Again, I'm sorry for the uninspired title. I just really wanna catch up with the backlog. Disclosure: this trip happened 2 years ago so I'm hoping my memory serves me right in writing this entry. Also, I'll write in the present tense because I get all confused switching between tenses. 😅
It's 5 am at the airport and I'm on the verge of panic. The other passengers are getting worried too. Our flight is scheduled to depart in 30 minutes but the check in counters are empty and there's no one around to ask. What the heck! I remembered what happened one holiday when all the ground crew went awol in protest against an airline company that resulted to hundreds of cancelled flights. No please, I didn't stay up all night only for my flight to get cancelled. 🙏When I have an early morning flight, I usually do not sleep the night before because I have this irrational fear of me missing my flight due to oversleeping. Thankfully, the crew arrived about 10 minutes later. We breezed through check in and immigration. I am so fucking stoked!!! I really love Korean police procedural /crime movies and drama. They are the best! I also know a lot of Korean artists and have watched my share of Korean dramas too so I knew it was only a matter of time before I visit the land of kimchi and soju 😭 Actually, it was a matter of months of saving up and careful planning. Like always. 🤸
Our flight was half empty. In fact, my entire row was empty. So I did what the other passengers did and stretched out and slept. Sorry, I was just really sleepy and day 1 is never spent on resting. After 5 hours we finally landed! As the plane was slowing down, I saw a group of guys (ground crew in work overalls) doing some hand motion. They look like it's something they do to cheer each other up? Pretty much like saying "fighting!" before they start working. Omo! It has begun already. So cute!! I rushed to take the AREX that stops directly at Hongik Station close to where my guesthouse is located. During the entire trip, I was busy looking outside at the scenery while at the corner of my eye, I am quietly observing the locals. I had this perception of Koreans that they always look put together, always dressed to the nines even at the beach. They also have the most gorgeous skin, almost poreless! So it was really nice to break that stereotype after seeing Koreans who presently live in Korea. Not Koreans who can afford to live abroad and thus can manage a lavish lifestyle. They also wear well worn, soiled sneakers and look! I spy a guy with pimples! See, they are humans just like us. 😀
I got off at Hongik Station, exhaustion and lack of sleep now catching up with me. I am getting worried that I won't find my guesthouse soon enough. I went out of the station and lo and behold, there was a tent with a sign that says "we'll take you to your guesthouse for free!" Heol! What a blessing! So they have this program where you can ride a rickshaw driven by local volunteers and they'll take you to your guesthouse for free! I must say, Koreans are the best when it comes to making it easy for tourists. Imagine being tired and worried and you're greeted with this generous offer. Simply daebak! What a great first impression indeed! 🙆
I signed my name on a piece of paper, had my photo taken ( for documentation purposes I suppose) and a young lad led me to his rickshaw. It was a pity the ride was so short! As it happen, my volunteer rickshaw guy spent some months here in the Philippines when he was studying English but that's pretty much how far our conversation went since my mind at this point is functioning at 50%. I should have gotten his kakaotalk so I can ask him for some local tips but, I feel sleepy.😴
I'm not sure if I took a nap or just rested since I'm due to meet Seyoung, a
YGG volunteer at around 5 pm. Whenever I go to a new country, I always make it a point to check out if they have volunteer guide programs, it's a great way to meet the locals. Also, I travel solo 70% of the time so it's a nice way to hang out with people. It saves me time trying to find my way around too and there really is nothing like seeing a new place from the eyes of a local. I loved meeting them too! So far, my experiences have been great so I might write a separate post on that too.
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| Outside Exit 4 of Euljiro Station, our meeting place. |
We agreed to meet at Euljiro 4(sa)-ga Station at Exit 4. Since I don't have Wifi, we had to be specific about the meeting place. 😀 Prior to my trip, we had been talking through kakao already discussing my plans and she was gonna take me to Gwangjang Market. I'm really interested in Korea's streetfood culture and I read that Gwangjang is like a one stop shop for it so I had to go check it out. We got there right after sundown and the place was buzzing with early diners. Ahh, it was gastronomic paradise.🤤 There's gimbap, sundae, ddeokbokki, odeng, bindaetteok, live squid, sikhye, and more. It was an elbow to elbow scenario and your face is literally just inches away from all the yummy food lol. It was definitely something new for me. We had mini gimbap, ddeokbokki and odeng. I wanted to try more but I didn't expect that ddeokbokki was too heavy for my tummy. I loved the sauce cuz it was spicy but I don't like that it made me feel full after just a few bite lol. The odeng though, I love it! I think I love winter food. 😋Seyoung also recommended that I try sikhye, a traditional Korean drink made of malt barley and rice. Sorry, I can no longer describe the taste. I wanted to try some bingsu too but it was too cold, brrr. Maybe next time. And, I wasn't adventurous enough to try the live octopus. Perhaps, another time too.
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| fancy a wriggly bite of live octopus? lol at those people at the back with their mobile phones,let the girl eat in peace |
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| Look at those plump sundae sausages, I wanted to try some but I was already full. |
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| gimbap and ddeokbokki |
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| odeng or fish cake |
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| sikhye |
After Gwangjang Market, we walked to Dongdaemun Design Plaza. I only asked Seyoung to guide me in Gwangjang so I was thankful when she spontaneously decided to include DDP in our itinerary. I actually like it, it looks like a UFO from across the road . Apparently, they hold events and exhibits inside but it was already late so we just enjoyed the LED Rose Garden that they had at the time. Really pretty. One funny thing I remember about this is Seyoung taking selfies by herself. I think it's because she's in high school they just cannot help themselves. It was her first time seeing the LED Rose exhibit too so she took some selfies. I was confused for a moment because I thought selfies are for when you're alone and there's no one with you to take your photo but, apparently not. I offered to take her photo after she took mine but after a few minutes, she's back to snapping selfies. 😅 Kids these days, I don't understand them but Seyoung is kind. I was just, surprised. I chalked it up to generation gap though.😁
We parted ways after DDP and I went to Myeongdong because I have a friend who gave me a list of beauty products to buy. I also wanted to see the place of course. Wow, I remember seeing maybe 5 Etude branches just literally a stone's throw away from each other. It was fun and it was crowded. I was expecting lots of freebies (yes, I am such a cheapskate lol ) since I read from another blog she got loads but I only got a few samples and a face mask. Why? I look average you guys, I needed those beauty products. 😆
Anyway, there was a bit of a problem on my way home. Since I have been strolling around without care in the world, I forgot the way back to the train station lol. I really couldn't find my way back and I was getting really tired walking so I asked two guys who worked in like, the parking space of some building but they don't speak English. 😰They were pointing to somewhere in the distance so I just mumbled thanks and headed in that direction although I have been there exactly twice before. To cut the tiring long story short, I found my way back but I was dead tired. After Hongik Station, I lost my way back to the hostel again so there I was in some random road in Seoul, trying to look for a semblance of familiarity. After maybe another 15 minutes of going around in circle, I eventually found my hostel's street. I didn't feel unsafe at all walking home alone at around midnight though. In fact,my guesthouse do not lock the automatic door. That's how safe it is. Okay, day 1 has ended. Good bam! 😵
Update: You can follow my instagram account,
mieezu, for my latest travel adventures!
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