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“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

DAY 3. I SPENT MY BIRTHDAY LIKE A KID BECAUSE WHY NOT?!

I never knew that I love rollercoasters until recently when my company went to Universal Studio in Singapore and I experienced such intense excitement riding one with my friends. I have a fear of heights and as a teenager I didn’t really enjoy going to theme parks because it’s always crowded and the lines are always too long. So during my Seoul trip, I made it a point to go to one of their most popular theme parks, Everland. When I found out about their wooden roller coaster, I knew I had spend some time there screaming like a kid. The rest of the rides didn't really interest me, I just wanted to ride a rollercoaster during my birthday. Hehe

T-Express is my favorite rollercoaster... so far!

Everland was wonderful, beautiful, and filled with exciting rides for kids and kids at heart. I couldn’t believe myself either; I was going to spend my 31st birthday in a theme park. Lolol. I spent Php 1400 for a full-day pass, 500 pesos for train tickets, 500 pesos for my lunch, and 4 hours of travel (getting lost) back and forth to Gyeonggi Do.
I have my own worries, but I still feel blessed. This trip brought me so much joy. Saeng-il chukahae 생일 축하해 (happy birthday) to me!

Every year during my birthday I would crave to bond with my best friends or family, but this year I knew had to spend it by myself. And so begins my misadventures amid strangers in the underground railway of South Korea.

9:55 AM - Bought breakfast at Cafe Bene Gangnam Station

The plan was: I would grab a bite and go to the shuttle meeting station. I was running at Gangnam train station coffee and bagel in my hands. I already knew I wouldn’t make it in time because there’s no such thing as Filipino time in Seoul. Haha I really didn’t have to run. There was no point. =\

10:10 AM - I emerged in front of the bus station in Gangnam, and of course I WAS LEFT BEHIND BY MY BUS! Lolol =D =D =D

I couldn't really eat my breakfast onboard so that's fine. I decided to just take the subway to Gyeonggi-do province, 1.5 hours away from Seoul. I sat down in one of the benches and gulped down my coffee. I have long day ahead of me.

10:30 AM - Departed from Gangnam to Everline

If you’d ask me how many stops and lane transfers it take to reach Everland, I will not be able to tell you. Everything happened in a blur and I found myself mostly lost and confused during my trip. Haha! I even had to go back to some of the stations because I went down the wrong ones several times. Hehe

I didn’t panic, though, and I never felt scared because the people I encountered during my trip were friendly and super helpful. I think it was one of my favorite parts in my trip: being able to communicate and connect with people from a wonderful country. Thankfully, I have a powerful phone battery and a little bit of Korean knowledge that got me through the whole adventure.

Reaching Everland on my own felt super exciting. It's amazing how efficient and VERY WELL PLANNED Korea’s transportation system is. A lot of young people and students also know how to speak English, so you don’t have to feel shy to ask for directions. More often than not, they will give assistance.

The view from Everline station was beautiful near sundown. It's one of my favorite stations in Korea.

11:45 - Arrival at Everland

Thanks to my Klook booking voucher, I didn't have to line up going in the theme park. In case you want to go to Everland, make sure you book a weekday because the place could get crowded with students and kids. I was by myself so going around the park only took me less than 4 hours.

And because I love extreme rides, I spent almost an hour lining up the T-Express rollercoaster--one of the largest wooden rollercoasters in the world. It was extremely scary but super exhilarating! If it wasn't for the line, I would've tried it several times.

Everland was blooming with tulips, roses, and other spring flowers. The weather was pleasant and I didn’t have to worry about too much sunshine or cold wind. Even with my transport mishap in the morning, I still felt that everything was perfect. I’ve been spending my birthdays for the past five years longing for “something special”. This was the year that I got it. It’s my favorite celebration. Traveling; being free, independent, brave, and carefree in a beautiful land--surrounded by beautiful flowers.

3:30 PM - Departure back to Seoul

By this time I was no longer worried about going back via train. But because I got confused (again) in one of the train stations, I had to ask two university girls how to transfer to my next line. And to my delight, one question led to a long conversation which lasted 6 stops! They were fluent in English so I was able to tell my story of why I was there alone. I was trying to practice some Korean as well and they were delighted to know that I put on effort to learn their tongue. They were also fascinated by the thought of a woman traveling by herself.

I think they were quite inspired to go out of Korea and go the Philippines. Youjin and Doyoung were such friendly girls from Gyeonggi-Do. Thank you for the very nice encounter. It's one that I won’t forget.

Back in Seoul I was contemplating about going to Itaewon to party, but it’s not my style. And I was already feeling accomplished. So I just hurried back to Chungmuro to grab a bite and a drink to cap off my short but lovely day.

When you’re in Korea, you need to try Chimaek (Korean 치맥) short for chicken and beer. BHC is a popular chain in Seoul, and luckily there's one branch near my hostel. So I popped in inside a cozy, youthful resto where university students are catching up and having fun conversations over delicious snack and beer.

I felt alone, but I was famished so I didn't really care much that I'm celebrating my birthday by myself. I’m not a big drinker, but Hoegarden is delicious when coupled with Korean fried chicken. The whole set was almost a thousand pesos but it was totally worth it!

I also ate Katsu Curry that day. Boy, Korea sure knows how to pack the pounds. <3 font="">

Maybe next year I’d probably do something simpler and a lot more meaningful with my family, but this time I knew I deserved this splurge. The only thing I want to maintain is to always feel young and energetic in whatever pursuit that interests me.

It’s really fascinating how a brief and shallow experience of sightseeing in a historic landmark can affect me in such a deep emotional way. I’m a big Korean drama fan and I love the historical ones in particular, so my visit to Seoul, Korea definitely had the palace tour in my itinerary. However, beyond the typical fangirling from seeing the actual palaces in person, walking the grounds and listening to the stories behind the marvellous buildings and walls, was a very emotive yet calming experience to me.

You see, traveling alone and being surrounded by lots of strangers who are laughing or having fun with their friends and family can be quite lonely sometimes. It’s true I was missing my family while I toured by myself, but those moments when I couldn’t share my fascination to someone, I was able to immerse fully in the experience of imagining what life was like during the different historical eras in Korea. Every time I felt at awe with what I was seeing, I feel better knowing I had the opportunity to marvel at such beauties while I’m young. And this is part of the reason why I keep sharing my travel memories (and feelings) in my blog.

Gyeongbokgung Palace Address: 161 Sajik-ro, Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The spring air and sun helped a lot in setting the mood for my trip. Even with a brief drizzle on day 4 and the freezing cold air that had my face numb for days, it was still one of my favorite travel experiences. The cherry blossoms did a wonderful job lifting up my mood, despite my cravings for company.

I bet it would be such a blast if I could watch a drama filming live (and see some handsome K-actors too) and fangirl with my friends. So if you’re a big culture/history geek and a K-drama fan just like me, you shouldn’t miss some of the biggest palace grounds in Seoul. Too bad I only got to visit two of the great ones. Angkor Wat still holds the highest spot in my most unforgettable places to visit, but Seoul is definitely up there in the top 3.

Deoksugung Palace Address 99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul

But what’s with my post title? Well if you didn’t know, queens and concubines (both) lived within the palace walls but didn’t share the same roof and bedroom with the King. They had their own quarters, own servants, own garden, and seldom saw the King during their days as part of the royal family.

I can only imagine how lonely their walks were while being a subject of the crown. But that was their fate, whether they chose it or not. And this is mine. To walk the palace grounds in Seoul with just myself and my own thoughts as company. The flowers were in bloom and I’ve captured them in my memory. Life is fleeting and so is solitude. The beauty of spring will forever live on no matter how short the season. I saw them for myself. I waited for no one under the cherry blossoms.

Here's a short slideshow of some photos from Gyeongbokgung and Deoksugung Palaces in Seoul

This is post #2 of my Seoul, Korea blog series. Please standby for my next story =)

Yes I got lost in Korea. Quite a bit. But it was fun! And it’s something I don’t mind going through again. Hehe! Now I will tell you how “not to get lost” in Seoul just in case you want to travel alone and you dread not knowing where you are or where you're going. All with the help of apps.

If it wasn’t for my ever-reliable smartphone, I might have just spent additional thousands of pesos to book a tour guide (which I despise, to be honest). Anyways, if you’re curious what apps I used or you just love and support me that’s why you’re reading this blog, here are some of the easiest to use and free apps to download for travel.

1. Google Maps

In case you’re a Google Maps hater, boo you. I know Waze does a tremendous job mapping and navigating the PH landscape, but Google Maps is just as good specially for overseas trips. It provided me with reliable public transport options wherever I want to go (either walking or riding a car/train). It’s synced to my email so I can just send the routes to myself (I can even text it to my phone). I can also check the timeline history of places I visited, making it easy for me to track what to blog or what route not to take the next time.

It helped that I could just talk to my phone and not type when I’m looking for something. The “find places nearby” was also a big plus during times I was looking for restaurants or cafes. In my HK trip last 2013, I just screenshot my routes because I didn’t have mobile internet. But recently Google Maps launched an offline version so voila, easy peasy. If you’re allergic to printed maps, don’t be lazy and just download an app.

I took a screenshot of all my routes in Seoul and I was surprised at how much area I've covered in 7 days. I HAVE NEVER WALKED SO MUCH IN MY LIFE! LOL =D

Another very important function in my smartphone is Google Search. And I spent a good number of days really trying the apps and reading things online so that I'd come prepare to Korea.

2. MetroidHD APP

Look, something as simple as a train map with search features can be considered genius alright? Specially for fearless travelers like me who doesn’t really care where I end up with my unplanned day trips.

I did get lost while trying to reach far away Everland in Korea, but this app got me back on track in a snap. Of course I asked some strangers every once in awhile, but that’s because stairs and exits confuse me. I might be a pro in reading maps, but street signs confuse me as heck. Lol

It has an offline and favorites feature, too, so you can save your destinations no matter how many, with train arrival time and length of ride to boot.

VISIT KOREA APP

As a first-world country with first-class facilities for its citizens and visitors, of course Korea would have a comprehensive travel app that’s filled with really good content. I feel like I wanted to kiss whoever spearheaded this project. Seriously, thumbs up (app) to the tourism authority of Korea. This app saved me from headaches--from planning, research, to actually deciding on-the-spot where I want to go next.

When I decided to ditch my carefully laid out travel itinerary, I just clicked this app every time I had to decide what place to see. If you’re looking for directions and addresses of places to visit and activities to do, this is the app you should follow.

KLOOK

If you want to save yourself from the hassle of lining up for tickets or visiting a number of sites to book your tours or entrance to tourist destinations, you might want to check a nifty travel app named Klook. It has several ties and partnerships with Asian destinations that you can book in advance using your mobile phone, and with discounts to boot.

I was able to get past the lines of Everland and internet rental from the airport because I pre-booked before my trip. Be careful though of missing booked activities because you can’t refund once you’ve paid them. I missed my bus to Everland so that's 400 pesos down the drain. Overall, it’s an easy-to-use app that I would recommend to backpackers and travelers on a budget.

There’s also a similar app called Trazy with as much destinations and activities specific to Asian cities. It also has a good line up of travel articles to help you familiarize with Korea.

KOREAN LISTENING PRACTICE APP

It’s no secret among my friends and family that I’m a big Kpop and Kdrama junky, so as expected I tried to learn at least the basic phrases in Korean so I can have a more “immersive” experience during my 7-day trip. And it turned out pretty well. I mean the locals looked like they were fascinated by my little Korean knowledge lol and my funny accent. I thought it made me look keyopta (cute) haha!

I was able to order what I liked and tell them I can’t eat too spicy using their own language. I made two friendly acquaintances too because I tried VERY HARD to speak more than annyeonghaseyo.

In a different post, I will try to list down some of the most useful Korean phrases for foreigners and travelers.

There you have it. Apps really revolutionised the way we live huh?

I know I should list down some apps here for emergency cases, but I never really used one. My guesthouse provided me with information and numbers in case I needed to call the police or there’s an emergency. The Korea tourism website have an extensive data on these things as well.

The most important thing is to be prepared, even just a tiny bit, when you want to go on a solo trip. Nothing beats being careful and cautious. Being brave and calm also helps in times you are lost or confused. Take time to bask in the moments you are in a foreign place, even when you are panicking inside. You might find something more interesting than the ones in your itinerary. And one last tip: use screenshot to save on batteries!

While lost in Gyeong-gi Do finding Everland

This is blog #1 for my Seoul, Korea series. Please read the next ones, too =) - xo, AJA

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SPRING DAY - SPENDING MY BIRTHDAY IN SOUTH KOREA

WHERE QUEENS WALKED TO THEIR LONELY BED CHAMBERS (SEOUL BLOG)

FIVE APPS SOLO TRAVELERS CAN USE IN SEOUL