Life is Beautiful!

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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.

MY 6-DAY VACATION IN THE HEART OF SOUTH KOREA FELT FULL AND STILL NOT ENOUGH.

Do you ever feel like sometimes you're still craving for more after you've eaten so much? That's exactly how I felt after my trip to Seoul. I went to as much places I could reach by MTR, but somehow, it still felt really lacking. I was trying hard not to overspend and it was such a bummer not to be able to experience more when I was already there. That trip took me a year to plan and save for. Still, it was one of the most memorable adventures I've experienced as a traveler.

Being a Hallyu fan was definitely my biggest motivation to go to Seoul. Whenever I would watch K-variety shows or K-dramas, I would marvel at how beautiful and exciting Korea looked like. Thank you KPOP and 2Days1Night for your influence! I wanted so bad to see a live concert or get a glimpse of celebrities in that part of the world, and of course try the amazing Korean kimchi stews and noodles that so often make me crave at 12 midnight while I’m in front of my computer. And so to celebrate my birthday this year, I went to the KRAZY land of oppas and colorful pop music. Seoul snatched me.

Surprisingly, and I often wonder what got into me, I didn’t go to the usual KPOP centers in Seoul. I could’ve visited the infamous YG building or Big Hit entertainment, or experienced hologram shows in COEX Mall and live music shows in KBS or MBC. But I didn’t. My favorite artists were unfortunately inactive in Seoul during the time of my visit. BTS and Jay Park were promoting in the US, BIGBANG and SHINEE were on break, and Day6’s concert tickets got sold out in a jiffy. But that didn’t spoil my trip, because having been watching Korean TV for the past 2 years, I was able to familiarize with many great and beautiful places in Seoul that still made me giddy with excitement every time I leave the train station.

I'm going to try to squeeze in my experiences and itinerary here, though the actual travel time is already lost in my subconscious. It seemed like everyday passed too quickly.

DAY 1. FLIGHT TO SEOUL AT 7:10 AM ALMOST KILLED ME.

Well not literally. But I almost didn’t make it to the plane because of the unbelievably slow process and long lines in NAIA terminal 3. Boo, NAIA! I literally had to run to my boarding gate and just got there in time for the departure. I had 2 hours of sleep and the whole thing made me dizzy and tired during the flight. But my first day in Korea more than made up for the annoying process of leaving Manila.

I took the AREX train or the Airport Express to Seoul Station to cut my travel time. You can hop on a bus or hire an expensive taxi but the travel time would be longer. My thought bubble: when will we ever get a decent train in Manila? Also, our airport should be outside of the bustling city. I have so much envy in Seoul's transportation system.

2:00 PM. Seoul Train Station is huge and looks way better than NAIA.

The biggest billboard you’ll see once you arive in Seoul is of Gong Yoo, who starred in the widely popular movie, Train to Busan and kdrama Goblin. It took me some strength not to hunt Korean actors and waste my money going around the TV stations like a headless chicken. Lol

I ordered seolleongtang or beef bone soup for my first meal; charged my T-card 10,000 won and began my field trip in one of the most confusing-as-fuck train systems in the world. There were too many lanes and I knew too little Korean. But nevertheless, my train trips were always fun and interesting.

http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

I took a taxi to my hostel and paid 8000 won (I had to try three different taxis because the ahjussis were choosy and didn’t want to waste time for a short trip). Uber is expensive in Seoul, so that wasn’t an option for me. If you want an easy time navigating the city, you need to download the metro train app in English and load up on your T-Card. AFTER ARRIVING IN MY HOSTEL, NAPPED FOR 3 HOURS AND THAT WAS MY BEST DECISION FOR THE DAY.

7:00 PM - MYEONGDONG
Because one of my main goals in Seoul is to shop for make up and skin care products, my first stop was at Myeongdong Shopping District 10 minutes away from where I was staying. There were plenty of discount promos and sales in shops like Holika Holika, Face Shop, Skin Food, Innis Free, and more but I spent most of my time at Etude House because it's easier to refill my skin care stocks when they're also available in Manila.

I actually went back to Myeongdong a couple of times just because I couldn't buy everything in one go. And to be honest, I like the energy and the flow of people in the busiest shopping district in Seoul. The place doesn't have the cheapest local restaurants but there are stalls of street food to try and an alley filled with chicken and beer places for those who like to drink. You'll also find YG Republique bar and restaurant playing songs from YG artists like BIGBANG, BLACKPINK, AND 2NE1.

Day 2. THE COLD BOTHERED ME.
It was a little bit hard for me to wander around at night during my trip because it was too cold and I didn't prepare the right set of clothes. Ha! I had no choice but to get inside some of the malls at night to shop and be warm. Otherwise, I'd get sick with the chilly air.
Before reaching Gyeongbokgung Palace, I happen to passed by Seoul Metro Art Center, a section of the Jongno-gu Station dedicated to local arts with installations and paintings from Korean artists. I love the arts, and Seoul is a city filled with it--modern and historic--where east meets west with tasteful results.

Call me inefficient, but for some reason I didn't schedule the palace tour in one day. But based on my walking experience in Seoul, doing a day-tour palace trip could've killed all my toes. And even when I didn't do it like that, I seriously suffered from walking 10 hours a day everyday in Korea. T-T
(Also note that shopping everyday was a bad idea. Haha! For someone who likes planning, I felt as though I didn't plan enough: the danger of traveling alone.)

11:00 am - Gyeongbokgung Palace was immense and beautiful. It was a touristy thing to visit the palaces and take photos inside, but I wouldn't let this opportunity pass. I'm a big fan of period Korean dramas and visiting the palaces was on my bucket list. Even though I didn't have a tour guide, it was pretty easy to get to know the palace because of the audio guide that you can rent for 3,000 won.

2:00 PM - Cheonggyecheon Stream
I'm honestly not comfortable taking photos of strangers, but I like people watching when I travel. It makes me feel like I'm not so alone in my trip. I would wonder what they were talking about and it made me want to learn a new language every time. Cheonggyecheon is the perfect place to see Seoul residents relaxing and having a good walk. Of course it would've been nice to stroll around with someone, too, but I can always do that some other time.

According to my map, Dongdaemun Design Plaza was by the end of the stream, but by this time in the afternoon I was already quite tired. Even though I wanted to walk the whole 10km stretch of Cheonggyecheon, I just hopped on the metro and went down two stations to DDP, one of the most Instagrammed locations in Seoul. I was freezing; I needed to find some shield from the chilly wind.

DDP is one of the prettiest modern structures I've been to. It represents the pop and contemporary culture of Seoul and it certainly is a nice place to go to if you want to buy some souvenirs from local artists (even though they were a little pricey, the designs were really pretty and interesting). There are galleries and shows if you're lucky enough to catch them. But on a regular day, you could just get a hot cup of coffee and enjoy wandering around the spiral building or go shopping at the nearby malls and market.

After strolling around I wanted to go to the open market but the cold was pestering me. I had no choice but to go inside Lotte FitIn mall so I could get a jacket and survive the night. Cost me 2500 pesos T-T

I ended my day by eating Kimchi Stew and drinking Coke: my favorite combination. Heh.

I also went back to Myeongdong's underground mall to buy some Kpop merch. I wish I wasn't feeling so cold so I could've gone to an actual local food market. Next time I go back to Seoul it'll be in the summer!

Day 1 Itinerary:

Seoul Metro Arts Center - Sa jik dong, Jong no gu (near Gyeongbokgung Palace)
Gyeongbokgung Palace and National Palace Museum - 161 Sajik-ro, Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Cheongyecheon Stream Plaza - Cheonggyecheon-ro, Sangwangsimni-dong, Jongno-gu
Dongdaemun Design Plaza - 04566 281 Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul (Euljiro 7-ga)
Lotte FitIn - 21-31 Euljiro 6(yuk)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul
Lotte Duty Free - 30, Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

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SPRING DAY - SPENDING MY BIRTHDAY IN SOUTH KOREA

A SEOUL FOR EVERY SOUL (Day 1 and 2 in Korea)