My boyfriend and I planned this trip a few months prior. We already have the tickets. I was excited as it will be my first airplane experience and first out-of-the-country trip.
And then, I was sent by the company for a three-month training in Japan. Not bad for my first foreign country. I had fun Exploring Shibata City in Niigata, Japan. Japan stole my heart.
But roughly a month before coming back home, I got a message from my boyfriend. Our seven-year relationship ended right then and there. It happened to be my birthday month as well. So, yeah, the last few weeks were about Birthday & a Broken Heart in Japan.
After a few months, I embarked on my first solo trip abroad - to South Korea. I carried on to our supposed trip alone...
-- and I'm glad I did.
Day 1 - What did I get myself into?
I almost backed out from this trip because I was scared. It's a new place. I knew no one. I was not sure if my English can survive in this foreign land. I was daunted!
But there I was, being welcomed by the spring breeze as soon as stepped out of the plane as if telling me that everything's gonna be fine.
I arrived at the hostel mid-afternoon with nothing on my itinerary but to check out the neighboring place of Hongdae and to find food to fill my stomach.
My home for the next 10 days located in Mapo Gu, Seoul.
Day 2 - Goyang Korea Flower Show
I literally had no specific itinerary when I went to South Korea. The goal is to be able to sleep in and not cram into the tourist spots. Slept in I did and while my roommates were in a hurry to get to their destination, I was chillin'.
I picked out a flyer from the floor (probably owned by one of the girls) and thought, the event in the paper looks interesting. I decided that the annual Goyang Korea Flower Show, which just opened yesterday will be my first destination.
It was spectacular! I spent the whole day admiring the variety of flower displays.
Who does not love flowers? They have a looottt!
Of course, we cannot leave out the Korean-themed display.
Ilsan hosts the flower show yearly. It is also home to Ilsan Lake Park, considered the largest artificial lake in Asia.
I took tons of photos during the event and will upload them on a separate blog. :)
Day 3 - Around Seoul Center
Third day. I decided to visit the electronic market in Yongsan to buy a tripod because, well, taking pictures the other day was challenging.
Not really into posting selfies but this one is a bit special because it was when I met a woman who became one of my trusted friends to date.
We went to Myeongdong together where I had the taste of banana milk for the first time...
...and the famous street foods of South Korea...
...as well as a photo with the iconic Rilakkuma bear!
She also showed me around Seoul City Hall Plaza in the heart of Seoul...
...where I first had a glimpse of the N Seoul Tower.
We also went further to see the Cheonggyecheon stream. No water in this area during that time.
But lots of calming water on this side.
Quick photo op with Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue, a famous South Korean admiral and military general. Over on the other side (over my head) is the statue of King Sejong, famous for his development of Hangul, Korean way of writing. I did not went over there today for a photo but I did when I went to the palace.
Day 4 - N Seoul Tower + Dongdaemun
During my impromptu visit to Goyang Flower Show. I happened to meet a group of Filipina living in South Korea. We had a quick chat, exchanged contacts, and they offered to give me a tour.
I said 'yes' to show respect but I never thought they were serious until I got back to the guesthouse and received messages from them asking when I will be free. Man, my guard was up! I stalked their profiles to see if they are not scamming me before I agreed to meet them again.
We agreed to meet at Dongdaemun Plaza at first but changed the meeting place later. Oh boy, I loved the spaceship-like structure at first glance, I promised to go back in the afternoon to see more.
Our destination was the N Seoul or Namsan Tower.
There are different ways to get to the tower depending on one's preference. We took the bus and hiked a few minutes up from the to the tower.
Almost there!
Lovelocks! I used to see them only in k-dramas. Seeing them in real life is a bit surreal.
View from the top of the mountain.
Can't get enough!
We spent a few more minutes at the tower to take more photos and to eat. I did not go up the observatory that day but I went back a few days later in the afternoon to see the sunset.
Before I went back to the guesthouse, I stopped at Dongdaemun again to see more. It was nighttime when I get there and it was gorgeous!
Here is a comparison of how it looked during the day and at night. It was enchanting that I almost miss the last trip on the subway.
Day 5 - Rainy day don't care
Just as planned. I slept in. It was raining when I woke up so I stayed inside the kitchen for a short while thinking about what to do. Some of the guests were talking about their itinerary and I heard someone mentioned “museum". I thought, "Not a bad idea."
And there! I found myself with some grade-schoolers (Haha!) at the National Museum of Korea.
When I was a student, I never liked history classes because of the tons of names and dates to memorize but I am a big fan of museums. It's easier to learn when you see actual artifacts and items from the pages of history books.
Since it was still raining, I also went to the War Memorial of Korea.
I was dead tired after a full day of walking and information intake that I decided to just stay in the room at night.
That's it for the first half of my 10-day wandering in South Korea. It is such a beautiful place to get lost in. Please watch out for my Day 6 to Day 10 stay where I had a quick trip to Busan and how I conquered one of South Korea's mountains (one thing I never expected to do while on this trip).
Thank you for reading and see you in the next one!