TRAVEL: South Korea 2016

February 03, 2016

I don’t think my heart will ever be used to that feeling of excitement whenever I set foot in another country, it always feels different—a new breed of excitement every location I visit! This time, South Korea was #thebcdiaries ‘s travel destination of choice. To be honest, we didn’t set the bar too high for this trip as the last country we visited was nothing less than the incomparable country of Japan. By the end of our trip though, we were surprised that the Land of the Morning Calm didn’t just meet, but even exceeded, our expectations.

If you want to skip our travel photos, stories and whatnot, you may go directly to →THIS LINK← for our detailed South Korea 2016 - Itinerary and All-In Expense. Else, you may continue browsing and I hope you will enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing tidbits of our South Korea travel diaries. ♡

DAY 1: Seoul Arrival | Unforgettable Travel Story
We touched down Incheon International Airport at the crack of the dawn, one day in February, ready to kick off our week-long anniversary celebration. As the designated travel planner, I plotted our schedule, reserved our land transfers and accommodation, and secured all the tickets we needed prior our flight. But despite all of that, something still went south…

Our itinerary was already ironed out weeks before our flight so we were pretty sure everything will go as planned but just before we start our first tour day in Seoul, something came up. BB, who is the one assigned to withdraw cash during our trips (since it is easier to split our expenses up afterwards) forgot… TO. WITHDRAW. CASH. We ran out of cash in any currency and for some reason, our ATM cards weren’t working!!! The chilly breeze that winter day wasn’t helping at all, I couldn’t think of anything to do but to cry or to punch BB straight up in the face!!! Call me a toxic gf but what annoyed me even more was how he stayed calm and composed as if he caused all of these on purpose! HAHAHUHUHU. Kidding aside, at times like this, I am lucky to have someone like him who always manages to keep his cool the entire time up until he gets everything under control. He searched everywhere and found a tourist information personnel who understands English whom we asked for help calling our bank back home. It took hours of long-distance phone call with BPI to sort things out because apparently, a recent configuration update was rolled out in our accounts. Long story short, our bank processed our accounts via that call to have it available abroad, and right after that, we were able to withdraw cash and resumed our tour. Thank God!

This is the kind of mess that unnecessarily eats a lot of our time and energy during trips but when I come to think of it, this is also the exact kind of experience that makes our trip even more memorable.

DAY 2: Lotte World, Gangnam
"I am a realist who believes in magic" That will be my paradoxical answer if you ask me why I like visiting parks. This made me remember the quick chat we had with an Aussie couple while touring Tokyo, they mentioned something like amusement parks are only for the kids, so they always skip it in their itinerary. Being the contrapelo that I am, I begged to differ stating that parks can make us feel that fantasy is real which everyone, regardless of age, must realize!!! I can recall how BB awkwardly smiled while ejecting me from that convo lol he was like “Keep it to yourself, fairy Godmother”

Lotte World is directly connected with Jamsil station so there are a lot of food stalls lining up the walkway towards the park's entrance. We loaded our stomachs first with rice bowl and fish cakes in one of those food stalls called Sapporo, it only costed us around Php230 each including the drinks.

Upon entering the park, we went directly to the outdoor section but immediately went back in because most of the attractions were closed due to the strong winter breeze. No complaints going back inside though if it is the world’s largest indoor park we’re talking about!!! I think, that is the reason why the entrance fee here, Php1200 each (with 3 free rides), is a bit more expensive than the other parks we've been.

In the middle of this huge park lies an ice skating rink and circling it are four floors of different attractions. We practically spent the whole day roaming around the park getting in the rides, watching the shows, grabbing light snacks, etc. before we head out to our next destination come evening.

Gangnam District is a popular area in Seoul for having a wide array of hip eateries and pubs which is what the hit novelty song "Oppa, Gangnam style!" describes. The youthful vibe here is really noticeable, the area was full-packed with teens and young adults despite the freezing cold that night.

To be honest, I am not much into Korean cuisine mainly because it's too spicy for me, this "instant" ramen meal however was not just tolerable, but perfect even, for me especially since I felt like my body has been frozen by the chilly weather that night. Haemul Dolsot Udong (Hot Stone Pot Udong with Sea Food) costs Php250, Mandy Ramyeon (Instant Ramen with Dumpling) costs Php150, Kimchi Kimbap costs Php150

DAY 3: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village,
Insa Dong, N-Tower, Myeong Dong
Our morning this day was dedicated to touring Seoul's palaces and museums. We ditched the sparkling, loud, and modern parts of Seoul and opted to experience its simple, calm, and classic side.

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the main palace among grand palaces built by Joseon Dynasty. With its popularity and good reviews, it’s no surprise that tourists do not let pass the chance of visiting here, especially when this historical place is actually situated within the heart of the city and entrance fee only costs Php130

We were so close to having the time of our lives until the weather, temp at -12C, decided to act a villain. Good thing heaven sent this coffee shop in the middle of the palace, we stayed here for about an hour to gather enough strength to brave the winter breeze outside.

I'd be lying if I say I enjoyed my stay here not because I didn't love this place but because of how cold it was, my nose literally bled. How I wish we could go back here during other season so I could walk around this beautiful vast palace without having the urge to curse every time the wind blows lol

Bukchon Hanok Village is a traditional residential area in the uphill area of Seoul famous for tourists wanting to have a face-to-face encounter with the Korean traditional surroundings.

Best part is when we spotted a hanbok, Korea's traditional clothing, costume rental in one of the houses in the village, for Php390 each we got the chance to experience being a prince 왕자 wangja and a princess 공주님 gongjunim

Insa Dong is known for Korean goodies, souvenir shops, and street food. This is also where I first found my ultimate favorite Korean street food, Gyeran Bbang (egg bread)

We couldn't last outdoors too long though, our body really needed a heater so we quickly picked a pub in one of the alleys to have our late lunch. Not sure if it's just me but the one we chose looked kinda creepy, it reminded me of Natre’s house from the horror movie Shutter! But then, the waiter was far from looking creepy, he was accommodating despite his difficulty speaking English. More importantly, besides their warm heater, I think, this Arra Pub serves a decent chicken curry set meal for Php234 each.

Namsan Tower is one of the most romantic tourist destinations in Seoul. To get to the area where the N-Tower and the Love Locks are, riding a cable car is a must for Php350 each round-trip

The view from the cable car, for me, is actually more romantic than the view of the (rusting) lovelocks, add the fact that we smiled looking like we wanted to poop during our photo op. Haha! Okay, fine! Let's just say that humor is my defense mechanism when I want to avoid discussing something.

I value the word "romantic" and all the words associated with it so much but in the spirit of these love locks, I'll share my personal thoughts about it. Romantic love for me, is both a gift and a meaningful challenge-- a gift in a sense that it allows us to lie on a bed of roses, and a meaningful challenge in a sense that it allows us to be brave, kind, patient, grateful... to make mistakes, learn from it... to forgive, to grow, to enjoy adventures and to appreciate life even more.

Myeong Dong lives by its name that literally means “bright cave” as it is a lively, loud, and colorful neighborhood in Seoul. I can barely imagine that it used to be a traditional residential area few eras back.

We initially thought of just dropping by here for dinner since we were planning to go back in this heart of Seoul the next days anyway but the we ended up spending 4-5 hours here.

One story worth sharing is that after having dinner, we agreed to separate ways and just meet up in one area after 1-2 hours. We do not usually do this when we are abroad but that was the best decision for me to be able to shop in all the beauty stores uninterruptedly while BB made his ultimate dog lover's dream of visiting a dog cafe.

DAY 4: Jisan Ski Park, Hongdae
Jisan Ski Resort is about an hour away from the heart of Seoul. We had it booked via DMZ Ski Tours for Php2600 each that includes Hotel-Resort-Hotel Transfers, Ski Gloves and Gears, Basic Lessons, and a Guide

This day felt like we were under a spell casted by the adventure wizards– our first ever Ski Experience! Thanks to our half-Korean, half-American ski tutor, we were able to learn the basics of skiing so other than our chapped lips, burnt skin, broken phone's tempered glass, we ended the day without any serious injury.

It was late afternoon when the tour bus dropped us in Hongdae area instead of sending us back to our hotel (arranged by request)

Hongdae Trick Eye Museum is one of the first museums designed to showcase optical illusion artworks. Entrance fee is Php600 each and I think that is not bad for a fun and one of a kind experience.

Here is no doubt where we had our silliest photos during this trip, we posed full of emotions as if we haven't had a tiring adventure earlier in the morning. To pay respect to our efforts to be dramatic, please be the judge of Who Did it Better.

What's better way of ending a day full of actions and adventures than to pig out in a meat buffet! Meating Meat Buffet and Salad is a highly recommended buffet in Honghae that costs Php450 each

DAY 5: Naminara Island, Petite France
This was our last but definitely not the least tour day in South Korea that became extra special as this this was when I got the chance to try my childhood dream of experiencing a snowfall.

While our ferry was docking the island, I got the chance to observe the place from afar– I wasn’t even stepping in Nami yet but I could already felt my heart fluttering of excitement!!! At that very moment, my day has already been made. Everything else that happened the next hours was honestly just a bonus.

Naminara Republic is a micronation around 1.5 hours from Seoul.

Going from one tourist spot to another isn't a struggle in Seoul, in our week-long stay, going to Nami was actually the only one that required us to commute via a public bus, and it wasn’t a hassle at all! Bus Tickets can easily be purchased from the Tourist Information Center outside Gapyeong Train Station. There are two bus lines offering those tickets:
(1) Intra-City Bus for Nami Island costs Php60 each with the ff drop offs: Gapyeong Bus Terminal > Gapyeong Station > Nami Island > Gapyeong Station > Gapyeong Bus Terminal
(2) Gapyeong City Tour Bus costs Php300 with the ff drop offs: Gapyeong Bus Terminal > Gapyeong Station > Jarasum > Gapyeong Station > Gapyeong Rail Park > Nami Island > Petite France > Cheongpyeong Bus Terminal > The Garden of Morning Calm

We started early in the tour so we just had our lunch after we came back from the island, before we head to our next destination. We spotted this restaurant called Mr. Dak-galbi, it was an open area that has a scenic view of frozen field that serves Korean BBQ. For Php450 each we had a serving of Dak-galbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) with rice vegetables and drinks.