(19AUG23) My travel hiatus has come to an end! Yet it felt really quick despite that I’ve been extremely busy as usual since normally, I would fill my days with work while staying in London. That was my way of distraction especially that the month of August has made me miserable at some point---but I’m glad it’s over. There’s absolutely a light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to keep going (and be patient!). ⭐️
So I resumed ticking my travel list as I went to SOUTH KOREA!! It still felt surreal that I finally, finally, FINALLY toured here even for just a short time. There were lapses along the initial planning of this trip but we managed to carry on and made it fun. I definitely need to come back soon!
I will share as much as I can about this trial-and-error trip but please be guided that these are written based on my personal experience. Hence warning, there will be negative comments ahead.⚠️
VISA APPLICATION (FOR FILIPINO UK RESIDENTS)
A lot would wonder how we applied for a South Korean visa from the UK with a resident permit (BRP); The application was done through post as the Korean embassy (KVACS) does not accept face-to-face appointments as of this time. Just fill-up the forms and follow their step-by-step instructions. NB: As a Filipino UK resident, they can only grant a 3-month validity; I applied for multiple entries, but they refunded me for this reason. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend applying from here as 1) The embassy will NOT give you an update of your application whether it’s been received or in progress and 2) There is a high risk of getting your passport lost through courier delivery. Overall, it took 3 weeks before they returned my passport.
FLIGHT
Another decision lapse from this trip was flight booking. Budget or low-cost airlines exist but lets not be frugal when it comes to long-haul flights. We, firstly flew through China Southern Airlines and I am very disappointed with the service. In-flight services was not good along with the unappetizing meals. Like man, I thought we are going to be served with dumplings and fried rice?
Also, I thought having a layover at China would be fun but it’s another disappointment. Beijing Daxing International Airport was their newest airport but it isn’t tourist-friendly as you think it is. There’s passport control even for those who are only there for transfer flights plus the transit side of the airport has minimal duty-free shops and restaurants. Moreover, our flight was even delayed for 3 hours! It was the worst and tiring day ever.
I was happy to take this pic as a sign that I have landed in Mainland China even for just a layover but sorry, I don’t think I will be visiting this country. I cannot imagine how true it is that all social media platforms and global websites are banned here! At the end, we managed to get a partial refund of our outbound flight ticket and booked to another airline which was through Cathay Pacific.
Despite the longer flight time (26hrs), at least the service was good as it is popularly known for it. Having a 5-hr layover in Hong Kong took me back to memory lane of my first travel moments! You can read my “Nihao HK” blog entries here.
HOTEL
We stayed at Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong and it’s one of the perfect accommodations that you can stay in Seoul. It’s about a 5–7-minute walk to transport stations along with nearby café’s and convenient shops. Their room offers a nice view of the city with well-equipped facilities and their breakfast buffet is simply delectable. Only in SK you can get a bulgogi and bibimbap for breakfast (with unlimited kimchi!).
TRANSPORTATION & WIFI
The T-Money is the bread of all transport costs in Seoul. You can purchase the card in most convenient shops and metro stations but for us, we used our Discovery Seoul Pass as our top-up card. For those living in the UK, this is similar to an Oyster card which can be used to both buses and trains. Metro fares usually cost between KRW1000-KRW2500 which is just less than GBP2! Uber taxi also comes handy in the event that we got tired of commuting from several places and it’s cheap as well. On the other hand, Seoul definitely has a good public broadband connection throughout the city yet it’s still secure to have your own wifi! We rented a pocket wifi service by KT telecom via Klook. Mind you, this is only GBP 1.89/day!
ITINERARY
It is absolutely lovely to tour South Korea but for someone who doesn’t favor the heat like me, I wouldn’t suggest travelling here during summertime (June-Aug). It wasn’t all sunshine and sweat during our stay as there were moments of rainfall which is a hassle for going around the city. Perhaps the only better part during that season is the ability to wear lighter clothing.
Besides that, our DIY itinerary is mostly focused on night markets and how we used the 72-hr Discovery Seoul Pass!
This covers free or discounted entries to a variety of attractions across Seoul as well as it can be used as a top-up transport card. I highly recommend this as it can save from buying tour attractions separately yet it’s a matter of time management if you want to avail all of the free tours. We kicked-off the pass when we went on a hop-on, hop-off Seoul Tour!
Nongdaemun Market. This is one of those typical Asian markets that sells fine, cheap wholesale clothing, bags, shoes with a mix of food vendors on the side.
Pretty much, this is the capital’s Mall of Asia which offers a variety of recreational activities. Their big ad screen reminds me of a fangirl moment where we hosted a billboard ad event for CLOY’s first anniversary 🥹💓
This is also where the trendy Starfield Library is located at!The bookshelf structure is really something to be admired of. But I would recommend to come here at a quiet time😉
On our first evening, we went towards Namsan Seoul Tower through a cable car ride.
the observatory deck is part of the Discovery Pass perks ✨
Do you even think that the ones who had their heartslocked here are still together?😆 I’ve been to many of these from my previous trips but never locked any yet so maybe (or hopefully), I would get that chance someday☺️✨
It’s a must to be on the observatory deck as the city view is certainly stunning from above! There are measurements of each global capitals on how distant they are from South Korea which is cool.
Seoul from above.💖 The city lights were so stunning at night yet it's just too humid during the summer season there.
One thing that I love the most in Seoul is that there a multitude of cafe's around it! I know most Asians are coffee addicts but every street in Seoul have a bunch of coffee from one block to another. Although their menus are pretty identical but it's a matter of ambiance and food presentation. So folks, what you see in K-drama are quite the reality! ✨
And besides cafes, photobooth pop-up studios are a trend in the city. Literally, you just come inside, get your decors and go to any booth to have your picture taken. It was really cool as it is a self-service shop. So for those who like to take selfies, this should not be missed out!
Of course, you can’t say that you went to Seoul without having a Hanbok experience!
Unfortunately, it was raining when we had our palace tour but no time shall be wasted! Likewise, there are 5 main palaces but we only managed to see 2 as each palace is really huge to look around at. With a short trip like ours, I’d suggest to visit their grand palace instead which is the Gyeongbokgung Palace—where most traditional kdrama takes place!
Hanbok rentals are everywhere nearby the palace and there are 2 options that you can choose from the Discovery Pass ✨You can mix and match the top and bottom of the traditional outfit then have your hair styled with an extra fee (and it comes with free purse and footwear rental!) There’s basically a lot of hanbok choices but as a tip, choose a light-colored top plus a dark-colored bottom 😉 Apart from that, you can also go in a hanbok while walking around Bukchon Hanok Village (though personally, I wouldn’t recommend it as the place has a series of slopes and steps).
It is such a beautiful, quiet, traditional Korean neighborhood. The area has quite some authentic food places as well in which you have to try the samyetang (ginseng chicken soup).
Another part of the Discovery Pass is a free pass to Lotte World Adventure which we went on our 4th day. There are various ticket options for this park so with ours, it only covered limited rides and a free entry to the Folk Museum. The whole theme park is very kiddie with its cute fabled characters. There are high-school uniform rentals and headbands to blend with the trend there.
The magical island has more extreme rides for adults which I did not dare to ride. Lol. I only came to this side to have a picture with this Disney-like castle.
The Lotte Adventure Folk Museum is certainly a must-see that shows South Korea’s historical nature. I’m not really fond of museums but this is one of the areas that I found interesting. The way they built these models are so incredible!Knowing more about the Joseon Dynasty reminds me of Son Yejin’s film, “The Last Princess”.
The museum has interactive stations as well like this free self-sketch of Korean people in the olden times. There are others where you can play their folk games and try their calligraphy.
Moving on, we often end our days strolling (and SHOPPING) at the night market. Prepare your KRW’s, really.
On one night, we visited Hongdae which is the noraebang and pop culture area of the city. There are moments where teens would perform on street whereas everywhere is filled with shops, arcades, KTV’s and chimaek places!
So of course, we tried the original BBQ.Chicken that sells olive chicken and beer. I love it so much that it definitely felt like Kdrama land 🥹
We also visited Itaewon and Gangnam which has a bunch of marketplaces as well and these are those that sells type A luxury items ;) And lastly, there’s the Myeongdong Night Market and this is something that’s NEVER to miss out. I would like to live in this town if given the chance.
It’s a whole stretch of authentic Korean street foods and wholesale selling of Skincare products and miscellaneous items. You definitely won’t leave empty-handed! One thing that I’ve noticed in Seoul was there were not much souvenir items as they invested more on selling skincare and their local food. They mostly come in bundle like believe it or not, I spent 30 quid for 90pcs of facemasks that come with free serums and moisturizer!
Words can’t express how much I loved the street food scene here—It’ll make you feel like you want to try all of them! There’s a lot to choose around the town but what I often ate were fishcakes, tteokbokki, and Korean honey-glazed chicken.
Lastly, I was greatful to visit Son Yejin’s agency during Binjin Day (Aug 22). I made a last-minute art block and coasters with my chibi design and these are now also available on my red bubble shop. I was supposed to visit Hyun Bin’s VAST ent office too but the weather on that day was just terribly hot! And I somewhat had a hard time finding MS Team on the map because the place is located in a posh, residential area. Though anyhow, this is definitely the peak of my fan girl era. I may not have seen them in person (yet) but oh, how lovely it was to breathe the same air as BinJin’s!🥹
And so, that’s a wrap of annyeong haseyo’s! I truly would love to come back to Korea soon but I probably gonna go on a much cooler season. Writing this blog entry took a really long time to publish due to my endless busy days. But I will surely speed up before the year ends. *fingers crossed!*
‘til then!
