#kokokorea: Last Day Blues

Okay, I lied.  I couldn't sleep.

Our last day in Seoul was spent whichever way we wanted.  I originally just planned to shop all day, but we still had 3 things on our list: 1) Wear hanbok (Korean traditional costume); 2) Visit a Korean Village, and; 3) Eat Korean barbecue.

So right after breakfast, we went to Myeongdong.  We got a bit sidetracked because the helpful tourist assistants were handing out shopping maps so we checked out a few stores first.  

I had to sit down so I could concentrate on my shopping route.

According to my amazing google skills, we learned that the Myeongdong Tourist Information Center is where we can try out hanboks for free.  We arrived promptly at 10:00 AM (we were the second group) and got 10 minutes to take photos wherever we wanted (within the designated area, of course).

King + Queen

The Myeongdong Theater (I think).

We were a bit tired already from shopping so Paulo was thinking twice about going to yet another faraway place to visit a Korean village.  We managed to drag him along -- and it was sulit.  We took the train to Suwon station, inquired at the Folk Village Office and hopped on the free shuttle bus to the Korean Folk Village. 

Entrance fee was KRW 15,000.  

We arrived a bit late so we only had 1.5 hours to spend in the 243-acre grounds (I googled).

It was a Tuesday, so we only saw a few lolas.  Quite easy to take photos.

We liked this place better than Nami island.  It was surreal.

This is Emong with the lady who cooks.  I forget.

But there's a Koreanovela filmed here.

Emong having a moment.

Happiness.

With only 1 thing left to do, we chose a place near Jongno 3 station and ATE.OUR.HEARTS.OUT.  

By far, this is the BEST trip we've had (although anywhere with him is kind of kilig already).  I can't wait to go back to South Korea and explore some more!

Sarang Hae! 

Annyeong!

#kokokorea Dreaming of Everland

Half of our group were avid photo hobbyists so we absolutely had to spend a day at the Everland Resort, where every inch of the place is a feast for the eyes.  

The Everline station was more than an hour away from Jongno.  This train took us to where the shuttle bus to Everland was.  It was once again a looong trip.

We went on a Monday, so the train was practically empty.   

Emong was enjoying the "rollercoaster-y" feel of the train ride.

When we got there, we got to skip the long ticket queue and went straight to the foreigner booth (ahh, the perks of being a tourist).   I can't seem to recall how much a ticket costs, but I promise it is worth every peso.  

Am not a fan of amusement parks because: 1) I hate rides that cause mental instability (I love carousels and ferris wheels, though); 2) I hate amusement park food -- too sweet/salty/expensive, and 3) I have MAJOR mascot/mime/zombie phobia.  But for Everland, am gladly making an exception.  And no, I still didn't go on any rides (except for the bump cars).

Taking solo photos in amusement parks is a challenge. 

Macro attempts from Emong and Bimb.

I hate lugging big cameras along on trips.  Bimb and Kirk are clearly okay with it.

Jackets off!

Weather was perfect.

Spring.

Pocketbook cover a la Marvin-Jolina

#boom.

These things freaked me out.  

Parade was weird. 

I. hate. mascots.

Emong said he wants our house to look like this.

This freaked him out.

We didn't want to wait for the fireworks anymore so we decided to head back by sunset.  In order to go back to Jongno, we had to ride a bus from Everland to Gangnam (I know you know this).  We had meryenda at McDonalds and walked a lot before heading back to the train station.

~*~

I wish I could upload more photos from our trip to Everland but while browsing, I saw my face in almost all of them so wag na lang.  #dyahe.

Instead, I will be ending this post with the polar bear and the white tiger.  

My weirdness is weirding me out.  I should sleep now.

#kokokorea The Walking Day

Day 2 went off to an early start  because we were moving to a new hotel.  We took a 10-minute cab ride to Ramada Jongno (which turned out to be quite an easy walk from Fortune Hotel -- cab driver just got lost). 

If you would like to stay within a reasonable budget and require a decent banyo during your stay in Seoul, then Ramada Jongno is THE hotel for you.  It is also beside a police station, a few steps from Jongno 2 train station and there's a 7-eleven nearby (for emergency late night hunger pangs).  And no, this is not a paid advertisement.

Good morning, Seoul!

We went around looking for places to eat.  

We really, really wanted to eat at Rotiboy but the sign said it opens at 10:00 AM.  

We walked and walked for 30 minutes, waiting for it to open.

It never did.

So Paulo pointed at "Hollywood Cafe", which in real life is "Holly's Coffee".

This is where we had our (heavy) breakfast.

Morning cheese.

So that day, we went to Nami Island.  It was more than an hour away by train (which means it's FAR) and we were supposed to meet Tito Rex and the rest of the gang there.

We got off at Gapyeong station (after sleeping in and out during the train ride).

Then took a cab to where the ferry boat to Nami Island was.

True to form, Nami Island is a must-see destination.  It even has a pretend "immigration area" where you can buy your entrance tickets (KRW 8,000 per head).

This is a safe ferry boat.  The boat ride took only about 10 minutes.

Welcome to Nami Island!

#PBBteens

This would have been a romantic place had it not been for the swarms of people.

Another couple saw Emong taking this photo.  

They got inggit and asked him to take a photo of them in this exact same spot.

Emong in his natural habitat.

P.S. It was really hot on the island.  #SandoBrigade

This firetruck almost ran us over (am exaggerating, of course).  It kept the soil wet so it wouldn't be so dusty.

After hours of walking, I needed ice cream.

It was a normal soft ice cream.

It was a very expensive PHP 100 normal soft ice cream.

Spotted sausages.

We couldn't resist.

Breakfast energy depleting.

After more walking, we decided to head back to the hotel to get some rest.  Ferry we took was much bigger this time.

#kumontrapanget

And then we had to wait in line for a cab.  

We later learned that Tito Rex and the gang had to walk back to the train station because there were no cabs/buses around anymore. 

It was dark when we got back to the city.  We rested for a bit and went back to Insadong for dinner.

Food here was delicious -- but sadly, I forget the english name of the restaurant.

It was quite expensive, I think we shelled out KRW 10,000 each.

We were in food coma so we decided to walk around.  We saw this Youth Avenue, which had so many bright lights.

To cap our evening off, we walked along Cheonggyecheon.  

It is a man-made canal that flows more than 5 miles along downtown Seoul. 

Photos weren't good because of poor lighting.

I never thought my feet would survive all the walking (and standing in trains) we did that day. 

It was awesome.