2014 Korea trip - KTX to Busan: Haeundae beach and Gamcheon Culture Village

It's Busan again for the day. Since Lissya and I have both been in Seoul before, we tried to do some road trips outside of Seoul in order to explore more of Korea. Even though I've been to Busan before, but Busan has been a lovely place and I wouldn't mind another visit again. :)

In order to minimise inconvenience in bringing our barang-barang (a.k.a. bags) and shifting hostels, we decided to make this a road trip to Busan. We had to maximise our time there so we had to take the earlier train there and hopefully the later train back. We decided to take the 8am train there and will reach at 11.30am or the 6pm train back and will reach at about 9.30pm. Of course there are earlier trains to Busan and later trains back from Busan but we had to factor in whether the subway timing etc. It was only slightly more than a half day so we only decided in two places that I personally feel are characteristic of Busan - Haeundae beach and Gamcheon Culture Village.

We grabbed some breakfast from Seoul station. You can take KTX from a few stations in Seoul, offhand I could only think of Seoul or Yongsan station. Depending on where you are, you may want to decide accordingly. However, the train tickets may be more expensive if you set off from Seoul station than Yongsan station if you're heading to Busan because Seoul station is the first stop if I'm not wrong. Not too sure how much it differs by though.

We headed to Dunkin' Donuts but because I still feel sick of sweet things (overdose from yesterday's Innisfree cafe cakes, I really don't have that much of a sweet tooth hahah), I was surprised to see that they have a sausage burrito. Grabbed that with an americano (so korean but so not my cup of coffee) at probably only 3,500KRW. My brain was still not functioning well early in the morning, or otherwise, I'm still unfamiliar with the korean currency after a long time, I kept giving more than I should. I think I attempted to pass the cashier 30,000KRW and still looking for another 5,000KRW. But of course being the very nice people they are, they only took 10,000KRW for me and told me it's more than enough and proceeded to give me my change.

By the way, sausage burrito is so good so much so that I found another good breakfast alternative. It used to be Paris Baguette's milk bread for me or Isaac Toast. But now one more into the list. And one more upcoming from Holly's Coffee which I will introduce in the upcoming posts.

I'm honestly so excited to get up the KTX. Another biggest regret from my 2013 Korea trip is that I didn't have the budget to take a KTX. But this time round, I didn't want to scrimp and I don't think I can afford a 5.5 hours train ride to Busan and back since it was a day trip. And boy, it was one of the best decisions made! KTX was really really so comfortable, I'm so going by KTX only.

Some selfie in the morning. Well behaved hair in Korea hahahah. But apparently still too ill-behaved for Koreans.

It was a bad day to visit Busan as it was drizzling the whole day. But it didn't dampen our mood thankfully. The attractions were empty and perfect for camwhoring too because of the slight drizzle/rain. However, it was way too coldddddddd. I didn't expect that it was drizzling so I thought that a long sleeve shirt will do the trick and I didn't bring my cardigan as I only went over with a small bag. Bad choice, the temperature was probably 15 degree celsius or so and I was freezing away. 

Trying to do some jumpshots to warm myself up hahah. Apparently didn't manage to succeed.

Honestly when did you have such a chance to actually camwhore so much without anyone in the background blocking you? Hahah or waiting for people to walk away. Haeundae beach did look a bit empty and sad though but fortunately we met a nice man. He walked over to us and spoke to us in English to ask if we need help to take a photo together. His English was understandable and I'm glad to keep bumping into nice Koreans who make an effort to try to offer help even without us asking.

We walked around and decided to settle at a small restaurant along the way back to the subway station. Piping hot kimchi soup is what we exactly need on a cold day like this.

We proceeded to head to Gamcheon Culture Village. For directions on how to get there, please refer to my previous post about Busan.

This time round, I got a slightly better spot to capture the houses, without those irritating wires in the way. Gamcheon Culture Village was very peaceful that day because of the slight drizzle. There was no need for us to squeeze with the crowd nor wait for our turn to take photos at more beautiful spots.

I think this place is really lovely and I hope nothing happens to this place and the government continues to conserve it the way it is. I'm quite sad that this place is getting overcrowded but I do hope that the Koreans living there, if their lives are ever affected, it's in a positive way like more income for them etc.

I decided to pop by the same cosy cafe I went to the other time and am glad that it is still there. Lissya and I sat there at a long one hour before deciding that we should leave to head back to Seoul. Despite a repeat trip to Busan, this trip was exceptionally more peaceful and calming thanks to the weather. I don't like crowds and over-commercialisation and that day, I saw a side of Busan that I may not have seen if I come on a day with good weather.

Oh by the way, my very awesome KTX train :)

Because we will reach back Seoul rather late (9.30pm), we decided to have our dinner on KTX. There are people pushing carts and selling bentos and drinks and snacks. You can always get them on the train. I got them off the train but no worries, no pressure and no such things as "no outside food allowed". The staff are also very considerate and only went by softly and you don't need to feel pressured at all not buying anything.

Btw, I had one of the best kimbaps I ever had. Or was I starving so badly already. I had a good nap after dinner though. :) I love long train/bus rides, so calming.

2014 Korea trip - Bukchon Hanok Village, Samcheongdong

If you've been following this space for some time, you might have known that I headed back to Korea last year mid May.

My second trip to Korea was, of course, because I felt like I didn't spend enough time during my first trip, even though it's a freaking 46 days. I don't think I can even do anything close to that now that I'm working. Nevertheless, ever since I was back from there, I terribly miss the country, the people, the culture, the streets, the food, and my Korean friends. Not the weather though, July - August was a really terrible time to go to Korea.

My second trip happened when I randomly posted on Twitter about how much I want to head back to Korea (which was so very often after I have been back) and dearest Lissya said that she wanted to go too. Amazing how things suddenly just work out from there and I spotted a SIA sale ticket, and it just prompted us to act fast to grab the sale.

I got a SIA return ticket for slightly below $700 (about $689 if I'm not wrong). For the direct flight (yay to no transition) and the best airline in the world (I very much think so) it was S.O. W.O.R.T.H. I.T!!!!!!!! The last time I went by Airasia I got the return tickets for slightly over $600 I think (inclusive of about $25 luggage, i added on more) pffffffff. Think I'm spoilt and will only travel to Korea via direct flights hahahahah let's see how it goes.

Excited us preparing to head onto our plane :) The flight was at 2.55pm and by the time we reached, it would be about 10.30pm KST already. The last airport railway leaves at 11pm I think, but considering that we have to do clearance and also get our SIM card (Someone told me you can only get SIM cards in the airport, outside the airport they only sell the top-up cards), we had no choice but to head to our guesthouse via a cab. We took our time to get some light breads for supper and had such a struggle getting the SIM cards which I really cannot fathom why. How can the staffs working at the airport has such bad English comprehension?! Not the first time already. Anyway Incheon Airport felt like a ghost town, almost everything was closed and it was so hard to seek help.

Luckily we did some research beforehand and hence decided to get an international taxi, which supposedly has English-speaking drivers, and also it is at a flat rate. Not sure if it has already catered in the midnight surcharge. I can't remember exactly how much I pay too, about (65,000KRW or maybe 55,000KRW) if I'm not wrong. I know it isn't cheap, but the last thing I want is to lug my luggages around after a long flight and at a freaking 12am.

We got to our guesthouse really late at around 1plus am or so. Thankfully, check in was easy. I stayed at I-house again and check-in was a breeze because the guesthouse owner told me the room number beforehand and the door was not locked. I just had to go in and will find the key in the room. I then sent a message saying that I've checked in. As easy as that.

However, I've some issues with the bathroom this time round. The pipes keep getting clogged by the third day and it was perpetually flooding and I'm so irritated. Also that the sink just keep leaking, and everytime I brush my teeth, half the water will flow through the sink's pipe onto the bathroom floor and I will be standing among toothpaste and water pfffff. I can't complain though because I was not in the room most of the time and I can't bother to check with the owner to get it fixed. We booked a room that has a mini kitchen sink as well, so I brushed my teeth there. Can't help with the flooding during bathing though.

Myeongdong is still of course my favourite place in Seoul, and I-house is a stone's throw away. But given the many guesthouse options, I don't think I will head back there again. In fact, there is a "Welcome Guesthouse" down the slope of I-house. It's located before the steep climb up to I-house so it's nearer to Myeongdong and without the steep slope, and it always look so warm and cosy everytime I walked past. That's definitely in my list the next time, but I might very well like to get out of Myeongdong and explore leaving in other places like Hongdae. I-house, no doubt, is indeed a good place and is cheap, but it somehow lacks in warmth. I don't see the owner unless I need something. For my next trip, I somehow wish for a more cosy place the next time round though, with a more inclusive environment. Each to his own preference.

Okay okay I'm finally starting on my post. Lissya and I got up pretty late the next day (10am?) since we only slept around 2-3am. That said, I have to mention that I was freezing cold that night. I think the outside temperature measures about 8-10degree celsius that day, so I had to close all the windows to avoid a freezing night. Then I had to switch on the aircon otherwise it was too stuffy. Aircon was set at 30degree celsius so somehow I was still freezing. I was so cold I was shivering nonstop and kicked my feet onto the side of the bed and eventually bled but I guess my toe was too numb to feel the pain. I only realised it when I woke up the next day, but fortunately it wasn't a big wound and bleeding had stopped long ago.

Our first stop was at Bukchon Hanok Village. Can't remember if Lissya had been there before (I don't think so or maybe very briefly) but I remember giving up last time. This time round we decided to conquer it again. We needed to have lunch first since we were starving. Oh by the way, Lissya is muslim so maybe I am indirectly doing a muslim food guide too.

The first restaurant we went to had Chinese-speaking ahjummas. I'm not sure if she is from China or Korea. She spoke to me in Korean when I stepped in at first, and subsequently switched to English when she saw Lissya. Couldn't remember what Lissya ordered at first but the kind ahjumma told me that they used pork to boil the broth, so in the end the option was out. Lissya ordered a cockles bibimbap while I got myself an oyster soup. Because it was pretty late for lunch (2pm or so already), the ahjummas were all really nice and attentive to us. They were also very interested in Lissya and kept asking why she couldn't eat pork. 

By the way, my oyster soup was so good and it had a tad too many oysters I really couldn't finish it. Probably 20plus? Lissya loved her cockles bibimbap too. I didn't know that Koreans eat cockles too hahah.

The ahjumma came over and asked if we wanted to need a photo, hahaha I didn't even ask?! But of course I had to hand over my camera. Hahah they were very nice and friendly but this particular ahjumma should improve her photography skills :P

I had to take back every single word that Bukchon Hanok Village is boring. We went around without a map so we just stopped at places we thought were lovely. Maybe the weather was too lovely, sun was bright but wind was so cooling. So good. Walking around in temperature of about 18 or 19 degree celsius is so awesome.

We spotted a cute ahjumma everywhere we turn. Hahaha we almost thought she was stalking us (kidding).

I'm gonna spam with my photos. My hair always falls so nicely in place when in Korea. But of course to Koreans, it is still very very messy. Imagine if HyoEun comes to Singapore to visit and see what it truly means by my messy hair.

The streets of Bukchon are rather quiet (except when you gather at a photo spot). You can always enjoy a quiet stroll. However, don't fret because you get to see many other tourists/koreans around too. Just kindly ask them to help take a photograph. Otherwise, you can bring around a selfie stick too! Lissya brought one and everyone looked at us peculiarly. I think we were one of the first few to actually use selfie sticks. Shortly after, selfie sticks became immersely popular.

I had a big regret the last time because I didn't have a chance to put on the hanbok. In this trip, I didn't particularly plan for it. But when I walked past one of the hanoks in Bukchon Hanok Village, and they allowed you to try on hanboks for 5,000KRW, I am immediately tempted. Instead of a fake background, you can walk around to take pictures in real traditional hanoks. Of course there were those fake backgrounds too hahah. I wouldn't say this is expensive even though I know that there are free ones around. But I do understand that the free ones (1) may not have nice designs (2) their hanboks may not be clean. The hanbok designs here are not extensive but they are still rather pretty. Staff were friendly and helpful if you require their assistance, otherwise they leave you alone to selfie too. I would recommend this place, unless you are really picky with hanbok designs :)

I also found a lovely hanok to take pictures at. I was sitting down in front of the door and subsequently Lissya took a photo like this too. When we were done and walking off, a few other taiwanese ladies got inspiration from us and wanted to take a similar photo too. Hahaha but unlucky them happened to bump into the owner opening the door and leaving her house, so they were feeling slightly embarrassed.

Samcheong-dong was a place I had wanted to visit again and again. Other than Myeongdong, this is another of my favourite places. Rows and rows of pretty cafes and Lissya and I decided to do a cafe hopping that afternoon. We went to Cafe Breezin' first. (Do note I was holding both drinks because Lissya was holding the selfie stick.) However, Cafe Breezin' remains a little too crowded and noisy for me. I always wonder why there are so many cafes in Korea but yet every other cafe is so crowded. On the hunt for a quaint little cafe.

We walked further and spotted a Innisfree store. Wanted to get something so we headed in and was surprised to find that there was an Innisfree cafe too. A pretty interesting idea that caught our attention so we headed to the cafe for some cakes. The carrot cake was really good but I personally don't have that much of a sweet tooth. I almost fainted from all these sugar rushes hahah I didn't wanna touch anything sweet for two days.

Best of all, the Innisfree cafe was so nice and quiet. The seats are well spaced out too. If I were still a student, I would head there everyday for studying. Afterall, Samcheong-dong was only 15 minutes by bus from SKKU. 

We were walking and walking and I already wanted to give up on my cafe hopping. The cakes were too much for me to handle. We stopped by at this cafe because we saw some patbingsu. However, it was out of stock so I got myself a citron tea. You can never go wrong with citron tea.

We headed back for the day as it was already 7 or so. Walked around Myeongdong the whole time finding a dinner place and ended up buying some squid thing at kimbap chingu. The kimbap didn't have any taste at all (no ingredients inside) and we have to eat it together with the spicy squid but alas, the squid was so spicy I really gave up. Hahah Lissya and I bought 10 rolls of mini kimbap (or maybe mayak kimbap) for sharing and I gave up after 2 rolls. 

We bought korean strawberries though. Think it was in the season as I see it selling everywhere. They don't look as fat and juicy though but they did taste sweet. But not as sweet as I imagined Korean strawberries to be. Nonetheless, a good dessert after an unsatisfying dinner (which is really rare in Korea btw).