Last July, I took a trip to Seoul, South Korea for a week. I went on vacation with my friend Ashley. We stayed at a guesthouse and shared a room together. South Korean homes are different than American homes. The house has a digital door lock that you unlock to enter inside. Bathrooms in Korea do not have a tub, only a shower. When you shower everything is wet but there’s a floor drain for the water to flow down.
To travel around Seoul my friend and I used Google Maps along with the subway and the bus. In order to use the subway and or bus, I needed to purchase a T-Money card. It is a transportation card that is sold and filled at dispensing machines inside subway stations. The T-Money card is needed to navigate Seoul and it only cost 2,500 won ($2.23 USD). Bus and train fares are affordable. Fares range between 1,250-2,000 Won ($1.11-$1.78 USD).
Seoul is a great city with plenty of activities. Ashley and I visited Yeouido Han River Park to meet up with one of her Korean friends. The park looked so lovely with its view of the river. Also, there are rental bikes and cycling trails. We all ate Korean Fried Chicken. We stayed in the park until the night. After a while, we watched a mini performance from “Saturday,” a Korean girl group. The six-member girl group performed a medley of Korean pop songs and then their debut song. At the end of their performance, they gave away copies of their debut albums to audience members. I didn’t obtain one, but I did enjoy the performance. My favorite attraction in the park is the “I Seoul U” sign. I took several photos with the sign.
Some of Seoul’s subway stations have underground shopping centers. You can buy clothes and souvenirs. I brought several souvenirs. There are also cafes to buy something to eat. The prices of clothing and souvenirs are much cheaper than in the department stores. Some limitations to buying clothing at the underground shops are the lack of sizes, styles, and the option of a dressing room. Department stores have more options for sizes and styles.
I checked out Myeongdong. They have a shopping district with tons of stores. Besides local shops, they also have foreign brands such as Forever 21. I went to several stores. My favorite shop is called SPAO. This store has four levels full of clothing. They have one floor where they keep their brand collaborated clothes. I brought several graphic tee shirts. One interesting fact about shopping in Seoul is that several stores have Duty Free machines. The machine refunds the sales tax on purchases.
Myeongdong has animal cafes too. I visited both the cat and dog café. For the cat café, my items were placed in bags that were available outside before entering. At the cat café, I couldn’t play with the cats much since I was allergic. The café was crowded with tourists. There were cats everywhere. You can feed the cats. One of the workers gave Ashley a little packet of cat food to feed the cats. At the dog café, the environment was the opposite. The number of dogs there were sparse. Out of the available dogs that were there you couldn’t interact with three of them. The three dogs have an aggressive nature. Although they didn’t have many dogs, I still enjoyed it. Some of the dogs just wanted affection and to be held. I had dogs come approach me and sit in my lap. I had an amazing experience at both cafes. There are other cafes in the area as well. I learned that there are an owl and a meerkat café.
As a Korean popular music fan, I visited a few Korean music entertainment companies. I saw YG, the former JYP building, Around US, Cube, and BigHit. Both Cube, Around US, and the former JYP building was conveniently located near cafes. Cube has their own café called “20 Space.” The café is enormous. Ashley and I hung out at “20 Space” and purchased some coffee. In addition, Around Us and the former JYP building is next to a Dunkin Donuts. Inside the Dunkin Donuts, there are photos and signs from JYP artists and fans on the walls.
I tried so much food. Some of the food in Korea is spicy. It took me a while to adjust to the spiciness of the food. My favorite Korean meals are Korean BBQ and Mandu which are Korean dumplings. Personally, food in Seoul is much cheaper than New York City which is where I originate from. Food in New York City is expensive. The Korean BBQ I had was much cheaper than in NYC. Mandu is sold at food carts like how hot dogs or pretzels are sold at food carts in NYC.
In conclusion, I had an amazing time in Seoul. I saw and visited numerous amount of places. It was a lovely vacation that I needed. The trip was affordable. I can’t wait to visit again and explore more of South Korea. You should definitely visit South Korea and Seoul. Have you traveled internationally? What are some interesting places you have visited while abroad? Let me know in the comments.
