Week 5: March 16-23
This week I went out more than usual and went to a comic book cafe located in Bogwang. I decided to go here because one of my favorite members from a Kpop group went to do a vlog here and the environment looked cozy and perfect for studying. My lecture was also pre-recorded that day so I decided it was a good time to visit here. I had the best experience here as the owner was really sweet and friendly. She knew I was here because of the vlog and so she excitedly let me stay in the same room he vlogged in. (You normally need to make a reservation in advanced for this room but, since it wasn't occupied, she let me use it) The room was cute and decorated with framed pictures of him. After studying, I got a little hungry and decided to order a meal. Everything was priced affordably and the portion sizes were big. I decided to order jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) but when she came to deliver the food, she told me she made me the special "Jake Set" (all the food he ordered in his vlog). The set included jjajangmyeon, spicy chicken wings, and iced tea. I was in awe at how sweet she was to go above and beyond to provide me with the best experience possible. Everything was so tasty and probably the best jjajangmyeon I had in Korea yet. After staying for about two hours, I decided to leave but she told me to wait as she wrote me a note thanking me for coming and even gave me a snack to take home. I thanked her and told her how grateful I was for everything and that I'll definitely be coming back another time before I leave!
After the cafe, I took the bus to The Hyundai Seoul since it was nearby. This mall recently just opened a year or two ago and I was not expecting it to be so big. I mainly just wanted to see the indoor botanical garden and the cool interior design. After walking around, I went to the basement floor where there was a big food court with over 50 places to choose from. I grabbed some dumplings and a vanilla apple pie and found out I was also a 10-minute walk away from the Han River. I had nothing to do the rest of the day and the weather was perfect outside so I went to go eat my dinner and snack near the river. It was surprisingly really crowded for a Wednesday evening but nonetheless really peaceful with an amazing view. At the park, they have mats and blankets you can rent out and board games to have a picnic. There are also a few food vendors or you can just order delivery too. Hopefully, when it gets a little warmer I can come back here!
The rest of the week I went walking around near Ikseon, ate at more cafes, found a really good seafood restaurant which I was excited about, visited Filmlog (a film place where they sell cameras & develop film), and enjoyed the nightlife in Hongdae with friends!
Hyundai Seoul & Yummy Food
Week 6: March 24-31
Since I had no school on Friday, I decided to go to a pop-up museum in Gangnam. I've been seeing a lot of cool pictures of this exhibit on social media and thought I'd go check it out. Also since the weather was gloomy and windy for most of the week, I tried to find indoor activities to do. After the exhibition, as I was walking to the station, I saw these big figurines along the side of the road. I then realized I was walking along K-Star Road! GangnamDol is the name of the doll and its symbolic sculptures of famous K-Pop groups and the images are printed on human-scale bear dolls. I knew I wanted to come and see these eventually but if I'm being honest, I had no idea where it was located so luckily I coincidently walked right into it!
On Saturday, I didn't do much besides walking around the back alleys of Hongdae, eating more good food, and shopping in preparation for the Spring season since it's getting hotter now!
The next day, I had an early start as my friends and I planned on making a trip out to Everland! (A popular outdoor amusement park) It was about a two-hour bus ride journey there for me from where I live. I had to catch two buses but thankfully, they went by fast and on the second transfer, we had a nice bus with extra legroom and comfortable seating. My friends and I decided to come before March 31 because Everland was doing a special BTS event and if you had an Army membership, you could get your ticket for about half off! We also came mainly for the BTS over the universe fireworks show later that night but we started off going on a few rides, then snacking our way throughout the day. The park was bigger than I thought but there weren't many rollercoasters or rides for adults. Nonetheless, we still had a lot of fun! I was worried since we came on a weekend it would be crowded with long lines everywhere but for most of the rides, we only waited about 30 minutes which was nice! Compared to Disneyland, I noticed that a lot of the snack carts offer more savory than sweet foods. For example, almost every cart/shop had chicken skewers or sausages. (I did get a honey soy chicken skewer for 5,000 won though and it was really good and surprisingly big!) I also think they weren't overpriced compared to most amusement park foods in the states. All the snack carts ranged anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 won. As we rode rides, walked, and ate the whole day, we waited for the fireworks show at 8:40 P.M. It was pretty crowded and we ended up standing near the back middle but since the screens were huge, we still had a good view. The show was about 15 minutes long and on the big screens, they played a few BTS music videos with fireworks in the background. I really felt like I was at a concert! (10/10 experience and I think if you're a fan of them whether or not it's worth the journey out there!) As soon as the show finished, we rushed out to try and beat the crowd of people. However, we did NOT beat the crowd because, by the time we got out of the park, there was a long line for the bus. Since Everland is kind of high in the mountains, the only transportation options are the bus or driving there. We were so far back in line we ended up not even getting on the first two buses that came. We ended up waiting over an hour in the cold and finally, we got on the third bus that arrived. It was already 10 P.M. and I felt drained and ready to go home as I was out for over 12 hours at this point. After the 30-minute bus ride, we went to the train station and it was another 45-minute ride for me to get back home. After a long journey, I finally made it back home at midnight. It was surely an unforgettable experience and at the end of the day, I was just happy I got to do it all with my friends.
The Visitor Museum & Everland!
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