#I want to visit Gwangjang market NOW

[brighteststar707]

Fic request for Jumin and White Chocolate for @altaluneslair!

the direction I'd like it to go in is having a date with him for the whole day in cheap and commoner places without travelling by his car~ So, the date may go: travelling by public transport, eating street foods in the market, playing in arcade game center, dining in small gopchang restaurant, attaching love padlocks in Namsan Tower, just strolling around somewhere, or etc.

I'll be honest, I spent a long time watching Seoul vlogs and reading travel pages to write this fic 😅 I tried to get the details and setting right but my skills are limited by the fact that I've never visited Seoul or done any of these things.

That being said, I like how this fic turned out. It's nothing like anything else I've written for Jumin and it was a lot of fun to research and write. I hope you enjoy!

✧ White Chocolate ~ Going on a Date

Jumin and his wife stand side-by-side at a subway station, looking for all the world like any other commuters. Since they arrived at their station, she has been talking to him excitedly about how well-connected they are, that her commute used to be so much longer before she moved into the penthouse. Jumin listens to her talking, content for any information she gives him about her life before. The idea of doing this several times a day is something he can’t imagine. Sometimes, he forgets how different her life used to be, how much has changed for her since marrying him.

The idea for today’s date had started as a simple conversation over dinner just this week. He had stayed back at the office later than usual, so to make it up to her he called in the chef to make them a nice dinner to share when he got home. Over dinner, after talking about their day, their discussion had moved to weekend plans.

“How do you feel about visiting the vineyard? The weather is supposed to be lovely this weekend, we can just relax."

She had nodded slowly, as if in a daze, then her face broke into a good-natured laugh. He looked at her, perplexed.

“Sorry, that sounds wonderful! I didn’t mean to laugh, it’s just that hearing that out loud… it’s still a little bit surreal. Going to the vineyard for the weekend as if it was as easy as crossing town.”

“Probably easier, we wouldn’t have to deal with traffic,” Jumin replies.

“Thank goodness for the plane.”

“So, what would you have us do on our day off?”

“Well, I used to keep a list on my phone of places to go and things to do when I had time off in the city. I haven’t gone through it in a while, but I’d probably have picked some things from there?”

He tilts his head to the side inquisitively. “Like what?”

“Oh, things like trying out new food stalls at the market or playing in the arcade.”

That was what got his attention. He always found himself fascinated by things so common to the everyday person.

“Well, why don’t we do some things from your list? The vineyard can wait until next week.”

And just like that, the idea for their ‘commoner date’ was born. She managed to get him to agree that they’d go out like she used to before, no personal driver, no security team following them (though just a call away and monitoring their locations at all times), no fancy restaurants or exclusive events. She instead took the time to plan out a full day of activities she would have done on a date if she weren’t married to Jumin Han.

Jumin, of course, wasn’t allowed to know about any of them until the day of their date itself.

The subway arrives right on time, and he follows her close behind as they step on. They find a single free seat, and  Jumin automatically stands aside to offer it to her, but she hesitates.

“I admire your chivalry, love, but are you sure you don’t want to sit?”

“Of course I am.”

She doesn’t look convinced.

“Are you doubting my ability to stand?”

“Of course not! If you’re sure, then I’ll take it, thank you.”

She sits down and watches as he stands resolutely in front of her and holds on to the bar (after just a second's hesitation at the idea of the germs). It’s not a bad sight. She convinced him to swap out his usual suits for something more casual and comfortable, so today he’s dressed in black simple trousers and a linen white shirt. His hair is less styled than usual and is floppy and soft over his head instead of combed neatly.

Perhaps she was wrong to worry. He’ll be fine.  

The subway doors shut and it pulls out of the station. The people have crowded closer around each other, and Jumin stands stiffly. The momentum of the train moving makes him wobble dangerously and he receives some dirty looks from the passengers around him.

 “Jumin, I’ll ask you one more time.”

“…Perhaps I should take the seat.”

She slips out of the seat and he sinks into it ungracefully. She stands up opposite him, holding on to the bar a lot more steadily than Jumin was a minute ago. He huffs at the sweet smile she flashes him.

She keeps a mental note of the stops they’re passing and her eyes linger Jumin as he people watches. He has spent so much of his life kept at a distance from people, and she has noticed that he enjoys any opportunity he gets to watch people going about their lives. It’s one of the reasons he likes the charity parties so much, for the wide variety of people he gets to meet.

Finally, they reach their stop and join the crowd of people stepping out and onto the platform.

“So, are you going to tell me what you have planned yet?”

“Well, first of all, I thought I’d bring you out for some of my favourite street food. We can't spend a day out without lunch.”

The entrance to the market is only a few minutes away from the subway exit (and Jumin is starting to understand her earlier excitement at their central location). Entering the market feels like entering another world. Garlands are strung from the ceiling, and the walls are lined with food stalls. It’s almost overwhelming, but he can’t stop looking around.  

Of course, he has known about the food markets in the city for a long time, heard his employees talking about them between themselves and even recommended them to clients looking to experience the city. However, he has never had the chance (or reason) to visit one himself.

It's full of people: groups of friends chattering while in line for food, people clustered around tables and conversing with the salespeople. She doesn’t let go of his hand as she leads him down the line of food stalls and stops at a specific one.

“Oh, Jumin, you have to try this!”

It’s a pancake, by the looks of it, fried in oil. She orders them one each and bring them to the table by the stall. He sits down next to her and she pushes the little aluminium dish towards him to taste.

He takes a hesitant bite and tries to ignore her gaze on him as she waits for his reaction. He concentrates on the pancake instead. It’s crispy and flavourful, and probably has got more oil in it than anything he has eaten recently. It’s delicious, and he tells her as much.

She smiles, satisfied, and starts eating her own pancake. They chat, and he asks her about visiting the market and her favourite foods. As he listens to her speak, he slowly grows less conscious of all the people surrounding him. He isn’t used to being alone – without security – in crowds like this. But despite his face being plastered on magazines and tabloids frequently, it seems like nobody here has recognized him. He even starts to relax a little bit. Clearly, nobody is expecting to see Jumin Han and his wife in the middle of a busy food market in the city.

When they both finish, they get up from the table and keep walking around the market. They stop at one more stall for drinks and keep walking, cups in hand.  

When they leave the market, Jumin is full and content, even excited for their next activity.

“So,” he says, “Are we taking another subway?”

“Nope! This time we’re taking a little walk to our destination.”

And so they do. Hand in hand, they walk down the street. Jumin likes the anonymity being in a crowd of people lends him, likes the security that her hand gives him at the same time.  

His first reaction at the arcade is a sort of shock. It’s dark, full of neon colours and loud noises coming from the machines. It’s overwhelming, to say the least.

They linger in the middle as she surveys the array of games she has to choose from. Jumin stands close to her, eyeing the machines warily. They’re loud and bright, and he isn’t sure what to make of them. Sure, he plays video games at home sometimes (a secret that’s well-kept from the RFA members), but surely this is different. For one thing, his games are not this loud.  

She spots a machine, and as Jumin follows her gaze, he starts to laugh. It’s a car racing game, complete with a steering wheel and gears. He knows what she’s thinking without her having to say anything.

“Come here, Jumin, I want to test out something.”

She ushers him over to the seat, instructs him to get ready to race, and puts a coin in the slot. He sets off, jerking the wheel back and forth with more force than she'd expect from such a machine. She stands behind him so she can watch the screen and cheer him on. For a second, it looks like he’s doing pretty well. That is, before the car slams into the barriers and he gets overtaken by the rest of the racers.  

Jumin doesn’t even wince.

“You’re going too fast to control the car, slow down!”

“The objective of a race is to be the fastest.”

“Yes, but you cannot be the fastest if you keep getting stuck.”

He finishes the race in last place, and she is reminded once again to never let him behind the wheel of a car.

From there, they move on to a few rounds of air hockey (which she ends up winning, despite his best efforts), then a round each on a platformer game (where Jumin actually gets a high score). On their way out, Jumin gets distracted by a little soft toy in one of the claw machines that looks a lot like Elizabeth the Third and insists on trying to win her.

After going through half of their coins, she decides to take over and try her luck. Jumin hovers over her shoulder, giving her instructions and encouragement. After going through nearly the rest of the coins, she gets lucky and catches the little cat toy. She takes it out of the slot and presents it to him like it’s an expensive piece of jewellery.

He holds it gently in his hands, admiring the little toy.

“We’ve freed you now, don’t worry. Just wait until you meet Elizabeth. She’ll love you.”

When they finally leave the arcade, his ears are ringing and the light outside feels too bright. He isn’t sure how Yoosung and Seven manage to visit so often without getting headaches, but he has started to see the appeal of the occasional visit.

He looks to his wife, who is looking out at the street expectantly. He still has no idea what she has planned for the rest of their day. Before he can ask her what she’s looking for, a taxi pulls up to the pavement and she walks towards it to say something to the driver.

“This is for us, Jumin, get in!” She must have ordered the cab when he was busy at the claw machine.

“Isn’t this cheating?” He asks after slipping into the backseat.

“Well, let’s call it a grey area. It’s getting close to rush hour and I don’t think that’s an experience you’re missing out on.”

He agrees.

She refuses to tell him where they’re going next, so he can only guess by trying to identify the streets they’re passing. Luckily for him, their next destination is one he recognizes.

They step out of the taxi and find themselves at the Namsan Tower cable car station. This is another city landmark he has often recommended to business partners, and one he often hears about from others.

He already knows he’s going to like this part of their date. They buy their tickets and wait for their turn to board (he prefers this to the subway). Once they've boarded their cabin, he holds onto one of the railings and she wraps her arms around him for support. He puts his arm over her shoulders and holds her close as they watch the city grow smaller and smaller from the windows.

It's definitely better than the subway.

The sun has started to set by the time they reach one of the viewing platforms. The city stretches out beneath them, but the view is different to the kind Jumin sees from his office. At work, it sometimes feels like he can reach out and touch the city with his fingertips. Even worse, sometimes it feels like the city below is reaching up for him to pull him down to them. As much as he loves his job, the people it sometimes brings to him are the kind who would do anything for a taste of his world. They both know that better than others.

From over here though, he feels untouchable. It’s calming, to have it at a distance for once, instead of being in its centre.  

“I have one more surprise for you, Darling.”

She wriggles free from his arms and starts rooting through her bag. She finally pulls out a padlock. It has their initials engraved on it, and under it a small inscription.

He takes it from her hands and examines it carefully.

“You had this made?”

“I had it engraved for us on short notice. I thought we could do one better than the ones the souvenir shop offers.”

He chuckles. "It's perfect."

They take their time looking for the perfect place to hang it. Walking around the perimeter of the viewing platform, stopping to admire the view as the sun slowly sets, then finally settling on a place.

It’s on the outside of a railing, on top of layers of other locks (a hundred other promises that were made before them) that they choose to fix theirs. They close it together, hands over hands, and then take a second to admire it.

The sun has almost set, but in the soft light, they can still make out the little engraved inscription.

Dedicated to old sunsets and new experiences, I'd follow you anywhere

[strayfoxxchan]

Coffee Break Pairing: Han Jisung x f!reader (Y/N) Genre: Fluff, Soulmate AU Content Warning: None A/N: Sister requested I write this one for her. It's a little silly, but enjoy it! Let me know if y'all want more.

I can’t believe it’s already been a month, you think to yourself, your feet on autopilot as you stroll along the streets of Seoul. It was a hard decision to leave your life behind in your home country, using your life’s savings to pursue your dream career, but the idealist in you knows it was the right choice for the sake of your own happiness. The days you aren’t holed up in your cubicle or working from a cafe are spent exploring, doing all the things a tourist would do when visiting a new place; there was the National Museum, Gwangjang Market, Bukchon Hanok Village, all things you had put on your bucket list to see years ago while you were still at university. For as much as there was to do in Seoul, however, there were only a few days a week you could spend seeing the sights. Most days were spent in the cubicle or finding nearby cafes to work in. 

Most people would expect that pursuing your passion would be fun and exciting, but you couldn’t deny that you had been lonely and a little more depressed than usual. It was hard, harder than you had imagined it would be. You’ve been so busy with work and travel, that you simply haven’t had the time to go out and meet new friends, and you’ve been kicking yourself for that. These things come with time. Lately, your only saving grace has been music. Throwing your headphones on and drowning out the worries that have plagued you over the last few weeks has kept your energy high despite the overwhelming loneliness of a new city. 

진짜로 수고했다 이제 꽃길만 걷자  The songs pumping through her headphones seem to bookend the thoughts you’ve been having. You’ve done a good job, now let’s walk along the flowery path. You decide to take Han Jisung’s words to heart. You HAVE done a good job; you landed a job at the Webtoon office, working in communications and translation. You’ve learned a whole new language in only a few years. You chose a path and you made it happen. Now wasn’t the time for stormy thoughts or suffering in loneliness.

(A/N: I am well aware the Webtoon office is far away from JYPE but this is what my sister wanted. JUST PRETEND.)

You often hit up Starbucks in the mornings on days when you would normally have worked from home. You sometimes couldn’t focus on working in your small, dark apartment. It’s close to the JYPE building, and the irony of listening to Stray Kids while walking passed it isn’t lost on you. It seems a little silly, given your age, but on some occasions, the thought of a happenstance meeting with one of them does float through your mind. Daydreams never hurt anyone, but she would never stoop so low as the gaggle of young girls who spent their mornings waiting in front, photocards and albums in hand waiting to be signed. You scoot through the crowd, bowing your head slightly and smiling awkwardly as you push through to the cafe entrance.

You order the same drink every day: a white mocha with oat milk, and an extra shot of espresso. The baristas are starting to recognize you, some even putting in your order before you make it to the register. Your usual spot by the window is open, and you pull your laptop and charger from your bag before settling in. You turn the music up on your iPhone and get into the zone. It hasn’t even been an hour before a wave of fatigue hits you like a punch in the gut, stretching your arms over your head and squeezing your eyes shut to get the blood flowing through your tired bones. Mid stretch, your eyes reopen, and you feel a shock to your system. Han Jisung, whose voice you were just listening to, has walked in. You gasp loudly, attempting to cover the sound with a spluttering cough, covering your face as you do so. 

Celebrity sightings were fairly commonplace in your hometown of Los Angeles. You’d held enough retail and restaurant jobs that sightings didn’t necessarily shock you anymore, and for the most part, you were more than able to deal with them as you would any customer. But you weren’t in LA anymore, you weren’t in a customer service job, and this wasn’t just a celebrity, he was your bias. You could feel the heat creeping into your cheeks, attempting with every fiber of your being to continue as normal… But you catch yourself staring more than once. And, to your horror, he’s noticed. 

Jisung makes his way toward you, the baristas apparently working on his drink. He bends at the waist, but you’ve zoned out, so he waves his hand in front of your face. It takes a moment before you come back to reality with a strange yelp. He giggles at you with his signature wide, toothy grin. “Sorry! Are you okay?”

You slap your cheeks a few times. “Uh, yeah! Fine! Just a little tired, that’s all,” you leave your hands where they are in a vain attempt to cover the flush rising in your face. 

Jisung glances over at your nearly untouched, lukewarm coffee, and pushes it toward you. “You should finish this, it seems like you need it.”

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” you look down at your drink as he begins to walk away.

He stops and turns to face you again. “See you around!”

As he leaves the cafe, you hurriedly pack your things to leave, no longer able to bare the chagrin of the moment. Out of every interaction you had ever imagined, this was not the way you expected things to turn out. You had turned into a puddle rather than looking cool and sexy the way you had in your mind. It’s simply not processing as you flag down a taxi and head back to your apartment. In fact, it still doesn’t process and only serves to haunt you for the rest of the day. Around midnight, when you know your sister has woken up for work in the US, you call her, recounting every painful detail to her. All she does is laugh at you, but you kind of expected that. It doesn’t help matters at all, and that night, you hardly sleep. 

You had planned to go back to the usual Starbucks this morning, but under the circumstances, it’s only natural you would hesitate. Still, you had fallen into a routine you enjoyed and after several ponderous moments, you decide to go anyway. The weather today was beautiful and perfect for a walk. 

The usual gaggle of school girls in front of the towering entertainment company had gone already, so the walk to the coffee shop was more relaxing than usual. You walk in to order your coffee and turn around to meander your way to your usual spot, which happens to be taken. The figure waves you down as you set your path to finding a new spot. The bespectacled man wearing a mask and basket hat scoots over to the next chair to allow you to sit down. “Thanks,” you mumble to the stranger, pulling your laptop and charging cable out to get back into the zone.

“Hi Noona,” he says, pulling his mask down slightly and winking at you. 

Your eyes widen, and you bow your head to him, nearly smashing it on the cafe’s bar table. Han Jisung sits beside you with a very large iced americano in his hand, toothy grin and all.

“Someone was sitting in your spot earlier, but when they left I decided to save it for you!” He says quickly. His Korean is so fast you barely managed to catch what he says. “I know, I’m a pretty nice guy,” he says in English with a bizarre accent that sounds somewhere between British, Australian, and American. He squeezes his eyes shut, smiling wide and looking all too proud of himself. “This is your usual spot, right?”

“Uh… yeah, I…” you start before trailing off. You resolve to be a bit more confident this time. It’s not every day you get to talk to your bias one-on-one. “Yeah, I sit here every day.” You smile at him with what you hope looks more self-assured than you feel. “Thank you for saving it for me. My name is Y/N,” you hold out a hand for a handshake.

“You have a pretty name! Han Jisung,” he says, shaking your hand vigorously. 

“I know,” you blurt out, not thinking quite clearly. You clap your hand over your mouth, “sorry, I just mean that it’s nice to meet you in person.” Flustered, you let his hand go and raise it to brush some hair away from your face.

“Ohhh, STAY?” He says, smiling from ear to ear. “Where are you from? What are you doing here?”

You take a few moments to tell him that you grew up in LA and moved here to work at Naver Webtoon. The two of you chat for a bit about the perks of reading various webtoons before they release in America, and about his time spent in LA for tours and media recording. 

Your shyness seems to melt away the longer the two of you talk. He may be world-famous, but he seems so… normal and down to earth. Chatting with him is more relaxing than awkward, though you do have to actively work to suspend your disbelief and your crippling social anxiety.

“I’m sorry,” he waves his hand to your laptop which has sat untouched for nearly an hour. “Am I keeping you from your work?”

“No, no, not at all,” you wave your own hand at it dismissively. “I am sure I am keeping you from yours,” you look pointedly at the phone sitting face down on the table. It’s been vibrating over and over for the better part of the last 15 minutes. No doubt this was one of the members trying to figure out where Jisung had vanished.

“It’s nice to have a little break to feel normal every once in a while,” he smiles warmly at you. “I enjoyed talking with you this morning. You’re right though, I should get going,” he stands up, moving the mask back up over his chin and nose. “Then, I’ll leave first,” he bows slightly to you, and you nod your head in response. He heads toward the door, turns to wave at you once more, and exits.

You lean your head back, a gusty sigh escaping your lips. It’s been a long time since you’ve had a conversation with anyone other than your coworkers or late-night phone calls with your sister in the US. You did have to admit that you were feeling much less stressed after spending time with Jisung, but it was time to buckle down and get some work done on these translations. 

Hours pass as you concentrate on your work. You wave down the baristas a few times, needing help with some localizations; there were idioms and references that would be lost on an English-speaking audience that needed some explanation from people who knew them. As always, they were more than willing to give their input and always did so with a helpful smile. Looking down at the tiny digital clock on your laptop, you realize it’s gotten late. The sun is just starting to duck under the horizon of the towering buildings ahead of you, and you decide it's time to pack up and get going. 

Your stomach starts to growl as you begin your walk home, so you decide to take a stroll through Olympic Park. There was a teokbokki tent there run by the sweetest ajumma that she liked to eat at every once in a while. This tent in particular was a little out of the way, so it was generally pretty quiet around this time of the evening. When you arrive to order her food, there is only one other group sitting down to eat. You place your order and take a seat on the opposite side with your back to them, allowing them their privacy. 

“Twice in one day?” A voice exclaims from behind you, and you hear movement from the other side of the tent before a figure plops down beside you. “Noona!” Jisung exclaims.

The other two figures make their way over, joining their brother. Chris Bang and Seo Changbin sit opposite you on the table. “You know her?” Chris says to Jisung, a quizzical expression on his face. 

Changbin stares for a moment before his eyes widen. “Is this the pretty cafe noo–”

Jisun kicks Changbin in the shin under the table. He doesn’t bother to hide it. Chris looks confused and seems to be entirely out of the loop in this matter. Your expression mirrors that of Chris. 

Jisung clears his throat. “Ah, Hyung, this is Y/N, I met her the other day at the Starbucks by the company,” his full cheeks flush lightly and he blinks his eyes rapidly.

You suddenly become very self-conscious, looking around behind you.

“Don’t worry,” Chris says in accented English. “This place is usually pretty safe for us around this time. There are not many people around here, yeah?” He flattens his lips together in a reassuring wolf-chan smile. You could see what your sister saw in him. You couldn’t wait to brag about this. Your sister was going to be thoroughly jealous.

As you all stuff teok into your mouths, the three producers seem to ask you a thousand questions about yourself, your family, and your work. Jisung looks like he’s absorbing the information like a sponge. You talk about your favorite songs, and other music you enjoy, and you ask them just as many questions as they do. The sun has vanished from the sky and darkened to reveal pinprick stars above. Your sister would be waking up soon and you didn’t want to miss the short period before she would have to clock in for work and inevitably be stuck in a two-hour meeting, so you stand to excuse yourself.

“Oh, are you walking home?” Chris asks. “Why don’t we walk you home?” Chris looks pointedly at Jisung, raising his brows to his hairline.

“Yeah, we can walk you home!” Jisung blurts. 3RACHA stands up from the table, waving to the ajumma who waves back with a smile. They dawn their disguises (hats and masks were pretty effective at night, you realize at that moment), and the four of you make your way out of the park together.

Conversation ping pongs between the small pack, the boys talking to each other, and then to you, and so on. As you approach your apartment building, you look to the three and say “Ah, this is me, I’ll go first!”

They all stop in their tracks, voices trailing off.

“This is… also us?” Changbin says incredulously. 

The door attendant waves at you, and bows to the men standing beside you before pulling the door open. The expression of bewilderment hasn’t left their faces yet. You walk to the elevator, and enter, pressing the button for your floor. “Which floor are you going to?”

Chris answers you, bemused. “You just pressed it.”

The ride up to the floor is quiet, the four of you completely dumbstruck. As you arrive at your floor, you pull your key out and unlock the door beside the elevator door, and the boys continue on a few more doors down. You exchange glances, bows, and goodnights before entering your respective homes. You poke your head out, and you see Jisung do the same, waving at you before shutting the door.

Now you really needed to call your sister. She was going to lose it.

Your sister answers the phone, yawning. “Dude, you called me before my alarm went off. This better be important, I really needed that extra hour.”

You explain the situation to your sister, and she doesn’t respond for a long time. “Are you still awake?” You grumble at her.

“I am… processing. Literally what the fuck? Did you like, not give my number to Bang Chan? I’m feeling really betrayed right now. Did you at least ask him to rerelease Alchemistry?”

“That’s all you got out of this? Are you fucking kidding me?” You growl at her.”I’m literally losing my mind right now! They’re going to think I’m a stalker!”

Once she gets over the ultimate betrayal of her sister, the two of you calmly discuss where to go next. The only advice she can give you is to just get close to them and show that you can be trusted. There’s nothing else she can offer you that would make you feel any better. It was a weird situation to be sure. As the conversation comes to a close, she offers you one last question: “What would you do… if he fell for you?”

“I don’t know.” The question lingers in your head long after you hang up the phone. At some point, you stop entertaining the thought. It wasn’t going to happen, and you were okay with that.

The next morning was a Saturday. The weekend— finally. You decide this weekend is not a good time for any more excitement, at that, it would be better just to relax at home for once. Tourist attractions would be there next weekend, and she wasn’t in a rush. Instead, you decided enough is enough and you can no longer subsist on ramyeon alone. You throw on some baggy, comfy clothes, and decided to ditch your contacts in favor of glasses. You grab your purse, and head to the elevator to head out. You flit your eyes about the hallway in an attempt to ensure you’re not being followed and no one sees you leave. A door opens down the hallway, and you feel your whole body freeze. 

“Noona! Where are you going?” Jisung skips toward you and stands to wait for the elevator as well.

“Where are you going?” She blurts out in response.

The two pause, and at the same time, both exclaim “groceries!”

“Wow, we can go together! Won’t that be so fun?” He says in his silly English accent. “Look how cute you are!” He says, tugging on the sleeve of your baby pink sweatshirt.

You cross your arms and pout, embarrassment written across your face. The elevator door opens and the two of you enter together.

You could almost hear a crow fly past in the awkward silence of the descent to the first floor. The silence is broken suddenly as Jisung slams his hand on the elevator’s stop button. The lights dim slightly and the elevator halts between floors.

“Han,” you say incredulously. “What are you doing?”

“Noona, you don’t have to be shy around me. Don’t you like me too?” You hesitate to respond, eyes glued to the floor. He leans down to meet you at eye level. “Noona, look at me, you like me, right?”

You look up into his big eyes and realize he’s much closer to your face than you thought. “I just don’t want you to feel like I’m stalking you. I promise you I’m not following you on purpose!” 

“I mean, I’m following you on purpose,” he stands up straight, scratching his head. “I never go to that Starbucks anymore except to see you.” He looks up at the ceiling, pursing his lips and puffing out his cheeks. He couldn’t look more like an overgrown quokka if he tried.

You can’t help but smirk at this. “I do like you, Jisung. I’m just a shy person, don’t take it personally.” 

“Well,” he starts, putting an arm around your shoulders. “You’ll get used to me. You can’t really avoid me since I live down the hall.” He dawns on his idol disguise before pressing the STOP button again, bringing the elevator back to life. “Let’s get some food!”

[traveling-couch-potato]

Korea Day 3

Since we bought a pass to see all 5 palaces, this Seoul trip is more or less dedicated to visiting all 5. Today planned on finishing up two more with our first stop being the Jongnyeo Shrine. We headed to over, wandering through the “Jewelry Road” of Jongro District which is more like a side street with small shops. Unfortunately, the shrine is very strict about their tour times and you’re only able to enter with a tour group so we had some time to kill. We explored an underground shopping center nearby but most of the stores were still closed but it led us to the Gwangjang Market (West Gate). We weren’t quite hungry yet since we ate breakfast at our hotel so we decided to tunnel through the market and head toward Cheonggyecheon Stream where there was a lovely stream-side walkway with benches, some foliage, and lots of pigeons.

It’s a Friday and the area was still fairly peaceful and quiet. Perfect for a morning stroll.

I loved the large stones that allow you to walk across the stream.

After walking around the stream for a while we finally worked up a bit of an appetite so we headed back to the Gwangjang Market through the South Gate to the main food area of the market. 

There’s tons of booths preparing food right in front of you but my friend took me to one of the actual physical stores of one of the booths called Soon Hee Bintae Tteok, one of the most popular stands/restaurants in the area. We got their most popular items: fried mung bean pancakes & pork pancakes along with a bottle of Makgeolli, a Korean rice wine.

Even though I was stuffed I always need something sweet to seal a meal so we picked up some Yakgwa from another booth. This is essentially a deep fried Korean wheat confectionary treat. I don’t know why but these were so addictive, especially with an Americano.

It was finally time for the English Tour of Jongnyeo Shrine to begin so we headed back over. The shrine is a sacred religious ground so they are very cautious with tourists. You can’t walk on the central stone path because that is used by spirits. The place was almost eerily quiet for a tourist spot.

Quiet pond near the front of the shrine. Unlike other ponds there’s no fish or lotus plants. The center piece is an incense tree which was meant to help summon the spirits.

Jeongjeon, main hall of the shrine. It houses the ancestral tablets of the most important kings and queens.

After the shrine tour, we headed across the street to Makercity Sewoon where there was a small fair being held. The inside portion of the main market is a bit run down but the roof offered some great views.

Nice view of the surrounding area and the Cheonggyecheon stream again.

The Sewoon Electronic Museum was more like a small room with a collection of old technology but it was really interesting to peruse through even though none of the signs were in English.

Once we finished we did a mini walk through of the Jongno District (which my friend describes as the Wall Street-esque area of Seoul), starting at Cheonggye Plaza. We walked along the Avenue of Youth Street where we browsed some shops, street stands, and of course I bought some food.

One end of the “Avenue of Youth”, a line of vendors and shops.

There was lots of street food available but when I saw a “peanut butter, cream, ham, egg sandwich” I just couldn’t resist trying it. It tasted like two sandwiches being eaten at once cause I couldn’t wait...not bad but not great either.

From here we headed toward Gwanghwamun Station where we made a stop to Kyobo Bookstore’s flagship store. There’s even a small stage outside where events and performances can be held.

Our next stop was Sejongno Road’s Gwanghwamun Plaza where there is a large statue of the admiral Soon Shin Lee.

Soon Shin Lee Statue

The base of the statue is a “turtle” boat, one of the battle boats that Soon Shin Lee commanded.

As we continued walking down the plaza, we were greated with dozens of booths that were part of a big health fair to promote nutrition education. On the other side of the plaza was a large statue of Sejong Te (Big) wang (King). There is even a museum underground which had an excellent recreation of the story of King Sejong. It has a very Korean-drama type filming style and it was incredibly interesting to watch.

Sejong the Great, one of the most revered rulers of Korea most well known for his contributions to the sciences as well as the invention of the Korean alphabet system of Hangul which allowed the lower class to learn to read.

Once we were done with the museum we headed to our last palace of the day, Geyongbokgung Palace.

First site when you enter through the Gwanghwamun Gate.

Geunjeongjeon Hall, the main throne room of the palace. 2 dragons are on the ceiling overhead.

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, once used as an entertainment area for foreign guests.

The tour ended at the pavilion but the guide informed us if we continued down the path we would reach an exit that would allow us a decent view of the Blue House where the President of Korea resides.

Tons of guards and barricades but a pretty decent view of the Blue House in the distance.

We headed back out toward the main gate so we could head toward dinner. We were famished but I couldn’t resist doing a bit of browsing on Insadong Culture Road, a popular street for shops, galleries, and more. This included a quick stop through at the Ssamzigil Shopping Center where I got to try one of my friend’s favorite old-timey Korean confectionary snacks “yeot”

Beautiful tree-lined streets full of shops and art galleries.

A traditional Korean snack known as Yeot. It’s a very sweet almost tough taffy like candy.

The candy tided me over until we got to dinner. We went through the tunnel with a popular music store and onto a more run-down looking side street. The smell of pork filled the air. My friend informed me this street is a bit sketchy and we definitely saw our share of illegal gambling and drunk pedestrians but we got to our destination at Yoojinshikdang. The line was out the door but there wasn’t a single foreigner in the area (except me of course). For our meal my friend and I fulfilled a longtime dream of mine to try Pyongyang Naengmyeon.

I’m a huge fan of mul naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon but I’ve always wanted to try the North Korean style Pyongyang Naengmyeon. The noodles are slightly less chewy but still quite hefty with a bit of a musky smell and the broth is bland but with a meaty undertone.

Since I have limited time in Seoul I did want to see the Gangnam District but my friend was exhausted and not much of a partier so we mainly walked around the area and of course if I’m walking that means I’m getting second dinner. Gangnam is a younger, hipper district and more known for their modern fusion type fare. I decided on a spot called Queen’s Black which I heard about online. They’re known for their black food items (supposedly colored by squid ink).

All looks unfortunately, very meh taste but it’s eye catching for sure. They even give you black gloves to eat it with.

I also wanted to check out the Itewon area which is known as a foreigner district and another younger person area. Once again, my friend wasn’t too interested in that type of atmosphere so she asked for some friends to show me around. We met up with two new people at Casa Corona, a fairly new bar in the area with a nice view of the area.

We didn’t end up drinking but the view was nice and the crowd was fairly calm and casual despite how nicely dressed most of them were.

The new people in our group said the bar was boring so we walked away from the area to find dinner (or dinner #3 in my case...) We decided to split a giant plate of Soy Sauce based Jjimddak w/ mozzarella cheese and a side of cheese fondue at Jangmi Jjimdak.

Really wanted to try jjimdak so even though I was so full I wanted to explode, I just had to give it a try.

By now it’s obvious my hunger is insatiable so even though I was on dinner #3, I still needed something sweet to finish off the night. I was having a great discussion with my new friends so we walked down to Coco Bruni, a cafe known for their chocolate, and grabbed some dessert. I had limited room so I went with the hot chocolate sampler.

The Tanzanian single origin hot chocolate was really interesting. Slightly acidic in a way that almost neutralizes the milk base so it tastes very light compared to the other hot chocolates.

This is where we ended our day of food, walking, food, food, and more food. I was so full and tired and ready to turn in for the night.

[em-tokki]

Pour ce sixième quartier parlons donc de la plus grande zone commerçante de l’Est de la ville : Dongdaemun! Aussi appellée Heunginjimun, Dongdaemun est le nom de la grande porte Est de Séoul.  /  For this sixth district let’s talk about the biggest shopping area of the East of Seoul :  Dongdaemun! Also known as Heunginjimun, Dongdaemun is the name of the East gate of Seoul.

Décoré de gratte-ciels, Dongdaemun est rempli de magasins et marchés offrant un choix de vêtements, antiquités et divers articles très varié…   / Well-decorated by its many skyscrapers , Dongdaemun is full of shops and markets selling clothes, antiques and more…

…et propose même, à l’extrémité Est du quartier, des plantes médicinales!  / … And you can also find , at the extreme East of the district , medicinal plants/herbs !

L’architecture contemporaine du Dongdaemun Design Plaza est en total contraste avec le “calme bucolique” (“Lonely Planet”) de la rivière Cheong-Gye-Cheon.   /  The contemporary architecture of Dongdaemun Design Plaza contrasts with the ” bucolic calm ” (“Lonely Planet”) of the Cheon-Gye-Cheon Stream.

Une fois encore la liste de visites conseillées par le “Seoul Official Tourist Guide 2017-2018”, ainsi que du “Lonely Planet – Séoul en quelques jours 2016-2017”, est longue, et la voici :   /  Once again the recomanded areas-to-visit list of the ” Seoul Official Tourist Guide 2017-2018″ and of the ” Lonely Planet – Séoul en quelques jours – 2016-2017″ is huge, and here it is : 

Fashion Malls at Dongdaemun Market

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)

La porte Heunginjimun /  Heunginjimun Gate

Pyeonghwa Market

Dongdaemun Shopping Complex

Doota

Migliore

Hello apM

Lotte Fitin

Hyundai City Outlets Dongdaemun branch

Gwangjang Market

Musée des remparts de la ville de Séoul / Seoul’s rempart museum (?)

Naksan

Naksan

Musée de Cheonggyecheon / Cheonggyecheon museum

Children’s grand park

Seoul Art Space Sindang

Musée des plantes médicinales Yangnyeongsi / Herb Medicine Museum Yangnyeongsi

Forêt de Séoul / Seoul’s Forest

Marché de Jungang.  / Jungang Museum .

C’est encore une fois un petit article mais c’est nécessaire puisque je compte, avec le temps, faire des articles plus précis et plus poussés sur ce qu’il peut se trouver dans ces quartiers que je vous présente en attendant de pouvoir faire moi-même des visites que je pourrai ensuite vous partager. Ces articles plus en détails arriveront dans quelques temps, mais avant cela, il nous reste encore à voir les quartiers de Yeouido, Jamsil, Insa-dong, Gwanghwamun et Cheonggyecheon Stream. Préparez-vous donc pour encore quatre articles avant de finir, pour le moment, cette série des -Districts- de Séoul!  / This time as well the article was short but trust me it is necessary because I want to write more precise articles on what you can kind in these districts before being able to do more visits on my own and share them with you. These detailed articles will be published, but before that we still need  to see the districts of Yeouido, Jamsil, Insa-dong, Gwanghwamun and Cheonggyecheon Stream. So be prepared for these four articles because they will end , for now , this serie of Seoul’s -Districts- !

Votre Petit Panda Roux /  Your Little Red Panda

Cf. Infos : “Seoul Official Tourist Guide – 2017-2018”   /  “Lonely Planet – Séoul en quelques jours – 2016-2017”  / Wikipédia : https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heunginjimun

Cf. Photos : https://www.havehalalwilltravel.com/blog/5-things-to-do-in-dongdaemun-seoul-besides-shopping/    /   https://lvyou.baidu.com/xingrenzhimen/photo-liangdian/b4f747ed1d4704f23a428a1d#0   /   http://www.theseoulguide.com/sights/gates/heunginjimun-gate-dongdaemun-gate/   /   https://fr.dreamstime.com/image-stock-éditorial-porte-de-séoul-dongdaemun-heunginjimun-image63209179   /      /   http://www.myseoulsearching.com/2016/09/complete-guide-dongdaemun-seoul.html   /   https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/shop-all-night-at-dongdaemun-night-market/   /    http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273767   /    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongdong_Market   /    https://korea.stripes.com/travel/seoul’s-medicine-market   /   http://www.keriitleto.com/2015/09/travel-diary-myeong-dong-street.html  /    http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?gotoPage=1&out_service=&cid=2419333   /   http://teamjms.blogspot.com/2012/10/shopping-in-dongdaemun-market.html   /   https://www.airbnb.fr/locations/seoul/dongdaemun-market   /  https://www.volcom.com/truetothis/retail-store-chiangmai-thailand/   /   http://www.myseoulsearching.com/2016/09/complete-guide-dongdaemun-seoul.html   /   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR_DbqDj9Zs   /   http://fashion.eladies.sina.com.cn/industry/2010/0427/0718987834.shtml   /   https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongdaemun_Design_Plaza   /   http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=2475097   /    https://divisare.com/projects/328000-zaha-hadid-architects-julien-lanoo-dongdaemun-design-plaza  /   https://structurae.info/ouvrages/dongdaemun-design-plaza   /    https://www.seoulsolution.kr/en/node/2972   /   http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=690197   /   http://www.theseoulguide.com/sights/markets-and-shopping/dongdaemun-market/pyounghwa-clothing-market/   /   http://www.hanguoing.cn/hotplace/P20140425000220   /   https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g297884-d8403859-i139750719-Pyeonghwa_Market-Busan.html /  / http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1879566   /    http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273734  /   https://fr.tripadvisor.ch/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294197-d1478599-i130296190-Dongdaemun_Shopping_Complex-Seoul.html   /    http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273734   /   https://fr.tripadvisor.ch/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294197-d1478599-i130296190-Dongdaemun_Shopping_Complex-Seoul.html   /    http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273759   /   http://french.visitkorea.or.kr/fre/SO/SO_CMS.jsp?cid=334367  /    http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=988219   /   http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=988219   /   http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=988219    /  http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=1851838   /   https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294197-d1478599-i134726721-Dongdaemun_Shopping_Complex-Seoul.html    /   https://shinni101.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/kia-korea-edition-lotte-fitin/   /   https://www.trover.com/d/bIdD-lotte-fitin-seoul-south-korea   /    http://www.therebelsweetheart.com/2017/04/seoul-searching-hyundai-city-outlets.html   /   http://www.thonik.nl/work/hyundai-premium-stores-seoul/   /    http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=2499174   /    http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=2499174   /   http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273761  /   https://chinchaijiak.wordpress.com/2013/12/26/gwangjang-market-embrace-the-korean-market-culture-and-bindaetteok/   / http://koreabridge.net/post/shopping-fabric-gwangjung-market-meverden   /   https://travelwithbokuwajanice.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/seoul-day-3-gwangjang-market-광장시장-dongdaemun-동대문/   /   http://english.seoul.go.kr/ten-spots-offering-best-night-views-seoul/   /   http://www.souslecieldecoree.fr/remparts-seoul-naksan/    /     http://www.theseoulguide.com/sights/museums/cheonggyecheon-museum/   /   https://seoulsolution.kr/en/content/cheonggyecheon-museum   /   http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=268210   /     http://hanachrisantyjioe.blogspot.com/2016/11/korea-children-grand-park-seoul.html  /   http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/09/08/2008090800045.html    /   https://www.triphobo.com/places/seoul-south-korea/children-s-grand-park    /    https://mariamimay.net/2017/04/19/childrens-grand-park-seoul/    /    http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1051832    /    http://www.pmq.org.hk/event/seoul-art-sapce_sindang-pop-up-store/    /   http://english.sfac.or.kr/?page_id=1510    /     http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2018/06/691_83318.html     /    http://www.pandco.co.kr/?portfolio=seoul-art-space-sindang-pop-up-store-pmq&ckattempt=1   /    https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Attraction_Review-g294197-d7892121-Reviews-Seoul_Yangnyeongsi_Herb_Medicine_Museum-Seoul.html   /   http://www.saranghaekorea.com/2016/05/learning-about-korean-traditional.html   /    https://www.voyager-en-asie.com/seoul-yangnyeongsi-herb-medicine-museum/   /   https://fr.tripadvisor.ca/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294197-d4798711-i183002797-Seoul_Forest-Seoul.html  /  https://drbenjaminhabib.wordpress.com/2015/06/24/seoul-forest/11_seoul-forest-childrens-art-installation/    /    http://french.visitkorea.or.kr/fre/SI/SI_FR_4_2_1_1.jsp?cid=811631   /   https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294197-d4798711-i89464148-Seoul_Forest-Seoul.html   /

  [District] 6 – Dongdaemun – ( 동대문 ) Pour ce sixième quartier parlons donc de la plus grande zone commerçante de l'Est de la ville : Dongdaemun!

[the-asia-trip]

Days 8-9: Seoul, First Impressions

If I had to describe Korea (and for the purposes of this blog, I do), I'd start by listing adjectives. Clean. Ordered. Green. Not Japan.

There are traces of Japan in Korea, but that much should be obvious to anyone with a cursory understanding of East Asian history. The trains are good. People cue on escalators. There are vending machines, but not quite as ubiquitously. People are reserved, and generally, behave as though they're part of some greater order in a way that I've never seen in North America or Europe.

And yet, Korea is a wholly different country, in ways I can't quite articulate. Where Japan is a series of straight lines, Korea is a squiggle. Where Japan is rigid, Korea is loose. Where Japan is indirect, Korea is direct. It sounds inarticulate when I write it here, but just take my word for it. In many ways, it reminds me of the contrast between England and Ireland, or Germany and Austria. Those aren't entirely fair comparisons either, though. But I digress.

There are few feelings in the world like your first morning in a new country. No matter what the weather is, how you're feeling, where you are, or when you're visiting. It feels like opportunity. It's a moment in space and time that never fails to make you feel profoundly alive.

I started off the day with a brief sojourn at my hotel's breakfast buffet, access to which is included with my room. After two cups of coffee and a big plate of remarkably average eggs and bacon (two foods I've never seen gotten right in my combined time in East Asia) I got some Korean Won out of an ATM, headed to the nearest subway station, and started to get my bearings.

Like Japan, Korea's subway system runs on cash. Also like Japan, it has a pretty sophisticated Tap system, which is pretty intuitive if you already know what to expect. You get a subway card, you put it into a machine at the ticket gate to reload it, you put in the amount of cash you want to put into the card, and you're good to go.

Today's first stop, Gyeonbokgung Palace. Built in 1395, it served as the home of the kings of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the late 1300s until the turn of the 19th century. My photos will hopefully do it some justice, but it has the feel of the kind of place that houses a ruling family for half a millennium. Nestled within a series of walls and imposing gates, the inner halls of the palace are filled with incredibly intricate woodwork and paintings. Combine this with the mountains that Seoul is framed by, and the skyscrapers of modern South Korea easily visible over the walls of the palace, and you've got yourself a fully-fledged vibe. 

Another note, the palace offers free admission to anyone dressed in hanbok, traditional Korean garb. Needless to say, I saw dozens of people in their finest hanbok, many of them seemingly doing wedding photo-shoots.

After about an hour walking around and taking it all in, I started heading downtown. Throughout my time at the palace, I couldn't help overhearing strange orchestral music in the distance. While I have few reference points for this kind of thing, it had the sound and feel of the sort of music that plays over military parades. A few minutes later, I understood what I was hearing.

About two blocks from the palace, in Gwanghwamun Square, I found hundreds (maybe thousands) of people who had turned out for a rally against current South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The rally, organized by a "conservative civic action group," might be best described as a Make Korea Great Again rally (which was an actual sign that I saw at one point). 

On a large stage at the center of the rally, two speakers ranted about how "communism and Jesus Christ are fundamentally incompatible" (direct quote), and how President Moon's failure to work with Trump is indicative of him being a secret communist whose true loyalties lie with China.  At one point, I was handed an incomprehensible brochure in Korean, which Google translate revealed to be about how "liberals are brainwashing children into believing biological gender is a joke," and creating "50 new genders." It's always funny seeing the worst of American conservative thought recycled overseas like so many un-sold concert T-shirts. Mostly funny. A little sad.

On the whole, as you might expect, the crowd skewed very old. I did my best to look as confused as possible as I walked through, lest my presence be seen as an endorsement of whatever else was going on there. It's weird to see your country's flag being waved by scores of people in another country you've been in for less than 24 hours. Of course, I know all too well of the U.S.'s influence on the Korean peninsula over the last 70 years.

A thought experiment: imagine that the Cold War never ended. Now imagine that instead of Canada, across the U.S.’s northern border is the U.S.S.R. Now imagine that instead of Russians, Eastern Europeans, and Central Asians, the U.S.S.R. is made up of people who look just like you—some of them your not-too-distant relatives. This is the Korean experience. About an hour's drive away from where I write this is one of the world's most totalitarian regimes. That will fill some of you with anxiety, but it really shouldn't. As much as the media tries to drum up stories, things are pretty chill here. But there's still a whole generation of Koreans on both sides who lived through it all. I saw quite a few of them at that rally, I suspect.

Following what, in retrospect, was easily one of the top 10 most surreal experiences of my life so far, I wandered into the Myeong-Dong area, a famous street market. In terms of sheer foot traffic and volume of incredibly shitty knockoff clothing, it's a world-class location.

Around this time, I started getting hungry, so I hopped on the nearest city bus and made my way over to Gwangjang Market, a destination I'd been recommended with the highest praise from a close Korean friend. It did not disappoint in the slightest. With an atmosphere best described as "Blade Runner adjacent," it's the kind of location you might imagine two spies to meet, and the third fully-fledged vibe of the day following the palace and the rally. 

Following a little debate over what I was looking for, I found a seat at a noodle stand that featured a sign proudly proclaiming it had been featured on the Netflix show "Street Foods." My first non-hotel-breakfast food in Korea: a little plate of kimchi offered as an appetizer. Apparently, I actually like kimchi quite a bit. There's one pleasant surprise of the trip. Although not hugely so—I've talked here before about the intangible satisfaction of trying something at the source, so this may have been no different. For all I know, American kimchi is absolutely terrible… but I'll definitely investigate that when I get home.

After two little plates of kimchi, my meal arrived—a steaming bowl of kal-guksu, thick hand-cut noodles floating in a savory broth with seaweed and potatoes. 10/10. After a "kam-sah-ham-nee-dah" to the cooks, I wandered over to another stall and followed up lunch with a hotteok, a fried pancake filled with honey and peanuts.

With food in my stomach, I hopped on another bus across town to Gangnam, the ritzy neighborhood most of the world knows Korea for, for some afternoon people-watching. Immortalized by Psy in the wildly-popular early 10s single "Gangnam Style," like Ginza in Tokyo or Newbury Street in Boston, it's your standard Big Ritzy Neighborhood. I got a good look around, and got some more steps in to work off the kal-guksu, before heading back to my hotel for the night and falling asleep at around 9, successfully getting my first 9 hour night of sleep so far. 

That was yesterday.

Today, I got up around 9 and again took full advantage of the hotel breakfast. Along with a cup of coffee and some eggs and bacon, I had a little plate of kimchi and rice. As you might expect, this kimchi wasn't quite up to the standard of the Netflix-featured street food stand. But this wasn't terribly surprising. Still pretty good.

After breakfast, I headed over to Itaewon to the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art. Funded by Samsung's Cultural Foundation, it's one of the finest art collections in Seoul, and came at a high recommendation from my Korean friend. The museum is divided up into three galleries: the first features a collection of historical Korean art and artifacts, and the second and third feature a combination of modern works by Korean artists and their international peers, like Mark Rothko, Willem De Kooning, Arshile Gorky, Donald Judd, Sy Twombly, Jean-Michel Basquiat and more. From the perspective of this art nerd, they've got a world-class setup. It was especially exciting to see a piece by Nam Jun Paik, one of my favorite artists of all time, a Korean native, and a certified digital-age art genius.

Next up was lunch at a nearby hole in the wall. Korea does pork cutlets, too. And they're good. They also have those restaurants where you plug your order into a vending machine and don't have to worry about interacting with a non-English-speaking local. Score.

After that, I walked around for a while before returning back to my hotel room. There's a rooftop lounge on the highest floor of my hotel, and I'm sitting in a bean bag chair here now writing this.  

Korea is not what I expected, and that's a good thing. I really didn't have too many expectations going into it. 

About ten years ago, for a few weeks, I entertained the idea of going to visit Korea with my friend. I remember the feeling I had then, quite distinctly. Looking up information about Korea, seeing how different it was, and trying to imagine what it would be like to visit. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't go then. It's better now. 

Already, this is definitely a place I can see myself returning to. It doesn't have my heart the way that Japan does, but it's cool and futuristic and East Asian and, as I've said a few times now, a whole-ass vibe. It's like Japan, but not. So far, I really really like it. 

[hlou14]

It’s been two months since I’ve moved to Seoul! Can you believe it? I certainly can’t! It’s gone so quickly, too quickly almost! I’ve gotten up to a lot this month, unsurprisingly, and I’m going to do a bit of a roundup of everything I’ve done during my time in Seoul so far.

My new job as an ESL teacher!

March brought me many changes, but the biggest was my job. I started working as an English teacher for the first time! I teach kindergarten and elementary age children, my youngest being 4 and my oldest being 12. It’s frustrating, stressful, and extremely challenging, but it can actually be a lot of fun and the kids make me laugh. It’s changed my current attitude towards children, something I mentioned in this post about the things I learned in my first month in Seoul.

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How much can I eat?!

If you don’t know by now that I love my food, I doubt you’ll ever know. (Kidding, of course – food posts are unavoidable on this blog!). March brought a plethora of flavours and textures to my palate, and stuffed my belly full of delicious, glorious, mouth-watering food. Some of my favourites have been galbi barbecue at Daeseong Galbi in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, and the most amazing cheese donkkaseu at Mama Tonkatsu in Jeongja-dong, Bundang-gu.

I’ve become a serial palace visitor.

How many times can a girl visit the same palace in a month, you ask? Well, I managed it twice, a pretty low number, but for someone who has just moved here I ask myself why do I return to the same places and not find somewhere new. BECAUSE IT’S BEAUTIFUL, that’s why! Gyeongbokgung, the most famous of the five main palaces in Seoul, is stunning, and the perfect spot to go for a walk on a sunny March Sunday. I even rented a hanbok and took some snaps of me in the traditional clothing!

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Old friends and old haunts!

In the last two months I’ve seen more old friends than I could shake a stick at. Well, maybe not quite that many, but I’ve certainly had my fair share of reunions in the past eight weeks. Korean, French, Canadian; you name the nationality, I’ve met them again after four years! And the best part about it (besides seeing my friends, of course) has been going back to some of our old stomping grounds from when I came to Seoul for a university summer school in 2013.

안녕, civilisation!

Before I moved here I knew that I wouldn’t have internet access in my apartment. It wasn’t part of my working contract, so I knew I would have to find it myself. What I didn’t realise was that I would need my Alien Registration Card to set up any sort of phone or internet contract, and I didn’t get that card until the 6th of April. On the 19th of April I walked out of the local Olleh (a major mobile and internet service provider here in Korea) store with a WiFi egg and the feeling of finally being part of civilisation again! 100% #FirstWorldProblems, I know.

But my limited internet access wasn’t an entirely negative thing. I learned that I don’t need WiFi access everywhere I go to survive, and it also forced me to go into the shop and try to speak some Korean (admittedly only a tiny amount, before the man helping me got his phone out to use a translator). I was terrified, but I plucked up the courage and now I have a Korean phone number AND internet access. (We shan’t talk about how I ate through my entire allowance in just over a week…)

You want food? You’ve got it!

I went to 광장시장 Gwangjang Market for the first time! If you don’t know about it, Gwangjang Market is a famous food market filled with sit-down food stands selling authentic, traditional Korean food. You can get everything from dumpling soup to rice and vegetable bowls, as well as your lesser-popular blood sausage and fermented stingray… Sadly, I made the rookie mistake of eating earlier in the day which meant I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I could have, so next time I go back I will go on an empty stomach. I’ll also go armed with my camera and write a post about it, because it’s too good to miss on a visit here!

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Spring is here, but the blossoms didn’t hang around.

Japan is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms, but people seem to forget about Korea! There were some stunning sights to be seen around Seoul during the admittedly short blossom season, but I made sure not to miss them…just about! I made my way over to Yeouido, a large island in the middle of the Han River, one Saturday evening and took a stroll along the north-western path to admire the blooms – a perfect way to spend a Spring evening in the city!

Perhaps I can teach after all?

I was observed in class for the first time towards the end of April and, let me tell you, it was a nerve-wracking experience! Though, apparently there was nothing wrong with my teaching and the issues were all with the students. I breathed a humungous sigh of relief when I heard this, especially considering I have had no training whatsoever. I’m finally starting to feel like I’m not too bad at this teaching malarkey and I’m even beginning to love the kids, but that’s a whole other blog post waiting to happen!

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Seoul lit up with beautiful lotus lanterns.

On the last weekend of May I hopped over to Jongno and the Cheonggyecheon to see Yeondeunghoe, the Lotus Lantern Festival, in full swing. It’s an early start to Buddha’s birthday celebrations here in Seoul, and it was a sight to see! I managed to catch some of the famous parade comprising a collection of large and small lanterns carried by people from various temples and other communities, including a huge crowd of people from the Jogyesa Temple, where the parade finishes. After the parade, I went for a walk down the Cheonggyecheon, a stream running through part of Seoul, where there were lanterns strung overhead, and larger lanterns displayed on plinths above the water. It was a sight to behold, and such a fab atmosphere!

All in all, I’ve been a pretty busy gal since moving here! This list is, of course, not exhaustive – I have been on several nights out, been for karaoke a few times, made some wonderful new friends and spent an afternoon relaxing in the park by the river. I’ve registered as an alien, finally purchased some furniture for my apartment, and opened a bank account!

Quite frankly, it’s no surprise that time has passed so quickly. I’ve barely given myself time to breathe! But life here in Seoul is exciting and is only getting better, so I can’t complain too much now, can I?

This is an entry in The Seoul Diaries! Read more about my life in Seoul here.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye! I've been up to so much in the last couple of months that time has run away with me. Take a look to see what I've been up to since moving to Seoul. It's been two months since I've moved to Seoul! Can you believe it? I certainly can't! It's gone so quickly, 

[winceats]

I can’t believe how quickly our two weeks away went! As most of you know Claire and I went to Seoul and Hong Kong last month for a break away from London. In today’s post I’d like to share my top 3 Korean experiences that you must try if you’re in the area!

Starting off with our first Korean BBQ, we met up with Rita (one of Miranda’s closest friends) and she took us to her favourite Korean BBQ restaurant in the centre of Hongdae – The 통큰구이 I don’t think they have an English name, although it’s registered as Deo Tongkeungui on my card.

The staff spoke English, so it was easy to order and choose what we wanted. Unfortunately, this restaurant doesn’t offer vegan food however they were so attentive and created a little box for Claire to eat – it contained a mountain of rice, kimchi, turnip slices and seaweed. Whilst she was happily eating that, myself and Rita ordered the main event – all you can eat meat for 15,000 won- we couldn’t believe how cheap it was! The man regularly changed our grill, so our cooked meat wouldn’t get stuck to the metal plate.

We also tried soju for the first time- a much loved Korean alcoholic beverage. We tried a flavoured one and the original. You can drink it as a shot or mix it with beer. Personally, I thought it tasted better by itself. The original flavour doesn’t have much of a taste apart from a bitter after taste. The apple flavour reminded me of a more sophisticated apple sour. Both very tasty it’s a shame we didn’t try all the other flavours!

I’ve had Korean BBQ before, but it was nowhere near as good as this one! I left it to Rita to do the cooking as apparently the proper way to cook the meat is to cut it evenly onto the grill. Once everything is to your satisfaction- meat wise you take some lettuce and dunk the cooked meat into some sauce, then place it onto the leaf, (optional) you can put kimchi on it as well, then wrap it like a parcel and dip it into the sesame & salt sauce, then pop it into your mouth. It was so good, I can see why it’s so common to have a BBQ- plus it’s a great communal meal for friends and family to enjoy together.

My second recommendation would be Myeongdong Kyoja (명동교자) a noodle restaurant that is close to Myeongdong cathedral. We met Jae (one of Asiel’s close friends) at exit 6 of Myeongdong station, it was a short walk to the restaurant. This is an authentic Korean restaurant, it is well known for its knife-cut, handmade kalguksu (noodle soup) which is displayed as their main item on their menu. Their other popular dishes are mandu (dumplings), bibim guksu (spicy noodles), and kongguksu (noodles in cold soybean soup).

When we arrived the atmosphere was buzzing, the restaurant was packed full of customers, the majority of them were Asian- so we knew we were in the right place. 😉The 3-storey restaurant had a lean menu with delicious looking food. This restaurant wasn’t vegan friendly either, but Jae worked his magic and they bought out some cold noodles which is usually eaten in a chicken broth (they put in a separate bowl). For me and Jae, we ordered the pork dumplings to share, these were to die for- so tender and juicy, I’m literally salivating thinking about them! We also ordered the Kalguksu ‘chopped noodle’ soup, the portion sizes were huge; each slurp was tastier than the last. The chicken broth had a lot of flavour, the texture of the noodles was silky and moorish. Sadly, the dishes defeated me, the dumplings would have done for me as the sizes were that big, but I ordered with my eyes as per usual.

It all came to 37,000 won this may sound like a lot but it’s about £25 for 3 people! I strongly recommend this restaurant if you’re ever in the area, you won’t be disappointed.

My third recommendation is Gwangjang Market (광장시장), a great place to try all of Korean specialities under one roof. We entered the market from a non-lit entrance and we thought we had missed it, but of course citymapper wouldn’t be itself if it didn’t take us in a weird direction. When we finally arrived at the food market, it was bustling with locals and tourists alike enjoying the food vendors. Each row specialised in its own food, example one row had stalls that sold seafood pancakes, the next row was mayak kimbap, blood sausages and tteokbokki and so on.

You can tell the best ones were packed with hungry customers, and the ones that weren’t so busy were hustling for customers to eat at their stall. It seemed rather competitive, but everyone seemed to get along.

We visited a couple of stalls whilst we were there; our first stall were two cute elderly ladies serving up tteokbokki, mayak kimbap and kimchi. The kimbap was 3000 won for one but because we shared it – it came to 6000 won. Kimbap is sushi-like, seaweed-wrapped rolls which are stuffed with carrot, pickled daikon radish, and rice seasoned with sesame oil. We wondered around to check out other stalls and came across some deep-fried chicken – there was an option to have it sweet or fried – of course I went for fried! This came to 1000 won.

By the time we saw Yoonsun Cho from Netflix original documentary ‘Street Food’, Seoul South Korea (episode 6), we were too full to fit more in! Her dumplings looked and smelt divine, this is a great excuse to come back and now we know where she is so we can go straight there.

I hope you all enjoyed reading my Korean food experiences, I strongly recommend these places, but if you have limited time then the market would be the best place to experience traditional Korean food.

My Korean Food experience I can’t believe how quickly our two weeks away went! As most of you know Claire and I went to Seoul and Hong Kong last month for a break away from London.

[kgbinwanderland]

This blog post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.

It’s no secret that Seoul is one of my favorite cities in the world. Delicious food, fantastic shopping, interesting culture, and amazing people, it’s a dream vacation! Another thing that I love about Seoul is how family-friendly the city is. Most popular attractions have kids on their priority, with a curation of programs and activities designed for the young. Their subway system is so extensive and one of the best in the world, you can go from one place to another with no trouble at all. Taking the taxi is affordable too which makes traveling even more convenient and comfortable.

If you are in the planning stages of your trip to Seoul, you’ve come to the right place. Whether it’s your first, second or if you’ve visited several times in the past, you’ll never get bored while in the city. There are plenty of things to see and do within Seoul and its neighboring provinces. For first-time visitors, you need at least 4 full days to visit the city’s most popular landmarks and tourist attractions. But don’t worry, this 7-day itinerary can be easily customized to fit your interests and schedule. Depending on how much you want to see in a day, you can combine some activities into just one day but beware though, it will be very tiring so pack some extra energy! But I assure you, it’ll be loads of fun!

7-Days Itinerary for your First Visit in Seoul, South Korea

Day 1

Start your day early with a visit to Gwanghwamun Square. See the golden statue of King Sejong in the middle of the plaza. Just across Gwanghwamun Square is the Gyeongbok Palace, also known as Gyeongbokgung. Watch the Gatekeeper Military Training at 9:30 AM and Changing of the Royal Guard Ceremony at 10:00 AM, both held at the main gate of Gyeongbokgung. After this, you can join a 1.5 hr free walking tour of the palace with an English-speaking guide. Japanese and Chinese-speaking guides are also available at a different schedule. The walking tour starts at 11:00 AM at the Gyeongbokgung Palace Information Center. If you do not want to join the tour, you can just watch the Gwanghwamun Gate Guard on Duty Ceremony at 11:00 AM (or come back for the 1:00 PM schedule) and explore the palace grounds on your own.

After lunch, head over to the National Folk Museum of Korea. Spend about an hour inside the museum learning about the Korean culture and way of life.

From the National Folk Museum of Korea, it’s time to see the traditional houses of Bukchon Hanok Village. You’ll pass by Samcheong-dong, a street of artisan shops, small boutiques, tea shops and cafes, etc. Spend an hour exploring Bukchon Hanok Village and make sure to stop by the 8 scenic spots of the village for your Instagram-worthy photos.

Your last stop for the day is Insadong, a popular neighborhood in Seoul because of the many cafes, restaurants and shops selling traditional Korean goods.

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#hanok #seoul #southkorea #travel #igtravel #iphonephotography #iphonography #amateurphotography #travelphoto #blogger #foodandtravel #wanderlust #girlsthatwander #traveljournal #travelpic #kgbinwanderland #traveldiary

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Day 2

Today is theme park day! There are several theme parks in Seoul but the most visited parks (and popular with tourists) are Lotte World Theme Park, which is right in the city and the other is Everland located in Gyeonggi-do, about an hour away from Seoul. If it is your first time in Seoul, I highly recommend visiting Everland instead of Lotte World. Although it is outside of Seoul, you can easily reach Everland by booking a roundtrip shuttle service from Seoul’s main tourist districts (like Myeongdong). Trust me, it’s super convenient! Most people usually recommend Lotte World Theme Park if you are traveling with young children, but I honestly find Everland to be more enjoyable than Lotte World, even with a toddler!

[irp posts=”3069″ name=”Seoul Family Travel: Everland Theme Park”]

Day 3

You should never leave Seoul without visiting one (or two) of their outdoor markets. One of which is the Namdaemun Market. No need to have breakfast before you leave your hotel, eat at the infamous Kalguksu Alley. Order the Kalguksu and Boribap set meal, it’s really good! While in the area, don’t forget to stop by the Namdaemun or the Great South Gate.

Next stop is Seoul’s most iconic landmark, the N Seoul Tower. Ride the cable car up the Namsan Mountain and spend an hour enjoying the views of the city from the top. Hello Kitty fans will be delighted to see and visit the Hello Kitty Island inside the tower.

Instead of taking the cable car down back to the city, ride the bus to Myeongdong.

You’re just in time to enjoy some street food in Myeongdong. Food stalls line up the streets of Myeongdong from afternoon until late at night. Shop ’til you drop for clothes, shoes, accessories and skin care products. You can also enjoy some delicious desserts and coffee at the many cafes in the area. Dinner choices are endless. Popular choices are Korean-style Fried Chicken or AYCE BBQ.

Oh, and don’t forget to stop by the Myeongdong Cathedral.

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Boribap (Barley Bibimbap) #bibimbap #seoul #southkorea #namdaemun #noodlealley #kalguksualley #streetfoodseoul #realtravel #igtravel #wanderlust #kgbinwanderland #traveldiary #foodie #foodography #foodandtravel #blogger

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Day 4

Today we go on a little day trip outside the city. One of the most popular day trips from Seoul is to Nami Island and Petite France. The most convenient way to visit these two must-sees is to book a tour package that would include the roundtrip shuttle service, entry tickets and a tour guide. I highly suggest that you book the tour instead of DIYing this part of the itinerary, it’s worth paying extra for the convenience.

Once your back in the city, you can go back to Myeongdong for even more street food and night shopping! Or do some night shopping at Dongdaemun.

Day 5

First stop of the day is the Naksan Park and the Seoul Fortress Wall. Enjoy a leisurely stroll in the park and take a picture of the stunning views of the city. Walk along the Seoul Fortress Wall until you reach Ihwa Mural Village, popular for its street art and wall murals, and also a prominent backdrop on several K-dramas.

If you haven’t been to Dongdaemun yet, now is the perfect time to explore the area at a more leisurely pace. Bargain-hunters will love Dongdaemun Traditional Market. A lot of the shops and malls here are open until the wee hours of the morning, that’s why it’s also perfect for some nocturnal shopping! Be sure to visit the Heunginjimun or Dongdaemun Gate. And just a few steps away, you’ll find yourself in Dongdaemun Seonggwak Park. Enjoy spectacular city views from the top of the park (especially at night). And anyone traveling with kids should stop by the Dongdaemun Toy Street to pick up a few pieces for your little ones.

Eat at one of the food stalls in Gwangjang Market. Make sure to try the Mung bean pancake (Bindaetteok), Blood sausage (Soondae) and Drug Rice Rolls (Mayak Gimbap). Don’t worry about the last one, it doesn’t actually contain any narcotics, but instead earned its name because it is highly addicting to eat!

Also in the area is the Dongdaemun Design Plaza or the DDP. Designed by the infamous, Zaha Hadid, the DDP is a modern architectural landmark on the heart of Seoul.

End the evening with a stroll along Cheonggyecheon Stream before heading back to your hotel.

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Ramyun by the river 🍜 #hanriver #ramyun #shinramyun #seoul #southkorea #travel #foodandtravelblog #igtravel #igseoul

A post shared by Karen GB (@kgbinwanderland) on Jun 15, 2018 at 9:58pm PDT

Day 6

If you have an extra day to spare, might as well visit the Lotte World Theme Park since it’s right in the city. It’s not big compared to Everland, but what’s great about it is that it has both an indoor and outdoor park. Plus it’s directly connected to a mall! Lotte World Theme Park is most suitable for families traveling with young children. You’ll be spending at least 5 to 6 hours inside the theme park so if you want to make the most of your time, try to visit as soon as they open so it won’t be as crowded and you’ll have more time to enjoy the rides. Also in the area is the COEX Aquarium.

Next stop is the Gangnam Area, one of the popular districts in Seoul. This district is well-known for shopping. Aside from the high-end luxury brands, there’s also an underground shopping complex in Gangnam Station for those on a budget.

For the young travelers, tonight is the night to put your dancing shoes on and enjoy the nightlife in Gangnam, as it has some of the best clubs in Seoul. But if you’re anything like me, head over to Seoul Station and shop for souvenirs, Korean snacks and products at Lotte Outlets. Stock up on your favorite cup noodles, face masks and fill your honey butter obsessions from this supermarket. It’s open until midnight so it’s perfect for some last-minute shopping.

Day 7

Start the day by visiting Changdeokgung (Changdeok Palace). This palace is less busy than the neighboring Gyeongbokgung, but it is actually worth visiting. Inside the palace is the Secret Garden, which you can only enter with a guide. Don’t miss this!

Next is Yeouido Hangang Park. Enjoy a mini picnic by ordering chicken and beer, and have it delivered to you at the park. If you prefer a quick bite, buy some instant ramen noodles at one of the convenience stores in the park. These convenience stores have a designated area for cooking noodles. After lunch and a little bit of sightseeing, take a cruise on the Hangang River.

After the cruise, head to Hongdae for some dinner and coffee. Hongdae is a hip and cool neighborhood, mostly because of its close proximity to Hongik University. Shopping tends to be slightly cheaper here since it mainly caters to the student population. At night, you can experience the hustle and bustle of street artists and performers.

Still need ideas for things to do in Seoul? Check out my 30+ Top Things to Do in Seoul South Korea!

Like this post? Need it for later? Pin it!

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Lastly, to help you plan your trip to Seoul, I have listed here some Seoul Travel Essentials that you can book in advance for a better travel experience.

4G Wifi Rental (Airport Pick up) Seoul Hotels Seoul Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Bus Tour AREX Incheon Airport Express Train to Seoul Station (One Way) Discover Seoul Pass T-Money Card (Pre-loaded with KRW5,000) Korean Rail Pass

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Seoul in 7 Days: An Itinerary for First Time Visitors This blog post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my Disclaimer. It's no secret that Seoul is one of my favorite cities in the world.

[suchtravelwow-blog]

Morocco and Italy 2017: Day Two

Today was a long day where we saw a lot of Marrakech's Medina. After a long couple of days of travel, we all slept in a little longer than we wanted, which meant that we scrambled to get ready by our 9:30 meeting time. Tried some breakfast pastries though and those were legit.

We met our guide and headed out to the main mosque of Marrakech for our first stop. We got the history of both the mosque and the city as we walked towards it, but we could not go inside.

We met the driver again and he brought us to the Mellah (Jewish Quarter). We walked through the Jewish Quarter and through a small market, before heading towards the Bahia Palace. We learned the history of the palace, as well as more of the history of the Moroccan culture. The palace was also a little newer than the mosque we had just seen (by several centuries). Amazingly though, the paint on the ceiling (all plant and vegetable-based) is all the original and didn't require restoration.

I also took a lot of pictures of tiles and doorways.

After the palace, we went to the kasbah, which means fortress. We walked by the mosque at the kasbah to the Saadian Tombs. There are three rooms of tombs - one for the women, one for the kids, and one for the kings. The last one was very pretty.

We took a lunch break, where I had more tajine, Umma had pastilla and my brother and husband both had Italian food. 🤯

Once we finished lunch, we did our very long walking tour of the souk (marketplace). That took about five hours, but was probably the highlight of the day.

We walked through the bridal markets before making our first stop at one of the seven shrines to saints in the city. I guess Marrakech is known for its seven saints, each of whom has a shrine somewhere in the Medina. We were by the shrine of the merchant.

We walked into one of the old caravan hotels, where traveling merchants used to spend the night. There are a lot of them through the souk, but the one we were at is now really housing for local homeless people, including a man who our guide introduced us to.

We did a carpet shop. We saw a lot of the different Berber and nomadic styles of carpets. That part was cool, but we all spent the whole time stressed because carpet stores stress us out.

Our next stop was probably our favorite. We visited a man who warms the heat for a local hammam, but also uses the ashes from that stove to cook the local dish in the authentic style. He also played us some music. We took pictures. I was forced to dance. It was fun.

We then visited an art gallery, which was a quick stop, but was cool to see some local artwork. From there, we went to this exhibit that featured local artisan culture. We spent quite some time exploring that exhibit. They had an exhibit on pottery, an exhibit on the process of turning wool into carpets, some artwork. We also went to a very dark exhibit on tattoos in Berber culture, where it was so dark that Umma had problems finding the stores.

We then went to a spice store. Came out with a lot of spices. We walked through the leather markets and saw a soccer ball maker. The store has been around since1965 and has made soccer balls for Barcelona and some other major soccer teams. Walked through the blacksmiths and some other markets. We also found where our initial restaurant from yesterday was and there was no way we we're going to find that place in our jet lagged first night in Morocco.

We got olives and soccer scarves. After hours of circling the souk, we found ourselves in Jmaa el-Fna. This is the big square of Marrakech and is a delightfully chaotic experience. There were monkeys and snake charmers and sheep heads and all sorts of amazing smells and sounds. I wish I had taken a picture of the snake charmer but I didn't have dirham to give them. Maybe tomorrow.

We stopped at a cafe and had some mint tea before our guide brought us back to the riad. We didn't stay at the riad for long before turning right around to eat dinner near Jmaa el-Fna. We wanted to eat at the market stalls there because it reminded us of Gwangjang market, but they were super aggressive about trying to get us to sit down so we ran away. Found some random place and I had more tajine (I've been spelling and pronouncing that food incorrectly this whole time). Did another lap around the square and got schwarma for James because he didn't come out to eat.

Now we are back at the hotel prepping for our day tomorrow. Today we did the big city. Tomorrow we go to the country side.

[hauteculturefashion]

The Hanbok is the traditional dress of Korea, worn by men and women, rich and poor, across the north and the south for over 1600 years. Throughout this time, its general design was similar to the sloping eaves of the Korean traditional house – the hanok – with a soft division of lines and angles. Throughout the centuries, it’s obviously maintained its popularity for good reason. It’s a garment of pure beauty, synonymous with Korean aesthetics and tradition. Thoroughly theatrical and distinct, it’s hard to not admire the strong visual structure of the hanging sleeves, bulging full-length skirt, floral detailing and pretty bows.

Two young South Korean girls wearing the traditional national dress the Hanbok at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul

Women’s Hanboks are comprised of two elements: the jeogori (cropped blouse) and the chima (skirt). It’s said that the wide curved arms of the jeogori represent the warmth of the embrace of the Korean people, and the wide flowing chima symbolises space and freedom. A sad representation, given the borders that now divide the Korean people. Under neath the dress is special type of (adorable) Hanbok underwear and a petticoat which adds the fullness to the silhouette. The whole look is completed with accessories such as a Norigae (hanging good luck charm) and hair accessories. The loose cut of the style makes for very comfortable wear, this is perhaps part of the reason why they’ve been so popular with all Koreans, regardless of class, for centuries.

Traditional Hanboks were vivid garments, with colour used to symbolise the five elements of yin and yang: white (metal), black (water), yellow (earth), red (fire) and blue (wood). The colour of ones Hanbok was also used to symbolise status – unmarried women wore yellow jeogori and red chima. Maidens (and spinsters) even had their own exclusive hairstyle: Daenggi, where the hair is braided with a thick ribbon tied at the end. Lower classes typically wore white for everyday wear. Variations in style and textiles were indicators of class, profession, and social status and were also employed for garments for different seasons and genders.

Traditionally this daenggi braided hair style with a ribbon tied on the end symbolises that the women are not married.

There’s nothing like the Hanbok in Western fashion, which uses straight lined fabric and stitching. In contrast, the Hanbok is made from a flat fabric cut in a linear shape, but which takes on a dimensionality when worn thanks to its combination of straight and curved lines. The form it creates flows off the body. They are effortlessly elegant and flatteringly feminine – giving the illusion of a tiny upper body, bound waist and full flowing lower half. Basically, everyone looks great in a Hanbok.

Korean girl in Namsangol Hanok Village is wearing a Hanbok for a traditional photo shoot

Side view of the Hanbok

Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea

View from above, Bukchon Hanok Village overlooking the capital city

Roofs of the traditional Korean houses in Bukchon Hanok village

Due to massive economic development in South Korea and the Westernisation of traditional styles, Hanboks have mostly disappeared from contemporary fashion. Despite their flattering form, they are by nature conservative (arms and legs all totally covered) and so have slowly disappeared from everyday wear during the last century. Today, they are sometimes worn on formal occasions such as weddings, the birth of a baby and during traditional festivals. The South Korean government recently introduced a national ‘Hanbok day’ (usually held in October) to encourage people to wear and celebrate them. 

Where to rent a Hanbok in Seoul

Hiring one for the day is a popular tourist attraction now in Seoul, and you can see many young Koreans and foreigners walking down the blossom-strewn streets of Hanok villages and posing near the traditional palaces, making the most of the photo opportunities the Hanbok creates. 

Renting a Hanbok is pretty easy and widely available, especially in the traditional Hanok villages such as Namsangol and Bukchon. Prices vary depending on which type of hanbok you want to wear, if you want you hair styled and if you want to hire a photographer or use a studio etc,  but you can expect to pay anywhere between 10,000 to 30,000 KRW for the day.

To get to Bukchon Hanok village take the Seoul subway (line 3) to Anguk Station and exit at gate 1 or 2. Walk straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village.

My Hanbok experience in the Hanok village of Bukchon was a lot of fun. My yellow jeogori and red chima show that I am not yet married.

Where to Buy a Hanbok in Seoul

Again price will vary depending on quality and if you want to buy a Hanbok off the rack or select your own fabric and have it made to measure.

I visited Gwangjang market (ground floor past the food stalls) and Dongdaemun market (second floor) which have a huge selection of Hanbok shops and tailors. One should expect to pay in between 200,000 KRW for a cheap one and 400,000 for a good one with underwear and matching accessories, budget more if you should desire extras like hand embroidery and beading.

Hanbok shop in Gwangjang market.

Hanbok hair bands for under 10,000 KRW

Traditional glass hair pins are priced around 15,000 KRW

Hanbok embroidered accessories

Traditional Korean arts, antiques and textile shop in Gwangjang market

  Going to Seoul? Pin this article for later ♥

  Have you rented or bought a Hanbok in Seoul? What was your experience? If you have any good suggestions for Haute Culture readers then please share your advice in the comments below as we would love to hear from you!

The Handsom Hanbok & Where to Buy One in Seoul The Hanbok is the traditional dress of Korea, worn by men and women, rich and poor, across the north and the south for over 1600 years.

[mom-maeum-seoul]

Last day in Seoul

Monday was our last day in Seoul, and my heart felt heavy. We’d barely scratched the surface of this incredible city and I wanted more. The previous evening had only compounded my desire to stay longer in Seoul… I got so carried away with the DMZ in my last post that I forgot to mention what we did after the tour. We’d stumbled upon another street festival on the long street running up to Gyeongbokgung Palace. It seemed to be winding down but there was still a buzz in the air. Unfortunately the palace was actually closed so we weren’t able to go inside, but we saw a part of it at least, and quite a few Koreans in their traditional dress. 

We caught the closing ceremony as we headed back down towards the river - a young boy, probably about ten years old - was playing the guitar in a very accomplished manner and tapping the body of the guitar with his palm at the same time to create a beat... Very impressive for his age, especially in front of quite a large crowd too. The notes ringing out into the warm dusk air created that music festival atmosphere that makes you feel a close human connection to all the people sharing the experience with you. 

Erica had also told us that there was a night market on by Cheonggyecheon Stream, which I had wanted to see anyway, so that was our next destination, at the other end of the wide street running down from the Palace. The river had existed a long time ago, but was paved over as the city expanded. However, it was recently redeveloped into a 10-km oasis where Seoulites can come for a stroll to escape from the city. It starts off with a tall statue of a red and blue shell spiralling up towards the sky between the skyscrapers. 

You can then make your way along beside a variety of flowers and lights, which double their enchanting effect at twilight as they reflect off the rushing water. My particular favourite was this rainbow bridge.

There were also small stands set up at the higher level selling small and elegant pieces of handmade jewellery, hand-stitched dog clothes and accessories, and other independent, artisan crafts, as well as street food. Hip hop blasted out from a few of the food stands, which again reminded me of home and made my heart swell with sadness that we only had one day left here. We were getting tired by this point, so exploring the river further would have to wait for another day…

Anyway, back to Monday… Dave wanted to run a few errands, including posting some things that he didn’t need home, so I decided not to waste my last day and go to see some of the things I’d wanted to see but hadn’t had a chance to yet. First up was Bukchon Hanok Village - a Korean traditional village preserved in a 600-year-old style - one of the things I had thought would be most interesting. I caught the metro up there and attempted to find my way there without a functioning route in Maps (thanks Korea), which proved more difficult that I’d thought. I found the vague location - even the actual block it was contained in - but I couldn’t find the right way in… I did a full circle of the block and finally made my way inside near where I’d started, and still couldn’t find anything of particular interest., which felt a bit disappointing to say the least… I decided to find  Gwangjang Market using my Lonely Planet City Guides app and, after exploring a little more of the riverside we’d started down the previous evening, got some typical Korean food and drink there - assorted savoury pancakes, which were nice, if a little greasy, and soju, a type of Korean alcohol that I wasn’t too fond of - it just tasted like weak vodka, and I absolutely hate vodka! 

Next up, I tried to find my way to Myeongdong, one of the most popular areas for tourists in Seoul. It was reminiscent of Tokyo, lined with neon lights and full of colourful shops and stands selling all manner of crazy products. The most intriguing aspect was definitely the food on offer. There were cheese-topped lobster tails, shellfish that looked like enormous mussels cooked with mini flamethrowers, huge stacks of soft ice cream and more. I also got handed a leaflet for a dog café by someone dancing around in a dog costume - absolutely gutted I found out about this too late to visit… another reason to return to Seoul!

I met up with Dave in this area and we got the cable car up to N Seoul Tower for a view of the city at night. The viewing platform had writing on the glass all around telling you which direction you were facing and how far you’d have to travel that way to reach other cities, which was cool, but there was also an annoyingly bright level of lighting, so it was hard to see anything without getting right up close to the windows. They had something called the “shocking step”, where you could go right up to the glass, over 200 metres up from the ground below and almost 500 metres above sea level, and look down with your toes right at the edge of the window. I could hardly bear to do it but sort of edged up there hanging onto the column next to me. 

After doing a tour of the observation deck, we got the cable car back down, wondering aloud what might happen if the cable snapped, and, going off on a bit of a tangent, whether or not we’d consider eating someone who was already dead after an accident if stranded somewhere…! We hoped no-one in the car spoke much English. We then had some of the street food we’d seen earlier - sadly I didn’t have enough cash left to afford any of the stuff I was really interested in and just bought spicy chicken - and went home, via the embroidery shop to get our bags done with our Korean names. So long for now, Seoul! It was short but sensational. Can’t wait to see you again!

Goodbye Seoul... Gamsa hamida

-Maddy

[katrinatravelsthroughasia]

SEOUL (DAY30)

DAY30

2/2/17

12:29 PM

It’s our last day to enjoy Seoul. It went so fast…

We’re currently relaxing in a Jjimjilbang in Sinchon. We had tried to go last night but we spent too much time out at Namsan tour, and so we decided to call it a day in the name of safety and sleep.

2:54 PM

After the jjimjilbang we hurried back to the hostel to get ready to go out. Mollie really wants to go to Cube Entertainment’s cafe, so we are on our way there right now.

We found the entertainment building, and were confused for a little bit, but then realized that the cafe was right next door to the actual building and was slightly unmarked. It wasn’t selling much merchandise but was playing the songs of groups from the company– that’s the way we figured out what it actually was… everyone was confused.

3:47 AM

We did so much today… there’s just too much to write about. We visited a random, dissatisfactory kpop store so Mollie and JJ could buy some goods. Katie was interested in the SHINee stuff and I just found it entertaining. We stopped by a second one later.

Then we went to Dongdaemun to see the area. Apparently we didn’t see the cool/famous/important part of the place… oops. So we just walked around to see the sights.

We then walked over to Cheonggyecheon stream and Gwangjang Market, which was very filled with fabric and very old-school Korea. We didn’t have much to do there, but it was a very cool part of Seoul. The stream, although very winter-y, was just like how it is in pictures and dramas. We messed around for a bit and took pictures walking across the stream (by the way, why is that the natural response…. must we prove that we went to these places and did the things we say we did?)

We went back to Myeongdong after walking around for quite some time and we ate really awesome food (like usual). It was perhaps the best meal we could’ve had to end the trip. We ordered 갈비 (galbi, a grilled meat) with lettuce to wrap it with all of the wonderful side dishes (반찬, banchan). The lady that served us was very nice and gave us lots of extra banchan. I did my best with my crappy Korean… but she kept using it with me, so I guess I was doing all right. It was a lot of fun! We just kind of sat in the restaurant, watched the people walking below, and enjoyed our food. We bought some socks and earring and such at a nearby store while waiting for Jungoh to come pick us up. He had offered to drive us around so we could see the nighttime version of the city.

It was really wonderful. We listened to the new album of one of my favorite artists, Zion.T, as we made our way to 한강 (Han River). I now understand why it’s such a popular place to go with friends and family. It would be even better in the summer, but it was so pretty even in winter. The lights of the buildings across the water sparkled and certain buildings glowed rainbow colors. We stopped at a convenience store to get snacks and ice cream and enjoyed them in the cold. It was really so much fun and I’m glad I had my friends to experience it with.

It’s gotten late and we have to wake up to get to the airport tomorrow. I will have to send a package home because my suitcase is about as full as I’m willing to make it. I’m sad to say goodbye to the fun place, but I know it won’t be too long before I can go back.

Thank you, Seoul. I had an amazing time.

~카트리나

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Excursion Guide: Seoul, South Korea

Seoul’s chaotic crowds and gray concrete skyline can sense each overwhelming and bland. However, the faintest exploration quickly exhibits one among Asia’s coolest towns. Seoul offers up a lifetime’s really worth of discovery and revel in. It’s a metropolis where you could devour like a king and celebration like a college freshman, then recharge in a quiet mountain temple or a 24-hour sauna. It’s a neon-drenched megacity that by no means shuts down, an ancient town wealthy in tradition and the high-tech middle of Asia’s gaming and pop culture. If you may locate what you’re looking for in Seoul, it probably can’t be determined.

South Korea

Southwest airlines

1. The Hongdae Song Scene

The community surrounding Korea’s leading art university is also domestic to the country’s largest underground Tune scene. Hongdae golf equipment like FF and Freebird characteristic local, expat and worldwide bands from all over Northeast Asia, whilst bars like Jebi Dabang host small indicates on intimate hollow-in-the-wall degrees and in hidden basement areas. Hongdae bands test with the whole thing possible—jazz, hardcore, punk, rock, people, even ska. You’re probably to discover a new favorite band or a whole new sound.

2. Gwangjang Marketplace

Korean food is an entity in itself, and a stroll through the sprawling Gwangjang Market affords a difficult-and-fast introduction. Vendors sell mounds of cabbage kimchi, barrels of crimson peppers, bricks of fermented soybean and lumps of evident stingrays. Stalls sell meals, too; Gwangju’s forte is mung bean pancakes. The beans are ground on a stone mill and fried right in front of you. you may also try sundae, a noodle sausage made with pig’s blood, and Ddeokbokki, a dish of rice cakes in red pepper sauce. It’s a Korean consolation food sort of like mac and cheese, only spicy and chewy.

3. Hike

Seoul is described by way of its mountains, and the city has grown up around them. Namsan is a green retreat within the bodily middle of Seoul and offers super perspectives from N Seoul Tower on the pinnacle. Bukhansan National Park is a towering mountain range with no trouble placed within the town’s outer limits—you may virtually get there on the subway. Bukhansan has a complex network of definitely marked trails that climb thru forested slopes, hovering granite peaks and hidden temples.

4. Yongsan e-Sports Stadium

In Korea, gaming is an excessive interest, large commercial enterprise, and a thriving professional game. Seoul’s Yongsan e-Sports Stadium is the center of all of it. This massive complicated is the placing for nearby and international suits of League of Legends, StarCraft and a bunch of other games. matches take vicinity on degrees with giant screens, complete with cheering fans, mascots, and cheerleaders. For e-Sports activities lovers, this is Woodstock and Mecca combined. For everybody else, it’s an entire international you by no means knew existed.

5. Changgyeonggung Palace

Seoul turned into the seat of royal strength at some point of Korea’s long Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), and the town has several palaces as proof. Few of the buildings are unique (most of Seoul’s largely wood background become destroyed with the aid of fires or bombed flat during the Korean Warfare) but they’re devoted reconstructions. Much less visited than the primary palace, Changgyeonggung has lovely buildings with colorfully painted beams, tiled rooftops and ornate decorations. It also has a peaceful park with a Victorian-fashion greenhouse.

6. Bukchon Village

Seoul’s history has mostly been knocked down and remade in concrete and glass. Exploring the wood homes and narrow streets of Bukchon well-known shows what the metropolis would possibly have gave the look of 600 years in the past. Here artisans make soju and rice wine the way, and traditional wooden hook houses were transformed into galleries, cafes and artsy stores. The community is an awesome break from Seoul’s limitless town rush.

Travel Industry – The new Breed of town Excursion Publications

Excursion Courses have lots to bitch approximately. Whether it’s far the accessibility to safe felony convenient select up/ drop off regions, unlicensed Courses running without effects, or a first rate minimum charge of pay this is adhered to by all, you may discover Guides sharing their thoughts and making plans on a way to resolve the court cases.

North Korea

It’s miles interesting to word that one of the direct subjects isn’t always getting lots press. Are neighborhood Publications turning into out of date? I now not speak approximately the vintage debate of Excursion Managers doing the activity of a local Guide. I am speaking approximately something which can have a miles extra effect at the Guiding landscape. Digital Guides. Modern-day town Guide apps for smartphones are gaining in popularity as cellphone utilization grows. they’re cheaper than a stay Excursion Guide. They pause while we need to take a photo. They will ad infinitum repeat themselves if we did now not pay attention the statement over the horns of visitors. they may be by no means overlooked and are to be had precisely when the customers need the records.

Consider in case you, as a Manual, needed to compete with a person who had the one’s traits. it’s far obvious that we would be visible as inferior. but given that this competitor is a set of computer programs, we hold the only key gain, we’re alive. Not anything can beat a stay, exciting, informed, expert neighborhood Guide displaying you around his or her loved metropolis. Or can it?

Brand new Electronic city Guides are GPS based totally and routinely let you know all approximately your modern region. They permit you to peer and keep a map of your Tour, add photos, Journey movies, and notes. All of this may then be at once shared with pals thru social media. you may also plan out your own customized Excursion primarily based upon your health stage, precise dates, and interests or download one of the developing wide variety of satisfactory tours directly to your iPad. If you have a question that isn’t always a part of your Electronic Tour, you may pause it, then Google your question. Do you want tips as to which cafe inside the rectangular has the satisfactory cappuccino? Of course, you may ask your stay Excursion Guide. Otherwise, an online cafe search will yield ratings with remarks left by your fellow tourists. Did I mention that the sort of seeking might also yield coupons or unique gives?

An Electronic city Manual is some other avenue to satisfy a travelers hunger for knowledge. These apps are increasingly more turning into integrated with the mechanics of journeying. These days, if we want to recognize a training agenda, or beginning time of a museum, or what are the museum’s special exhibits, we turn to our smart telephones. So it’s far herbal that an Industry has sprung as much as assist Guide the modern-day vacationer. One interesting a part of this new Enterprise is that a number of the first-rate journeying apps are tours created via those experts with the pleasant information, specifically, local Courses.

There are many possibilities that may come approximately from Courses sharing their understanding to create a metropolis Manual app. These range from commissions to branding rights. local Courses would possibly make a few hundred bucks visiting a set at the same time as concurrent incomes some other few hundred or thousand from the download commissions of all the one’s travelers traveling around paying attention to them on an iPhone. whilst all towns have guiding apps, then the competition over which app is higher for the consumer honestly heats up. App vendors might also tout the credentials of the creator of the Excursion, with links to the Excursion Manual’s website. Or apps might also discover their data from nearby college professors or armchair Tour Publications. Masses of lots of those excursions are already being downloaded month-to-month in cities around the arena. This will only boom as the town Manual app Industry evolves and further integrates itself into the hand, thoughts, and wallet of vacationers. What position does the professional Tour Guide play in this developing Industry? Will the Excursion Courses of the destiny be complaining that the information inside the apps came from amateurs? Or can we use our percentage our information and see this as a revenue making opportunity?

Guidestar

In case you do now not understand what’s coming, then you are destined to react to the results of a state of affairs. My recommendation is to apprehend how the competitive landscape is converting and plan in your personal success. this is simply one small topic being included in my lecture “Guiding within the Digital Age”. if you can not make it to the world Manual Summit to pay attention it lives, you may of route watch the video of my lecture for your smart telephone. however be forewarned, I will only be answering questions from those in attendance. There nevertheless is an advantage to interacting to a stay Guide.

[postcards-fromafar]

Seoul

About a week into the trip and things are going great! Here’s the rundown on our time in Seoul:

Highlights

-NANTA show- This is a mostly nonverbal comedy/musical show. Three chefs and the boss’s nephew have an hour to prepare food for a wedding feast. Lots of hijinks ensue. Dan was called onto stage as the groom, so he had to sample some of the soup and get his approval. His “bride” was totally not thrilled to be up there and desperately looked like she wanted to go sit back down.

-The Gwangjang market- This awesome market was filled with interesting food, sights, sounds, and smells. Dan tried octopus fresh from the tank. We also had beef tartare with pears, drug kimbap (so called because it’s so good it’s “addictive”), and mungbean pancakes.

-Siloam Sauna- Our second jimjilbang experience (the first one was in Niles, IL a week before coming). At the jimjilbang, you separate into a men’s room and a women’s room. You then disrobe entirely, shower, and go into hot tubs of varying temperatures and therapeutic properties. I went into a jade bath, a charcoal bath, and a mugwort bath (dark brown, opaque water). They also had a cold bath in there. Despite the initial trepidation about being nude with a bunch of strangers, you get over it and relax once you realize that everyone is doing their own thing and that there are people of all shapes, sizes, and ages. You then put a uniform on and head into the sauna area, where you reconvene with the opposite sex. Again, there are lots of saunas of varying properties and temperatures. Dan and I got in a lovely nap in the oxygen room and tried out some others too.

-Meeting up with so many wonderful people! When we said we were coming to Seoul, it seemed like everyone knew someone who lived here. We were able to meet up with a friend’s cousin, a fellow traveler met on a previous trip, and a ND classmate that we studied abroad with (see below on People section for more details).

-Free private tours! We did a free tour of the Bukchon Hanok village with a lovely older woman named Bae. Much to our surprise, she was our tour guide again when we went to the Korean War Memorial Museum!

-Wonderful couples’ massage at The Foot Shop- 80 minutes of pure bliss :)

-JSA/DMZ tour- We did a full day tour at the Joint Security Area (JSA) and Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The DMZ is a 241km strip of land that separates North and South Korea. When we went to the JSA, we were led around by an American soldier. We got to go into a room where meetings are held and go to technically stand in North Korea within that building. When we came back out, North Korean soldiers came down from their building and started marching around. Our soldier guide said this was an unusual time for them to be doing this, so we got lucky. They do tours on the North Korea side but offer their alternative story about historical events. It’s pretty crazy because things could flare up at any time. Our soldier guide said the most tense he has been is when certain dignitaries come and they go stand right up at the barrier line with their toes on it. The North Korean soldiers will come stand inches away from them and flick the safety on their guns and make rude gestures at them. In the afternoon part of the DMZ tour, we got to see the 3rd infiltration tunnel. It is one of four tunnels discovered within the last 40 years that is believed to have been built by North Korea as a way to attack Seoul. Of course, North Korea denies that they built them...

Bummers

-I had a cold the whole time we were in Korea. Not ideal, especially since it was just as cold in Seoul (or colder) than it is in Chicago.

-Dan’s foot was bugging him for the first few days. I’m sure walking 13 miles on day 1 didn’t help!

-Despite an overall good DMZ/JSA tour, the afternoon ended on a sour note when the guide took us all to an amethyst factory/store place. We were herded like cattle into a room with about 20 salespeople who tried to coerce us into buying amethysts. Thanks but no thanks.

Food

-I’m working on one of my resolutions to try more interesting food this year. I tried octopus (okay, just a tiny tiny bit), raw beef (beef tartare), and Myeongranjeot (fish eggs) on this trip. I especially enjoyed the fish eggs. Dan had a more intense experience where they cut up a live octopus in front of him. It was still wiggling on the plate when he ate it. Yuck!

A video posted by Dan & Kelly Jacobs (@postcardsafar) on Jan 23, 2017 at 4:44pm PST

-Gwangjang market (mentioned above) was awesome for trying different Korean food.

-Beef and mushroom hot pot with Lea in Itaewon- delicious!

-Korean BBQ (beef one night, pork another) with Bona- So much meat and sooo good! For the beef BBQ, we went to Cheongdamdong. The restaurant name is 뜨락 ddeurak. In addition to the meat, we had  된장찌개 Soybean Paste Stew (the most common stew in Korea). Then we went to Garosugil in Abgujeong (the most fancy area in Korea according to Bona). For pork BBQ, we went to Goban Sikdang. The thick pork is Samgyusal and the thin one is Hangjeongsal. We had a brown sauce with it called Ssamjang and wrapped it in vegetables called Myeonginamul. Finally, we had Kimchi jjigae (soup) and Myeongranjeot (fish eggs).

Drinks

-Soju- about 20% alcohol and tasted like watered down vodka to me. Super super cheap so a quick, easy drunk if that’s what you’re into. While with Bona at Goban Sikdang, we had soju from Jeju island called Hallasan, which goes down smoother than normal soju.

-Makgeolli- A sort of rice wine. Carbonated, doesn’t taste too bad. Could definitely get a buzz if you have enough of this.

-Cider is not cider here. I was excited to get “cider” at dinner (thinking it would be hard apple cider) but when it came, it was actually sprite. Oops.

-Tasty cocktails- We went to Voltaeon with Lea, a super cool underground cocktail bar in Itaewon. We also went to Gomdoli Salon and had cocktails. They let you pick songs and they will play them for you.

People

-Dan Kim- Special thanks for sending us an awesome map filled with suggestions on where to go and what to do. We thoroughly enjoyed your commentary and it helped us check out some of the best spots.

-Lea- We met Lea because she is our friend Pat’s cousin. Lea is a Korean adoptee and has been living in Korea for about six years. She took us out in Itaewon for a delicious meal. Since the menu was all in Korean and the staff didn’t speak English, we wouldn’t have been able to have an experience like this without her! We also went to an awesome cocktail bar that her friend owns and had some drinks with them. A couple days later, she took our pictures for her blog (www.thetravelerseries.com). She documents travelers and their stories. She also went to the dog cafe with us, which was a new (and a bit overwhelming) experience for her. We had so much fun with you, Lea!

-Bona- We met Bona first in Sevilla, Spain, in April of last year. We ran into her at a bar and ended up having dinner with her. Bona took us out in Gangnam for Korean BBQ and then out for drinks afterwards. She told us a lot about Korean culture and what it’s like living in Seoul. We met up with her again two nights later for dinner. It was so good catching up with her!

-Katie- Katie studied abroad in London with us in college. She lives in New York now but has family in Korea so was visiting for a couple of weeks. She took us out to the Gwangjang market for an interesting culinary experience. It was great seeing her again and we hope to run into her in Chicago or New York sometime soon!

-Bae- Bae was our tour guide for the Bukchon Hanok village and (in a surprising twist) at the Korean War Memorial Museum. She was a little kid when the Korean war was actively going on so had some insights into what it was like. She was very sweet and explained things really well so that Dan and I left with a better understanding of what transpired during the war.

Observations and Insights

-There are cafes EVERYWHERE in Seoul. I’ve never seen this many in one city before. There are also a lot of unusual cafes. Dan and I went to a poop cafe (where your food and drinks come served in toilet bowls) and to a dog cafe (where for the price of a drink, you get to hang out with a bunch of dogs). There are also a sheep cafe, raccoon cafe, Hello Kitty cafe, doll cafe, and princess cafe (where you can dress up in bridal gowns while sipping coffee) but we did not check any of those out :P

-Lots of people in Korea have had plastic surgery. Apparently getting the eyelid crease put in is pretty common.

-Almost every single bathroom we went in was cold. Not ideal.

-We learned some local beliefs and sayings. A Korean woman at the market told our friend that if you have long hair, it means you have watched a lot of porn. We also learned that there is a belief that you cannot have a fan running in a closed room or you will die (gotta leave the door open).

Tips

-Check out what the Korean Tourism Organization has to offer. We found our Bukchon Hanok village free tour through them. Our guide said that a lot of people aren’t aware of this program. We ended up being the only two people on our tour. You can also go try on traditional Korean outfits at the tourism offices. Additionally, there are opportunities to get discounted day off tickets (we paid half price for our NANTA show tickets!) http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto

-Tipping isn’t a thing in Korea.

-Seoul has a lot of different neighborhoods with very distinct characters. We stayed in Hongdae, which is by the university. It’s got a lot of young people and there’s always stuff going on. It was a lot of fun but probably wouldn’t be as enjoyable if you want more peace and quiet. Itaewon is a neighborhood characterized by lots of foreign food. American soldiers tend to hang out in that area too. Gangnam (yes, the Gangnam of “Gangnam Style”) is more upscale and bougie. The streets seem to be wider and more grid like, so theoretically it’s easier to navigate around in than on the winding streets of some of the other neighborhoods. Look into the different neighborhoods to see what fits your vibe if you plan on coming to Seoul!

Overall Impression

We would definitely come back to Seoul if the opportunity presents itself! Hopefully next time when it’s a little warmer out :)