Just Another Dong-A Day

Day 15 in South Korea / Day 3 in Seoul

Date: 10 Sept 2011

Personal Temp/Outfit: Sunny and clear. Sleeveless shirt, jeans and slippers

Started Day 3 in Seoul by meeting up new Singaporean NTU students from Kaist! We met up at Seoul Station (Line 1 and 4) for a brief greeting.

Seoul station is the stop where KTX and trains from other South Korea districts arrive from. So if you are taking a KTX from e.g: Busan, you will find yourself landing at this very stop! It’s a busy place that couldn’t be considered as an attraction other than having a Lotte Mart nearby.

Afternoon was spent at Ewha Women University (Line 2). It’s a beautiful campus filled with castle-liked structures and greenery.

Directions to Ewha Women University

5 Minutes walk from Exit 2 or 3 of Ewha Women University Station. It’s mostly a straight line walk to the area….if not, just follow the female crowd ;)

Anyway, I shall let pictures do the talking ;)

Look at the size of the campus!

My Seoul-mates xD

Surrounding the campus perimeter lays rows and rows of shops for Ewha students, and that means another shopping paradise for us! If you’re looking for another affordable shopping outlet other than Myeong-dong, this would be the place to go!

Needless to say…these shops cater to women’s taste =x

When night falls, we decided to look for dinner and we stumbled upon a burger outlet. What’s interesting about Korea’s local fast food outlets is that….more often than not, their services aren’t fast =x

So once you placed an order, they will give you this weird looking order tag that strangely resembles an old age mobile flip-phone.

My order tag with a Number 2 on it.

Once it starts vibrating and flashing out red lights, it means that your order is ready for collection!

The plate of sinful dinner is served!

A random call to the KAIST group led to a surprising find….turns out they were at Ewha as well! So we met up, chat a while and decided to head to Hongik University vicinity for a cup of coffee and to discuss about our Everland plans!

NTU students from KAIST….

Strangers yesterday….friends today :)

Add in waffles…..

Coffee….

And a big company….

What more can I ask for? :D

Day 14 in South Korea / Day 2 in Seoul

Date: 9 Sept 2011
Personal Temp/Outfit: Sunny and windy. Chilly at night. Semi-long sleeve shirt, jeans and slippers

We began our early morning at Myeongdong.

Seriously, all these late nights and early-wake ups made me amazed at the sheer vitality of women’s’……when it comes to shopping of course.

And the first thing that caught my eyes once I stepped foot into the holy shopping land?

Mister Cute Teddy :)

The day started out chilly, with strong winds to boot. So to warm ourselves up, us girls decided to drink GISENG CHICKEN to warm our bodies and to boost our energy….for shopping!

Our un-official mascot/CEO representative of this table’s Ginseng Chicken

I finally got my hands on this famous GINSENG CHICKEN! Muahahahahahaha~

Opening up the whole chicken, there’s glutinous rice within! Nice!

Majorly satisfied with the first meal of the day, we headed off to SPAO, a shop that strangely resembles UNIQULO only that their models happen to be S.M Entertainment artistes.
And guess what is on top of SPAO?

S.M Entertainment Café.

*fan girl squealing*

AHEM.

My Monday to Thursday boyfriends (where is Friday Minho!?)

This little kid is my bias (>v<)

And they even sell autographed photo….framed! *Deep breath* Must.Control.Self.

Finally we made it out of that sinful *cough* place, we started shopping! Every one of us went crazy over bags because the shops here are selling them at 10,000won (approx. SGD11.40).

Even backpacks are selling at 10,000won and their qualities look really good. I shall remind myself to buy more when I come back to Seoul in December. *cough*

Since it was drizzling and we were slightly tired from shopping, we decided to go to a café for a short break.

Why do all Korean cafes look wayyyy nicer than Singapore’s?

My hot hazelnut latte is so pretty as well :)

My attempt at Secret Garden’s latte mustache failed (-__-lll)

And this is the reason why Singapore’s cafes lose out – FREE cookies and cakes that were absolutely yummylicious!

How delicious? Look at this picture and you can decide =x

Love the tree prints on the glass wall!

The others agree with my taste :P

After a relaxing time at the café, we dragged our tired feet because we are going to conquer Namsan Tower!

You can follow this website’s guide - http://visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=260067
I want to explain how to get there specifically, but I can’t.

But I’ll try anyway :P

MYEONGDONG EXIT 6 ---> Find and walk towards the direction of SHINSEGAE building. ---> Stop at the place where roads intersect --->You can probably spot an uphill slope by then ---> Take that uphill slope path. WOORI BANK should be positioned at the OPPOSITE path that you are walking. If not, you’re probably lost and screwed. Start asking a passerby for directions now. ---> You will reach the mini cable car thingy at the end of the slope --->

If you spot this statue thing, you are on the right track. Give yourself a pat on the back ----> Take the mini cable car up and WAH-LA! You reached Namsan Cable Car Ticket Building.

Namsan Tower Round Trip ticket - 6,300WON

Camwhoring time =x

Going up and up up up~

And this is the first thing that greets you once you step out of the cable car. Looks familiar to anyone? Hint – Boys Over Flower *cough*

Seoul Tower opened to the public on October 15, 1980 and has since become a major tourist attraction. The 236.7m Seoul Tower sits atop Namsan Mountain (243m), Seoul Tower offers panoramic views of Seoul and the surrounding areas. The view is so stunning that many consider Seoul Tower the best tower in Asia.

Pretty shots of the Pretty tower and the Pretty ladies ;)

Lots of love in the air because its filled with COUPLES (=_=)

The numerous locks of love

A heartful of heart-filled locks

And here are the poor lonely singles (T^T)

A priceless view….

That turns this 500won coffee into 30,000wo coffee :)

Me love to re- enact drama o(>v<)o

And now I can cross off another wish off my wish list::

~~Enjoying Namsan Tower paranormal view while drinking a cup of 30,000won coffee~~

You know that pig-rabbit has made it big when you find them at Tourist Souvenirs Shop everywhere.

If you’re thinking we’re going back to the hostel after an hour plus loitering at Namsan Tower….

Think again.

Right after that, we were crazy enough to continue shopping at DONGDAEMUN MARKET (Line 1).
I always thought Dongdaemun market is well….a market, like Singapore’s Chinatown layout with those random little shops selling cheap clothes and shoes.

Boy, was I wrong.

In fact, Dongdaemun looks unbelievably HAPPENING. It looks like Singapore’s Far East Plaza….only that it’s a WHOLE STREET OF THEM.

And the best part?
The opening hours are 10AM – 5AM.

(O_O)

No kidding.

This is the place where you can shop till you drop. Literally.