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...