Oh My Janey

Day Three in Seoul (Part 1)

It has been a month since my Korya and I’m not even half-finished blogging about it. But I am taking my time and my photos are definitely taking their time to load. Haha! I’m squeezing this in between work and social life. Hehe. But I will finish this, hopefully before the end of June!

So, we’re now on our third day! You see, when we were in Korea I spent every night planning our itinerary. I’d labor over it until 1AM, figuring out where to go first and how to go to every destination. I was slowly becoming such an expert in reading maps. Heh. But we scrapped everything I planned for our third day because it rained! There was 90% chance of rain and it did rain all day. We couldn’t just spend the entire time indoors, so what else were we supposed to do? Huhu.

So we decided to spend the entire day at Lotte World since it’s the largest indoor amusement park in the world. We were only planning to go there during the afternoon on our 4th day but the rainy weather made us change plans. But where else were we supposed to go?

We braved the harsh weather, and when I say harsh, I mean teeth-shattering cold and strong winds. The rain wasn’t even that strong but the wind was pretty something. I don’t even want to think about it. Haha! We walked all the way to the Hyewa subway station to ride all the way to Jamshil station. It was a pretty uneventful ride but I did enjoy looking at people’s rainy day outfits. Yes, my stalker tendencies were quite astounding that day.

The trip to Jamshil was quite long! Not only did we have to transfer subway line but we even crossed the Han River. The previous day, all the subway lines we went to were underground. But this, we saw the light of day! Heh. And it was gloomy. Blah.

Anyway, I was sitting next to the sweetest ajumma, okay. Whenever we ride the subway, we always make sure that we know which stop we were in. We had a really big map which gets crumpled after a couple of use. The ajumma couldn’t speak English (and I couldn’t speak Korean of course!) but she gave me a mini-map of the subway! She probably had a hard time watching us fidget with our big map. And she was smiling and bowing when she gave me the map, and I was doing the same thing. Heh. Dear ajumma, wherever you are, kamsahamnida!

It’s not hard to find the Lotte complex from the Jamshil station since it’s directly connected to the Lotte mall! It was amazing! It was the first that went inside a shopping complex in Seoul. I wanted to just roam around and look at all the clothes and shoes! But our intent was the amusement park and we were really hungry. Heh.

But while we were still looking at the fountain, two female university students approached us and asked whether they could interview. It’s for school I think. Actually, they approached my parents and my sister and they agreed to be interviewed. But they made me answer all the questions. WHYYYY. But I enjoyed our little interview. They only asked us about our favorite Korean food (samgyeopsal) and one of the most common Filipino dishes (adobo heh). Then we asked for a group picture for souvenir. Haha.

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Hello, Damon

Just because I’m not on Team Damon doesn’t mean I can’t fangirl over Ian Somerhalder. Ha! Unless you’re hiding under some rock, you probably know that Ian visited the Philippines this week. You also know that he was here for Penshoppe. But what you probably don’t know is that I belong in the minority, Team Stefan! Hehe. But stilllll, how can I let this opportunity pass?

So when my officemates learned that Ian would be in MOA yesterday, May 24, we started planning to go there, too. I almost didn’t want to go because of some reasons but I don’t know. I just can’t let it pass. Come on, it’s the one-half of the Salvatore brothers, I couldn’t NOT go.

And we did go! Kimpee, Ate Karen, their friend Sarah and I trooped to MOA along with hundreds more. We arrived at around 3PM and there were already so much screaming and the crowd was already so thick. We couldn’t think clearly and we were just running and went straight to the crowd. We couldn’t even pick a good location where we could see Ian better.

First, I just want you to see the crowd we had to face:

The little ones (including me!) had to exert so much effort just to see Ian. And we were pushed forward and squeezed and harassed and sweated like pigs. And I suddenly realize that I can never watch a concert while standing like that. I simply wouldn’t see the stage! When Ian came out, everyone was screaming. I couldn’t react because I couldn’t see him! I couldn’t even see the projector. I didn’t even know where he is. OMG. I hate being small. Tall people like Kimpee and Ate Karen didn’t even make much effort and clearly saw him. NOT FAIR HAHAHA. But I did see him after being pushed about 50 times. That’s when I started screaming, when I finally saw him and his grogeous face. Actually, I ended up screaming even when he still wasn’t there. I just got carried when I heard other fans screaming, okay.

AND OMG IS HE GOOD-LOOKING OR IS HE GOOD-LOOKING. Dayum, can’t believe he’s 100 times better looking in person!

Anyway, I now present to you the lousiest and blurriest photos taken that day. I had to take it all without looking at the viewfinder. I am not making an excuse for my photography skills because it’s lousy anyway. But I could at least complain that I hate my height at that very moment. Please forgive the photos with the cropped out body parts. I swear it’s not intentional!

I just kept on shooting and most photos came out like that. T_T [Read more…]

Day Two in Seoul (Part 2)

Hello! This is the second part of our day 2! Like what I’ve said in part 1, it’s my favorite day from the trip.

After Insadong, we went to the nearest subway station, Anguk Station, and of course, my heart was racing at that point. We’re talking about THE subway. Riding the subway was on my Seoul to-do list because of a lot of reasons. 1.) The opening scene of My Sassy Girl is on the subway station. My Sassy Girl is my first Korean movie. 2.) A lot of scenes from fanfictions and South Korean internet novels happen on the subway. Internet novels used to be my life when I was in high school. 3.) JUST BECAUSE. Okay, I only had three reasons.

Anguk Station was quite lovely. I cannot remember which Exit we entered. It’s either 4 or 5, I think. Once we went down to the station, this wall full of artworks welcomed us. Obviously, it’s by different artists. They also used different materials and some even carved on the blocks. It’s amazing. I like how they seem to try and incorporate art in almost every available space.

We bought a T-Money card (W2,500) so that we could ride the subway. We bought it in a 7-Eleven store located inside the station. It’s quite easy to use T-Money, and all you have to do is reload as much as you want. The content doesn’t expire, too. You can also use the T-Money card when riding the bus! The reloading machine also has the option of having the instructions English or Korean. So we didn’t really have much trouble.

Since it’s our first time riding the subway, we had a pretty hard time making our way around the situation. Good thing we met a Filipino mother and daughter who were also going to Chumuro station. But I think even without their help, we’d manage just fine but it would definitely take us longer. Haha!

The Seoul subway system is pretty impressive. There are actually 14 subway lines that can take you anywhere in Seoul. One line even leads directly to the Incheon airport. There are also maps (in Korean and English) inside the stations so as long as you know where you’re going, you’ll definitely find your way. But we did get lost once haha. Also, the signs are in English! And they also give directions to the nearest landmarks. They made the subway system pretty easy for foreigners to navigate.

By the way, our destination was the N Seoul Tower. To get there, ride the subway and get off at Chungmuro Station (Line 3 or 4) and get out at exit 1. You’ll see the Daehan Cinema the look for the nearest bus stop. There are special buses that will take you to the top of Mt. Namsan where N Seoul Tower is located. We took bus #2 but I think you can also take bus #5. We also used the T-Money card to pay for our bus fare.

The bus was packed! But I didn’t mind standing during the whole bus ride. I think I was too happy experiencing so many things for the first that I really didn’t mind all the hardships we endured. Hehe. On our way to the top, we passed by these mesmerizing array of trees with so many beautiful flowers! I’d read about the walking trail on Namsan Mountain filled with cherry blossoms and forsythias and wanted to go there. But we could only pass by and watch in awe. It really was so beautiful. So if you have enough time, drop off from that stop. You can ride the bus again to reach N Seoul Tower but you can also walk. But it was quite far.

When we finally reached the last stop, we were welcomed by a large crowd! It was the most tourist infested place we had visited just yet. Oftentimes, we’re either the only foreigners or there weren’t much. There were still a lot of Koreans, though, especially couples who were way too cute, really.

The view was amazing! We still weren’t on top of the mountain, and had to walk uphill first. But the view was already so pretty!

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Day Two in Seoul (Part 1)

Yes, I am also amazed at my blogging speed. It often takes me a week or more to update but look at me go. Ha!

Our second day in Seoul is probably my favorite. The weather was perfect! I wish everyday we spent in Seoul was like that. I wish the weather in the Philippines was like that. I’m tired of waking up every morning drowning in sweat. Haha. But we can’t always get what we want, eh?

Despite our hopes of starting the day early, we still left the hostel at around 10AM. Quite late, I know. We headed first to Bukchon Hanok Village which was only a block away from Insadong. Instead of walking, we rode the taxi  since we learned that it wasn’t that expensive anyway. Heh. And besides, we were running quite late. It would take us 20-30 minutes if we’d walk.

We had quite some troubles communicating with the taxi driver, though. He couldn’t read English so he couldn’t understand what was written on the map. We also probably couldn’t pronounce Bukchon right because he couldn’t understand us. Heh. But he did understand Insadong so he dropped us there.

Good thing tourist information centers are abundant in Seoul! There’s one in almost every tourist destination. They gave us a map around the village and learned that there are actually 8 viewing spots in Bukchon. But since we were running quite late, we decided to only go to 3 spots!

View #1 is Changdeokgung Palace, the one we passed by yesterday! It’s just amazing how you can be right in the middle of the city, then this kind of view would surprise you. It’s a welcoming site, and I sure hope that the people who see this everyday appreciate it. It’s a nice remember of your identity, of where you came from and where you can possibly go.

After View #1, we decided to skip #2 (Ha!) and went to the Bukchon Cultural Center. It’s not exactly part of the 8 views but it’s on our way so why not. And we indeed made the right decision of visiting the center.

There’s a little museum where you can learn more about Bukchon. Hanok is what you call the traditional houses thus, Bukchon Hanok Village. There are about 1,000 hanok houses in the area and only 33 are owned by the government. But still, it’s nice to know that the government even help the house owners in preserving the hanok houses. This just shows how the government are hands on when it comes to taking care of their culture. It’s amazing that you can really see all their efforts pay off.

Visiting the hanok village is actually one of the best parts of the trip. In my opinion anyway.

What I love about Seoul #19342: The brochures are amazing. By that time, we’ve already noticed how they seem to give so much importance to art everywhere! Be it architecture, design or landscaping, you can see how they give importance to art. It’s everywhere! It’s in every street corner, in every wall and store windows. It didn’t came as a surprise to see brochures looking like a work of art. We made sure to take tons of brochures everywhere we go. It’s free anyway. Heh.

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Day One in Seoul (Part 2)

Hello! This is the second part of the first day of my 5-day trip. Try saying that five times really, really fast.

I’ll start with where I leave off in my story-telling. After our short and quite tiring trip to Changgyeonggung Palace, we went back near our hostel and scouted for a good place to eat. Surprisingly, our walk back Sungkyungkwan area seemed shorter. We’re either really hungry that we decided to walk fast or we’re just a bit more familiar with the place.

My mother said she couldn’t eat too much and bought donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts. There are tons, LIKE TONS, of Dunkin Donuts in Seoul and the one near our place is three stories high. I guess it’s really popular in Korea? But nothing can beat Starbucks where the line extend to the streets! There sure are a lot of coffee shops in Korea. There’s one in almost every corner.

For our first meal, we chose this one dining place where we can grill beef and pork. Yep, our first meal’s samgyeopsal, and we were surprised that we spent more in the Philippines when we ate samgyeopsal. Maybe because we’re in Korea, or maybe because we’re really hungry, that’s why I enjoyed our samgyeopsal meal in Seoul by greater lengths. It was so good! We also ordered rice and were surprised that the rice looked different.

When you come to Korea, make sure to try their rice! I don’t know what rice it is but it’s so good! And for some reason, their service water was amazingly good, too. (Yes, you can go ahead and count the number of times I’ve said ‘good.’) Even before we ordered, they were already delivering side dishes! So when you eat in Korea and you don’t eat that much, make sure not to order too much because they’ll give you heaps of side dishes anyway.

After lunch, mommy and ate went back to the dorm while my father I looked for international calling cards. Roaming isn’t available in Korea (Hindi rin uso ang SIM card!), and my parents need to check on their business everyday. We passed so many convenience stores before we came across one Family Mart that sells the precious cards. We walked quite far but it’s okay! I got some time to explore the stores near Hyewa Station! [Read more…]

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