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!!

Day 5: Edae, Sinchon, and Hongdae.

The agenda for Day 5 was packed to the brim. Luckily, we had a good night's sleep so we're all ready to check out the highly-raved Edae, Sinchon and Hongdae area. This is supposedly one of the most hip areas around Seoul, where a lot of youngsters hang out. Of which, Hongdae's club scene is one of the most famous. But clubbing isn't my thing and I didn't go into one during this 46 days, so I'm sorry there isn't much information I can give about it.

We started off the day at Ewha Woman's University, also known as Edae. This is because Koreans love to short-form all their words. Edae is a short form of "Ewha Yourja Daehakyo" (이화여자대학교). For instance, Hongdae, is also a short form of "Hongik Daehakyo" (홍익대학교). It follows the same idea, though not all universities' names have a short form. I'm amazed there is Sungdae, which is my school, Sungkyunkwan University (성균관대학교).

Anyway, I'm drifting area from the point. Edae, is famous for its nice landscape and structure. And it being a woman's university, the streets surrounding or leading to Edae from the Ewha Woman's University Subway Station, sell many clothings and shoes suitable for girls (mostly) in the teens or 20s. We definitely couldn't miss out on the amazing views of Edae, so we head straight to the university first to capture some photographs.

Shan and I purposely chose a Sunday, hoping that there were little people, and lucky for us, we were right! Below is a picture of the famous structure that looks like some staircases but inside, there were lots of classrooms. And also me snapping a photo infront of the prettiest building in the school (in my opinion). The staircase and the European style buildings must have made coming to school a much better experience.

Edae fashion street, however, didn't impress me as much as the university does. I don't feel that the clothings and shoes there were that cheap. You can find huge stores selling many designs of shoes and they can be cheap, but you never know until you ask. At least for me, the ones I liked, weren't cheap. After a while, you start to realise once there is a certain trend in Seoul, you see it everywhere in Seoul. And if it is quite a common piece of clothing, I would say, go to Express Bus Terminal Underground Shopping (will be discussed later) to get it.

After lunch, some shopping and exploring around Edae, we decided to go to Sinchon. Shan and I must have poor direction sense or something, we did not find the fashion area which everyone was raving about. After getting lost and seeing a rather boring Sinchon (we probably weren't at the right place), we decided to head over to Hongdae earlier. Even if you are not into clubs, Hongdae is still a nice place to hang out. And Koreans love to chill in cafes, and in Hongdae, there is the largest Hello Kitty cafe in Seoul!!

I'm not a fan of Hello Kitty, but I'm a fan of anything pink and cute. I am not too sure how many Hello Kitty cafes there are in Seoul, but so far, I know there is one in Hongdae, and there is another one in Daehangno (Hyehwa subway station). This one is two-storeys high and is pretty huge, and it's worth a visit unless you absolutely hate Kitty or anything girly. I couldn't remember the exact directions there, but don't worry, because in Hongdae, there are lots of ambassadors in red shirts around. They are there to help tourists, and you can find the one that speaks your language (most of the time, either English or Chinese or Japanese). They gave us a map and directed us here. It's pretty easy with the map.

We were lucky to come in when there was no one. I quickly snapped some photos of the cute interior before more people came in. And I got an amazing window seat to people-watch heheh.

Shan and I decided to take a chocolate banana waffles which was at 3,500won if I remember correctly. I also took the vanilla latte while Shan took the caramel latte. If I'm not wrong, one was 5,000won and the other 5,500won. For the prices and the nice ambience, I would love to come here again! Also, most cafes in Seoul has wifi, so you can sit there all day reading a book or doing your homework. In fact, the prices are cheaper than most cafes I know. Oh yes, it was a hot day but we ordered the hot lattes because we wanted the latte art. Please don't be dumb like us, iced lattes also have the latte arts. ): But iced tea don't.

Second reason why you should visit Hongdae: there is an awesome art scene around here. In Hongdae, you can find many many mural paintings. You also can find people performing with their guitar and just an amazing voice. They are doing it for nothing, no money or anything, but solely because they love art and music. It's amazing, I like how Hongdae is always so lively and warm. It's comparable to Myeongdong (my favourite place in Seoul). But Hongdae is populated with Koreans, go there if you want to have the Korean experience. Myeongdong, on the other hand, has many foreigners so you feel comfortable there. I shall discuss my love for Myeongdong in another entry.

Third reason why you should visit Hongdae: Trick eye museum. If you have not already known, the Trick Eye Museum features a good collection of two and and three dimensional trick art that were especially designed for photographs. There is one in Jeju too, but I think I read some reviews that the Hongdae one is better. But I can't guarantee okay, do your own homework.

And look, this is one of my most favourite picture everrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Trick Eye Museum is a place where you can easily spend 2 or 3 hours. There are many pieces of paintings all around so take your time to have a look. Even if you are there alone, don't worry! There are personnels situated in various parts of Trick Eye Museum to help visitors take photographs. Even if you cannot catch hold of any personnel, just politely ask any other visitor, I'm sure they will be more than willing to help you!

Dinner for that day was at Pal Ja Mak Chang, a restaurant specialising in selling grilled pig intestines. If you are a fan of Running Man, you will be glad to know that Pal Ja Mak Chang is a franchise outlet owned by HaHa and Kang Gary. The one at Hongdae is owned by HaHa, though I'm Gary's fan, but his was too far off. Personally, I love the warm BBQ-ing session, but I found makchang too tough for my liking. If you are a Singaporean who loves eating Kwaychap, nope, makchang is not exactly the same as the pig intestines in our Kwaychap. It is much tougher, and because it isn't marinated/soaked in the gravy, it has a rather strong smell and taste. The taste can be easily overwhelmed by the very awesome sauce which you wrap along with in the lettuce leaves. But no, the texture still isn't to my liking. The smell of BBQ lingers in your hair and clothes too. Nevertheless, BBQ is something you HAVE to do in Korea, either makchang or pork belly, and I will recommend makchang, because it is almost impossible to find Korean restaurants selling makchang in Singapore as far as I know. If you do know of any in Singapore, please let me knowwwwwww!