South Korea

I hadn’t originally planned on visiting South Korea. Having watched a ton of KDramas (since the DVD era!), I felt like I already had a pretty good sense of the place. But when I booked my flight to Japan, I decided to give it a try before flying back home.

My only plans were to visit DMZ/JSA, see friends, and, of course, get my hands on KBeauty products. But little did I know I’d end up reliving moments from one of my favorite KDramas during this trip!

First on my agenda was visiting the DMZ/JSA, an experience that’s always been on my list – checkout Korea (DMZ) post.

On day two, I met up with friends. Thank you Marky for showing me around and for the Korean BBQ! 

Namsangol Hanok Village - A glimpse into traditional Korean homes and architecture.
Namsangol Traditional Garden
Cool elevator😎
Elevator and cable car
korea 08-2018.203
Looks familiar huh? Heo Joon-jae’s house in Legend of the Blue Sea❤️
korea 08-2018.229
Namsan Tower
Namsan Love Locks
More Love Locks! The ones in the middle looked like Virgos’ locks - so organized lol
View from Namsan❤️
Hello Dongman!😁
Hello Yoo Si-jin!😁

 

While hanging out with friends, I tried to eat a worm for the second time in my life (my first attempt was a woodworm (Tamiloc) in Palawan). Never again lol!  I also learned some of the drinking etiquette in South Korea:

  • It is rude to say no to a drink. If you can’t drink at all, just take it and pretend to sip it then leave it on the table. Nailed it 😁  
  • Always accept/hold the bottle with both hands
  • It is impolite to leave the glass empty. So, if you no longer want to drink, keep your glass half full so they won’t refill it

 

The food trip goes on in Myeongdong. So many food stalls, but no bin to be found. I was only supposed to buy some stuff but I found myself entering each shop, it was hard to resist!

Myeongdong
Myeongdong
Cute! Bought my favourite Sailor Venus and Pokemon characters lol
Food stalls. Does the first candy photo look familiar? That's Dalgona candy from Squid Game!
Food Stalls
The coveted Choco Pie

 

Since I was already done with all my plans and I still had one whole day left, I didn’t know where else to go. But then I remembered my Gong Yoo ❤️LOL! So, I made an impromptu search for Goblin filming sites and successfully located 4 of them. I just followed Google Maps!

1. Gyeongbokgung Palace - Where Kim Shin and Eun-Tak arrived coming back from Québec
2. Samcheongdong Doldamgil - Where Eun Tak and Kim Shin met for the first time
3. Deoksugung Palace Wall - Grim Reaper's Teahouse
4. BBQ Olive Chicken - Owned by Sunny, where Eun Tak works as a part-timer
BBQ Olive Chicken – Gong Yoo!❤️

 

If I were younger and had I planned in advance, I’d probably have found more filming spots, but my feet had already given up. I ended the day at Olive Kitchen where I decided to eat and rest. When I got in, I was interviewed by the owner and the waiter. For some reason, they couldn’t believe I was alone. Before they served my order, they asked for the nth time if I was alone or if I had friends coming over. Maybe the salad I ordered was for sharing. Did they just belittle me?! Lol! 😅

Yep, I finished the salad! Yum!

 

Below are some other places I passed while wandering around Seoul:

Bukchon Hanok Village
Super cute! I bought one but it eventually died😔
I think this was Insadong, I was a bit lost already lol
Some street art
National Palace Museum of Korea
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
Art installation
korea 08-2018.311
I wanted to wear a Hanbok but I was alone lol
korea 08-2018.373
Insadong
Chungdong First Methodist Church
Rose installation at Seoul Museum of Art
Gangnam
Since I was in Gangnam, I thought I’d stop by SM Town. Hoping to see Gong Yoo step out from a shoot lol
You can go inside the circle and dance “Gangnam Style”, the sculpture will light up and play the song for you
Convention & Exhibition Center

 

All in all, I’m so glad I made the spontaneous decision to visit Korea. It turned out to be a short but incredible trip. I’ll definitely be back.. but probably not in the summer! 😅

Leave a Reply