possible to finish exploring both places in one day. So if you travel all the way to Everland, you might want to stay in their resorts, so that you can go to Carribean Bay the next day as well. (: Oh, just in case you are interested, foreigners get a discount and the 1-day ticket costs 35,000KRW. I frankly think it is very acceptable considering the price of USS in Singapore, and oh btw, souvenirs are pretty affordable too, so please buy more home for memory's keepsake. :D

Day 11: Good food in Korea!

My day 11 in Korea is a day full of good food. From all over the place.

W had a tutee back in Singapore and her tutee is a Korean! Recently they decided to go back to Korea so when W's tutee's mum knew that she was coming over, she told her to meet up in Korea. One gang of us decided to join her. :P (Of course we told them beforehand.)

We were meeting with W's tutee at Hongdae after lunch. So we decided to go have lunch together in Hongdae and walk around first. Since we were spoilt with choices, and I was craving for it, I decided to introduce them to Han's Deli, a western restaurant I have previously mentioned. And presenting to you... my all time favourite baked rice. It's so good!

We then met with W's tutee and her mum. She brought us to this little cute cafe in Hongdae - Cafe Etonne. It has the cutest desserts ever. In Korea, somehow food presentation is so important, especially desserts. And if you love desserts and pretty food like me, you definitely cannot miss this place!

However, do note that desserts are not that cheap here. The patbingsoo was at 15,000KRW if I remember correctly. But as you can see, it is really huge. I think you can have 4 people sharing it. (:

We then moved on to Times Square for some shopping. I saw my most favourite tofu banchan, but I don't know how am I gonna pack it back to the guesthouse, or store it. So I decided not to get it. We walked around and around and decided finally to settle at this very grand looking Japanese restaurant on the 8th floor. This seafood ramen is one of the best I have eaten, though it tastes a bit fusion rather than authentic Japanese food. And seriously... I don't understand why they must serve ramen with pickles and kimchi. No matter where you go, what cuisine you eat, there is still kimchi... somehow. (It's weird even though I love kimchi)

When we returned back to our guesthouse, Y and Z came over and gave us a box of Krispy Kreme donuts. To thank us for guiding them to the guesthouse when they were lost that day. Honestly, we were just doing our part in helping people (because we were equally lost before so we know how it feels) But really thankful for their kindness. It warms our heart to know that we meet nice people in a foreign land. (:

Day 10: SKKU Field Trip 1: Gyeongbukgung + NANTA

Our first SKKU field trip happened on my 10th day in Korea. Coincidentally, but unluckily for me, we were heading to Gyeongbukgung (again!). This was my second visit to Gyeongbukgung since I had already came here with Shan. In addition, the tour guide who led us around was so good and knowledgeable that I don't think I can gain anymore knowledge this time round. And... I was true.

We met up in school for some short talk, and each of us were given a Subway Cold Cut Trio (with all vegetables included T.T) and a can of coke plus some chips for lunch. Soon after, we met at one of the highest point of SKKU (all the steep slopes and constant climbing) and everyone set off in buses. We went to some museums around Gyeongbukgung and also Gyeongbukgung itself. The exact name of the museum - I can't remember. I was never particularly interested in history and especially museums, and the fact that I've been to Gyeongbukgung before also turned me off this trip. And I attribute it to the poor planning of the school. If we were told ahead all these schedules, I wouldn't have headed to Gyeongbukgung for my pre-summer school trip. Sigh. So let the pictures say some words for me.

The next item on the itinerary, after all those historical tours, was NANTA. Honestly, I've heard of NANTA way back in Singapore. Nanta (And if you understand Chinese, it directly translates into 乱打, also known as Cookin' Nanta) is a South Korean non-verbal comedy show that incooperate traditional samul nori rhythm. The musical has a simple back story of three cooks attempting to finish preparing a wedding banquet within a strict time limit while the manager installs his incompetent nephew among the kitchen staff. The show involves acrobatics, magic tricks, comedy, pantomime and audience participation. The performance is almost completely non-verbal. The very few words which are spoken are mostly in English.

The NANTA stage in the picture below!!!

NANTA was a show that well exceeded my expectations! When I heard about it way back in Singapore, I was skeptical about how a non-verbal musical would be enjoyable, and also why people would pay so much to watch it. When SKKU arranged it for us, I was still not excited at it, at all. I even fell asleep in the first 15 minutes while waiting for the show to start. But subsequently, I awoke from my sleep and I have never really stopped laughing throughout. It was that good!!! Funny, interesting, and definitely a musical not to be missed! (Especially if you are in Korea itself, it feels especially gooooood to watch a Korean musical in Korea.)

But when the musical ended, we were told that there will be no buses fetching us back to SKKU. Good job school! This was my second displeasure with the not-well-planned programme. Seriously, which school drives you to far far away (we don't even know where we are), and left us there without clear directions (even if I asked the Student Assistants, they don't know too) and have everyone just leave like this? We managed to find our way to the subway station though, and from the subway, you should be able to go anywhere. As it was still early (6pm or so), we decided to head back to Daehangno (Hyehwa area) to explore our area and also to have dinner.

Budaejjigae (부대찌개) was our choice. Budaejjigae, otherwise known as army stew, is a common dish in Korea. Koreans love soup (I think) but their soups are usually thicker than normal Chinese soups, and similar to stews, and these thick soups are called jjigae (찌개). Partly, I love Korea because I love soups, and jjigae is everywhere in Korea. Some other variations are Kimchi jjigae, Doenjjang Jjigae (Soybean paste soup), Sundubu Jjigae (Tofu soup). Budaejjigae usually contains spam (Korea's luncheon meat but somehow tastes so good), ham, cheese, some meat, tofu, ddeok (ricecake), sausages, eggs, instant noodles, etc. All those cheap and basic food (and sometimes unhealthy) all dumped together. And surprisingly it just tastes so good. Budaejjigae in Singapore is expensive, about S$15 per pax, and it's about half the price back in Korea. So, if you are there, why not eat it? (:

Day 9: SKKU Orientation and my first Korean friend

Lydia and I woke up early for orientation day. To be honest, I had a pretty good sleep. I have had pretty good sleeps throughout my entire trip in Korea. Amazingly. But I sleep really well though, everywhere. I remember my holidays in Taiwan and how I love the bed so much. I am, however, really picky about bathrooms/toilets. It was hard adapting to the bathroom in my guesthouse because of the small confined space. And I think I am so thankful to book a room that has attached bathroom.

Anyway, we reached school for our ISS. Met Jenny below her dormitory and walked over together. It was our daily routine since we had to walk past it anyway. Actually, I always thought that there will be a shorter route, but heck it, walking is good anyway. Sometimes, I take even longer routes back.

First up was a traditional Korean music performance. There were a few other performances and talks scheduled but as usual, people don't really care. I quite look forward to the lunch reception though, and we also had a walk around the school's 600-years-old campus. And it was there where I met my first Korean friend everrrrrrrrr.

To be honest, everyone learning a new language would always love to meet the locals there. I was fascinated with Korean language, and of course, fascinated at the idea of meeting Koreans, and having the native Korean friends. So here comes the first...

Because she was an English major herself, so communication wasn't that hard. Of course, there are times whereby we don't understand each other too. I've also learnt to articulate my words better and unknowingly pick up some English accent (maybe American/British/both/neither) otherwise Koreans usually cannot understand us. Don't get me wrong. I love speaking Singlish still, it feels so familiar, but then again, I think there are times where appropriate and good English should take over too.

It's amazing how friendships develop. It's nearly 4 months since I got to know HyoEun. And even though we are now separated, we still try to keep in contact via Kakaotalk and FB. And I'll definitely go back to Korea someday, and I'm still waiting to bring this woman around Singapore if she ever comes. A shoutout to HyoEun, thank you for everything that you have done for us while we were there!!

Day 8: Finally settling down.

We have been wanting to eat Bonjuk for the longest time, or at least I really do. We decided to have Bonjuk on our last day together, though it's neither me or Shan's last day in Korea. She went on to have another week of adventures with her friend.

So, here we are thinking, what should we do with our luggage? One thing was that we don't want to climb up that steep slope to reach our room again. (Everytime we do, we had to rest for a good 15 - 30 minutes before doing anything again.) But neither do we want to drag our luggages around Myeongdong. Thankfully, we found out about the locker rental service available at most, if not all, subway stations. Proceed to put your luggage in the subway's locker (4,000KRW) if you need to. I find it perfectly safe since you are entering a password of your own choice.

Bonjuk was alright. Not AWESOME though. First mouth was awesome, after a while, it does get a little boring. After a late breakfast, Shan and I rushed down to M Plaza because Seoul Global Culture and Tourism Centre on level 5 allows you to try on hanboks for free! However, the bad thing is that you only can reserve the slots on the day itself. Shan and I was slightly late (it opens at 10.30am) and we could only get the 2pm slot earliest. Which both of us couldn't make it. If you are interested in it, please do go down early and do note that though there are hanboks available, there are no photographers there so do come equipped with your own cameras and probably your photographers aka friends.

And guess what? Ever since I fell in love with SHINee about a year ago, I've been paying close attention to them. Since Etude House launched "Be My Princess" perfume from SHINee, I've been wanting to get it. But it wasn't available in Singapore yet. When I saw my first Etude House in Korea, I immediately went in in search of this. And I found it!! Since 5 SHINee members created their own perfume, I had 5 choices. I immediately reached out for Jonghyun's and subsequently Onew's, because they were my #1 and #2 respectively. And I fell in love with the scent Jonghyun created! But I was still procrastinating and not buying because I want to settle down first because I get all these things. Too troublesome to drag them around. But my travel partner decided to give me a surprise gift!! When I was bathing the night before, this girl left this on the table. While I was out and she was bathing inside, I took a look out of curiosity and found out it was for me! Hahah I'm still using it now and totally in love with it. Thank you best travel mate everrr!!

Subsequently, the awesomely-nice lady decided to bring me to meet my friends before she head off to meet her's. Together, we dragged our 17kg luggage all the way to Hansung University subway station. That was where my next guesthouse is, for the next 1 month. Finally met up with Lydia and Jenny and after lugging my luggage up the stairs, I finally bid Shan goodbye and head off to find our guesthouse. Actually, Exit 5 of the subway disappeared (was closed for renovation or smth) so I totally couldn't find the way at all. Asked many people but to no avail. So, I called the owner who will come down to fetch us, and then chatted with an uncle who was selling fruits at the subway exit. He was nice and I'm glad my very-bad Korean was understood by him, sort of.

As you can see, I stayed in a guesthouse instead of SKKU dormitory. That's because SKKU told us that they do not have anymore spaces in their dormitory, which I was extremely unhappy about. How could such things happen? Nevertheless, staying in a guesthouse has its own benefits too. But I would much prefer the school's dormitory still.

I stayed in Open Guesthouse in Hyehwa area. It was about 15-20 minutes walk from Sungkyunkwan University, and as can be seen, it's in the housing estate so you really get to experience the life of true Koreans. Most guesthouses are above or beside stores and cafes, but this isn't. I mean there are still cafes around, just walk out to the main road less than 5 minutes away. But other than that, I really love staying in that place. The owners and staff were pretty helpful, and whether you prefer interacting with others is really up to you. You get your peace and quiet if you wish to, but you can also find plenty of other occupants in the guesthouse if you want to know more people. :)

Day 7: Do it the Korean way!

I haven't been regular in the updates recently because of a very busy 2 weeks. But recess break has arrived!! Hooray! :DDD So I shall continue with these updates.

If you want to experience things the Korean way, you have to go to these places: Noryangjin fish market, Jjimjibang (otherwise known as Korean sauna), Cheongyecheon stream, and the Namsan Tower.

Noryangjin fish market wasn't as well known as many other tourist spots, but it is a must-go - if you are a fan of seafood too! The seafood there are one of the cheapest, and also the freshest in Seoul. To get to Noryanjing fish market, simply take the subway to Noryangjin Subway Station, Exit 1. Cross the overhead bridge to the emptier side. (One side looked like a small neighbourhood with many shops.)

To get your seafood lunch from Noryangjin, there are 2 ways you can go about doing it. (1) Step into any restaurant and let them know what you want to eat, and they will get it for you. (2) Step into the fish market, choose your own seafood, negotiate the prices, and have the ahjummas bring you to a restaurant to have your seafood cooked. I will strongly recommend going by Method 2 because you get to see many rare seafood you have never seen in your life HAHAH. And also, a few ahjummas speak Chinese and I feel so thankful if not, I really don't know how to go about telling the restaurant owners that I want my seafood steamed, raw, BBQ or what.

For Shan and I, we took sea urchins, a huge scallop the size of our face, and also some abalones. I guess we were pretty adventurous but if you didn't like it, there is always the prawns. We were told to have the sea urchin raw (the usual way of eating it) and the scallop and abalone cooked. Sea urchin was good, but bad. In the sense that I like the taste, but the texture wise, it was so slimy and all, Shan and I felt like our stomachs were churning after the meal. And also probably because we haven't ate breakfast and that was our first meal so our stomachs couldn't really take it. Guess what I did - I bought hot coffee from the vending machine at the subway station later on in an attempt to cook the sea urchin in my stomach. Maybe it's psychological, but it works!! Ingenious me HAHAH.

After the meal, we decided to go to Jjimjibang. And the most famous Jjimjibang had to be Dragon Hill Spa. To get to Dragon Hill Spa, take the subway to Yongsan station (one stop after Noryangjin), and get out of the subway station. You will see this place within 3 minutes walk from the subway station.

So... why Jjimjibang? Jjimjibang, or otherwise known as the Korean sauna, is popular among Koreans. Koreans love to go there, because it is practically a space whereby you can do almost anything! Of course they have the usual water spas (do note that it is gender-specific, and you have to go in naked, so if you are uncomfortable with it, please skip this spa section), and the saunas, and a huge main hall whereby there is a huge TV, massage chairs, food being sold, facials and even manicures being done. You can easily spend a few hours there, and it really doesn't cost that much. Usually about 10,000KRW for the entrance fee. Of course, food, massage, facial etc is another thing. To me, it is a must-go! You can either relax there on your own, or bring a few friends along and chit-chat there. Try cracking a boiled egg on each other's head - it really HURTS!

After a refreshing session of spa and sauna at the Jjimjilbang, Shan and I decided to head to Cheongyecheon stream. Cheongyecheon stream used to be just another canal until it was re-opened as a recreation area again in 2005. The whole course stretches along a long distance, and Shan and I chose to start near Dongdaemun. Maybe we chose the wrong part to start, maybe it was still too bright, we felt that the stream did not bring that kind of atmosphere which people raved about. Instead, we felt that we were feeding mosquitoes. We took a few shots, and quickly left. 

Dongdaemun was nearby, and we wanted to drop by to see if we could get anything. However, at 6pm, Dongdaemun was DEAD QUIET. All shops have yet to open. We forgot that Dongdaemun operates mostly at night, and shops will start opening past 8pm till 5am in the morning (I heard) so anyway, we decided to skip this. I've subsequently heard that Koreans do not like to go to Dongdaemun, because the ahjummas were rude and pushy, and you can't get that much of a bargain too unless you're really good at negotiating or you're buying a whole lot at a go. So, whatever the case, I did not ever step back into DDM again. It didn't leave me with a very good impression too.

So, heading back to Myeongdong, we had an early dinner at Han's Deli. If you're sick of Korean food (which you should not be, they are really good!) and are in need for some Western food fix, I would highly recommend Han's Deli. For the reasonable prices, you can get good Western food. Well, I haven't personally been to Italy for pastas or pizzas so I'm not able to talk about authenticity, but rest assured it has Swensen's/Pizza Hut's standard (if you're familiar with these restaurants) so it's quite a safe bet already.

After dinner, finally, a highlight I've been waiting for! Namsan tower! I don't think it's weird for two girls to head up to Namsan Tower, but for 2 guys, maybe! Hahah, but whichever the case, I think Namsan tower is a sight you should not miss if you are in that area. I love the breeze and the atmosphere up there. Love is in the air~~~! Shan and I decided to take the cable car up to the foot of the tower, but somehow unknowingly we got lost again, and found ourselves climbing Mt. Namsan instead. Funniest thing ever, we bumped into Saiful again. Saiful was my friend who was also there for a holiday, and we coincidentally bumped into each other at the foot of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak in Jeju. And we always seemed to meet whenever we are climbing hills and mountains. Anyway, we finally found our way to the cable car station (Saiful was lost too LOL)

If I were to give an advice, I'd say the cable car was not worth it. Squeezing with many people and seeing practically no view (especially if you're as short as I am) probably meant that the bus might be a better option. There are public buses bringing you up from several subway stations, and if you really want to take the cable car, I would say try both the bus and the cable car. To me, bus trips in Korea are a must-try. It makes me feel like I'm more assimilated into their culture.

We ended off the night at Myeongdong again, because Saiful has yet to eat his dinner. And coincidentally, I bumped into my NBS senior at that same restaurant. I was really unsure and I kept looking his direction but he wasn't looking at me, so I thought, maybe... I was wrong. But after his meal, he came by to say hi so I was right hahah! The world is so small seriously...

Day 6: The ancient and cultural Seoul.

Day 6 was my course registration day. Which means I have to register for my course that I am going to take in Year 4 Semester 1 back in Singapore. Which means, I need internet connection, and fast ones. Because NTU operates on a fastest-fingers-first basis when it comes to course registration. But here comes the problem: the Wi-fi has been flickering the entire night!! When I woke up in the morning, the Wi-fi was still on and off and this cannot do if I really want to get my courses. So, Shan and I decide to look for a cafe to have breakfast while I tap on the Wi-fi. And I immediately thought of Paris Baguette!! Yadayadayada, let's not talk about the details of course registration then.

So after lugging my stupid heavy laptop up the steep slope, and 5 flights of stairs back to guesthouse, I rested enough and finally found the energy to start the day of activities. We were already severely behind schedule because our initial intention was to have brunch at Tosokchon Samgyetang (discussed later in this entry). We decided to skip that and head straight for Gyeongbukgung first.

Built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung Palace is also commonly referred to as the “Northern Palace” It is also arguably the most beautiful and remains the grandest of all five palaces. So, how could I miss this palace right?!

Directions: Gyeongbokgung Station. Exit 5. Walk 5 minutes.

It is very easy to find the directions to Gyeongbukgung from the subway station. Upon getting out of the exit, you will see one of the palace gates in front of you. Walk through it and all the way straight to get your tickets. The ticket costs only 3,000won for one single entry. If I'm not wrong, 10,000won for all 5 palaces in Seoul and valid for one month. For that price, I would say, go for it! It's an amazing experience and so so beautiful.

When I go for palaces like this, I try to find if there is any guided tours because in my opinion, I feel that the main purpose of these trips is not to just take a look around, I would love to understand the rich heritage and culture behind. And without a tour guide, I'm afraid it's not quite possible. Thankfully, Gyeongbukgung has guided tours. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it was true when I visited: 

Tours depart in front of the Information Center at Heungnyemun Gate (흥례문). 

Tour Schedule: 

English: 11:00, 13:30, 15:30

Japanese: 10:00, 12:30, 14:30

Chinese: 10:30, 13:00, 15:00

These are two of the most impressive buildings in the palaces. And really, you have to be there to witness the beauty. Anyway, I believe it's gonna be a really awesome view if you were there in the spring or autumn season. If you have those photos, do share with me. :)

This picture below features a scene in one of my most favourite Korean drama everrrrrrrrr. I'm not sure if my views are trustworthy though, because I can count with my fingers on both hands, the number of K-dramas I have watched. But this one is from Queen Inhyun's Man, and I really like it!! The male lead, is a perfect example of how someone may not be the best-looking one, but yet he has that charisma and X-factor. Which reconfirms my point that a guy really needs to know how to dress up!! Okay, drifting away...

We had a late lunch at 2plus in the afternoon at Tosokchon Samgyetang. Samgyetang, otherwise called Ginseng Chicken Soup, is a famous dish of Korea and Koreans love to eat it in summer to cool down the heat. But I think they eat it anytime... I mean, if there is a bowl of hot Samgyetang right in front of me on a chilly winter night, I would be so glad!!! And Tosokchon Samgyetang is apparently the famous, according to many tourist blogs, but somehow, my Korean friends have yet to hear about it. Hmm...

Directions cannot be provided on my part because me and Shan got lost again. We turned round and round and spent half an hour looking for this place when it was just 5 minutes away from us. So, after much turning, I wasn't sure where I was already. But if I happen to be there, I can find it. Anyway, it should be near Gwanghwamun Exit 1 or 2 but please don't trust me on this! Oh yes, and Tosokchon Samgyetang is good!! At least I think so. And I'm craving for some samgyetang now, wondering if there are any decent ones in Singapore.

After lunch, we decide to continue on our cultural trail and head to Bukchon Hanok Village. And it was yet another total failure. Surrounded by Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine, Bukchon Hanok Village is home to hundreds of traditional houses called 'hanok' that date back to the Joseon Dynasty.

Bukchon Hanok Village has a total of 8 photo spots, whereby the picture will look the best if you stand right on the photo-spot sign and take a picture. Or so they say. Below is a picture of photo-spot 3 and guess what, that's the only photo spot we found and Shan and I gave up!!! It was too difficult with the many slopes and paths that lead everywhere and anywhere. Even with a map on hand, and me the self-proclaimed brilliant map reader, I cannot figure out the way. After a tiring one hour, we decided to give up. Our legs were going to give up on us already. I'm not so sure whether it is worth a visit but I heard the same from 3 other groups of friends that tried/attempt to conquer the place.

Insadong should come into mind when we say 'cultural'. So it was definitely one of the places we had to go. By this time, I just wanted to rest my legs so we found a nice cafe that specialises in tea, and we sat down in the very cultural and artistic cafe. I think we stayed there for close to an hour, but Insadong didn't interest me that much, because I wasn't into all these artsy stuff. But if you do, it's definitely worth a visit. I was only interested in all those caricature stuff.

The merciless sun and the walking (though failed ones mostly) meant that we just wanted to go back to our comfort zone and rest. So, we decided to have a takeaway dinner at the comfort of our room, with blasting aircons etc. We got Saboten from Myeongdong, which was 10 minutes away from our guesthouse. The Mozerella Cheese Tonkatsu was to-die-for. IT WAS SO GOOD!! But equally sinful yeah. But chewing away on chicken cutlet, and watching We Got Married on the super big and clear HD TV in the room... best way to end the night!!