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[Video #2] Moments We Cherish
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In April, I went on a much-anticipated trip to South Korea with 7 friends - Za, JC, Intan, Adik, Yana, Syera, and Maya. Before the trip, JC was the only one I had known for some time and had met a number of times. I met Syera once, with JC and other friends, during a meet-up. Adik and I had been interacting via social media. As for the other 4, the airport was our first ever meeting place.
I had been wanting to step my foot on the land of South Korea for quite some time but back then, I couldn't seem to find the appropriate time and resources.
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-2015.04.24-
Seoul - Myeongdong; Yeoeuido (KBS building); Cheongdamdong (Cube Entertainment; JYP Entertainment)
Upon arriving at Incheon International Airport, Seoul, after about 7 hours flight, the first thing we searched for was the oh-so-needed WiFi. We managed to connect to the airport's public WiFi and immediately updated our families and friends on our arrival. I was still as excited about being in Korea as I was excited about going to Korea earlier on, but my excitement was rather internal and wasn't outwardly shown much, possibly due to a slight jetlag. Anyhow, I was very happy to be where I was.
Our van-taxi brought us from the airport to our guesthouse, SoNyeo SiDae Hostel (Girls' Generation Hostel), located in Euljiro. The driver called us "말레이시아 소녀시대" (Girls' Generation Malaysia) and we had laid-back chatters along the journey.
After checking in, all of us walked to Myeongdong to get our pre-purchased Korean sim cards. JC and I bought ours so that we had an easy way to communicate with each other in case we needed to. We stopped by at a seafood shop at one of the lanes in Myeongdong street to have a meal.
We then headed to the nearest train station to make our way to Yeoeuido. Before reaching the station, we stopped by at one of the convenience stores to buy T-Money cards (Korea's reloadable public transportation card) for those of us who didn't have any yet. At Yeoeuido, we walked to Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) building to see our luck in catching a glimpse of artistes or celebrities entering and exiting the building for recordings or meetings. At that time, KBS 'Music Bank' was being recorded, so, like several other fans who gathered there, we were hoping to be lucky enough to see any Korean singers with our own eyes. We saw quite a number of back-up dancers and staff members going into and out of the building. As we were goofing around with each other while waiting, an entourage walked towards the entrance from one of the gates. It was girl group EXID. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2tKxvkDDzD ] I also caught a glimpse of singer Jinu Sean, gagman Lee Jonghun and gagman Lee Changho (KBS 'Gag Concert - Last Health Boys').
Before going back to our guesthouse, we paid a visit to Cheongdamdong to have a look at a few entertainment agencies' buildings. We saw Cube Entertainment's office building and studio cafe, as well as JYP Entertainment's older and current buildings.
-2015.04.25-
Seoul - Jongnogu (Gwanghwamun); Samcheongdong; Hyeohyeondong (Namsan Tower); Yeonnamdong (Hongdae)
We kickstarted our day by putting on our traditional costumes that we intentionally brought from our home country, Malaysia. Ahead of our trip, we talked about how nice it would be to wear our traditional outfits while visiting Korean palaces, as a simple cultural exchanging gesture. I was wearing my Bidayuh (one of the native races in Sarawak, Borneo part of Malaysia) costume and my friends were wearing different types of Malay garments including baju kurung, baju kebaya, jubah, and so on. We purchased entrance tickets to the palaces in Jongnogu area, along with tour tickets to the Secret Garden. Before our tour to the Secret Garden started, we spent the time walking inside a couple of the palaces' areas. Other visitors noticed our presence and the different garments that we were wearing. Some of them took the chance to take photos of us and with us. Some even talked to us. After our Secret Garden tour, we met JC's Korean friend, who brought us to a Korean eatery shop in Samcheongdong area for lunch. We then headed to Gwanghwamun Square to experience more of Korean culture. My friends and I wore Korean royalty costumes, which were provided for free, and snapped a few photos.
In the evening, we made our way to Hyeohyeondong to get to Namsan Tower. We took the cable car to get close to the top of the hill. We had a look at NSeoul Tower and the famous clutters of love locks up-close. At night, the view of Seoul city from Namsan Tower's viewing platform was mesmerising. It almost felt like my heart stopped beating for a quick second when I was looking down at the city's sight.
After Namsan Tower, we headed to Hongdae in Yeonnamdong to meet up with another one of JC's Korean friends. She brought us to one of the cafes at Hongdae Street for some drinks. It was already night time but of course, I ordered caffeine-filled mocha with cream. After having a chat and finishing our drinks, we strolled along Hongdae Street to see a few performances. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2tSy0YDDzV ] We were so caught up in the exciting and energetic dance performances that we almost lost track of time. The 8 of us rushed to the train station to head back to our guesthouse. Since the train we were on was among the last trains, it stopped a few stations away from our intended station. So, we continued our journey back to our guesthouse in Euljiro by foot.
-2015.04.26-
Chuncheon - Gangwondo; Namiseom | Seoul - Dongdaemun
The next day, we took a relatively long train ride towards Chuncheon. We got out at Gimyujeong Station, Gangwondo to get to the rail-bike place. For about an hour, we dilly-dallied at that place and ate some seaweed rice balls and sandwiches that were prepared by our 언니s earlier on. We then made our way to Gapyeong Station by train to go to our next destination - Nami Island. At Gapyeong Station, we took the bus to Nami Island entrance. Once we got our tickets, we hopped onto the ferry to Nami Island. Nami Island has panoramic sights and a relaxing atmosphere, fitting for families, couples, and friends. Before getting off the island, we grabbed some coffee or smoothies upon my request. Thanks for understanding my coffee-addict needs, girls! We then got off Nami Island by ferry and took the bus back to Gapyeong Station to get back to Seoul city.
By the way, Mr. Jo, if you can see this, please identify yourself and report to any of my friends or me. Thank you. [ Related - http://pspage2nd.blogspot.com/2015/05/blog-post.html ]
We paid a visit to Dongdaemun area to have a look at the things being sold there and to have a meal at a grilled fish shop. Some of us bought some things at the shops by the streets and the underground shops.
Once reaching our guesthouse, Adik, Syera, Maya, and I decided to buy some drinks and ice-cream at the 7-Eleven convenience store across the road. We ended up sitting outside of the store, having our drinks and ice-cream there for about an hour or so before calling it a day.
-2015.04.27-
Yongin - Gyeonggido (Everland)
Everland was our main destination for this day. We traveled by trains, subway and upper rail, to Gyeonggido. We then took a bus shuttle to Everland Theme Park. At the sight of the theme park's entrance gates, we felt like the fun-loving little kids inside of us came out bit by bit. Well, at least for me, it felt that way. There were many photo-worthy spots at Everland Theme Park, inside and outside. After entering the theme park, we munched some food that we prepared beforehand at one of the resting spots inside the theme park. One of the interesting things about Korea's theme park is that although there are cafes, restaurants, and stalls inside the theme park, visitors are also encouraged to pack up their own food and eat at the designated tables or spots prepared by the theme park. After eating, we made our way to the animals area. The animals were so adorable. I remember how the penguins kept on diving into the water and swam towards visitors' direction as if asking us "What's up?". We watched a couple of shows - sea lions' show and various animals' treasure island show. After the shows, our group separated into 2 - one group went to Zootopia to see more animals up-close, another group went to the rides' area to try out a few rides. I was with the group that tried out rides. We queued to ride on one of the roller-coasters. Our next ride was also a roller-coaster ride but this one was a longer, higher, more sought after, wooden-based roller-coaster called T-Express. Queueing took about 2 hours. Once we got on the ride, we felt both nervous and excited. Indeed, the ride was quick and exhilarating. I'm so glad we stayed patient and queued along. We then met up with the others and went back to the train station by shuttle bus.
Before heading back to our guesthouse in Euljiro, we stopped by at Myeongdae to have a delicious, satisfying meal. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2tSy0YDDzV ] Again, Adik, Syera, Maya, and I closed up our eventful day by hanging out outside of the 7-Eleven convenience store near our guesthouse.
-2015.04.28-
Seoul - Gwangjang Market | Jeonju - Jeonju Hanok Village
On this day, we got ready to leave Seoul and travel to Jeonju. Before catching our train ride to Jeonju, we had a quick stroll and stopped by at Gwangjang Market. The market was filled with shops and stalls selling food, snacks, accessories, and clothes. My friends got particularly attracted to the silk/cotton pieces of clothes sold there and bought quite a number of them.
When it was time, we went back to Euljiro to catch taxis to Yongsan Station. At Yongsan Station, we took the train to Jeonju. Upon reaching beautiful and calming Jeonju, it was drizzling and we took taxis to our next stay, Jeonju Hanok Village. The daughter of our hanok guesthouse's owner greeted us at our drop-off point and led us to the guesthouse. Inside Jeonju Hanok Village, I was delighted by aesthetic beauty of every traditional structure and decoration that could be seen. Our hanok room was the biggest one in the particular guesthouse that we were in. It had a second-floor indoor verandah that could fit 4 of us. It became the beds area for Adik, Syera, Maya, and me. To our surprise, our guesthouse owner generously prepared bibimbap for the 8 of us. After enjoying our bibimbap, we took a stroll inside the hanok village area. At the end of the day, we stopped by at a cafe nearby to chat and have some coffee and teas.
-2015.04.29-
Jeonju - Nambu Market; Pyeonghwa Middle School
The next day, we had an appointment with Kim언니, a teacher at Pyeonghwa Middle School. Before our appointment, we had a wholesome breakfast, prepared by our guesthouse owner, and went on a morning walk at Nambu Market and the areas nearby. The 8 of us were wearing our Malaysian traditional costumes, as pre-decided. I, again, was wearing my Bidayuh outfit. The locals who were there noticed us and greeted us by smiling and saying "안녕하세요!" (Hello!), "예쁘다.." (How pretty..), "좋다.." (Nice..). We greeted them back along the way. Some locals even greeted us in English and Malay (and Thai Language, "Sawadeekap.."). When it was time, we made our way to Pyeonghwa Middle School by taxis. Kim언니 greeted us and brought us for a little tour around the school. Her students called out "Hello!", "Hi!", "How are you?", and so on when they saw us. One student even wittily greeted us in Indian Language, "Namaste..". Snacks were prepared for us. Kim언니 and one of her students were curious about my friends who were wearing hijab and wondered how it would feel like. We let them experienced how it felt like by using my scarf and Syera's shawl. Before we left the school, Kim언니 and her colleague, Mr. Song, taught us to make Hanji Mirror (Paper Mirror). We then taught them how to play congkak, one of Malaysian traditional games. We even gave Kim언니 a congkak as a gift.
Kim언니 and Mr. Song brought us to a bibimbap buffet restaurant for dinner. Mr. Song's friend, Mr. Lee, joined us for dinner. After indulging in bibimbap, we were sent back and had some desserts, patbingsu (shaved ice red bean) at a cafe inside Jeonju Hanok Village.
-2015.04.30-
Busan - Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Street; Jagalchi Market
After breakfast, we left Jeonju and headed to Busan by bus. While on the bus ride, I was indirectly introduced to a can of coffee, which turned out to be very tasty to my liking. When we reached Busan, we brought our bags and took taxis to our guesthouse in Busan, Popcorn Hostel (Busan Station branch). Our guesthouse's manager has a pet dog named Penny. I was excited to see Penny and played with her while my friends settled down inside our dormitory-style room. (Now I miss Penny. ㅠㅠ)
We walked around the nearby areas up to Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Street. A lot of stalls were selling food, clothes, and accessories. We took the train and continued to walk to Jagalchi Market. We were amazed at the variety of fresh seafood creatures on display for sale. After having a good look at different stalls, we decided to pick some seafood to buy and eat as our dinner at the eating area of the market. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2uyGtlDD4E ]
Before calling it a day, Maya and I asked Adik and Syera if they would like to get some milk or coffee drinks from one of the convenience stores at the area. They agreed and the 4 of us walked along the streets and found a convenience store. We bought what we wanted (Mine were cans of coffee that I discovered on the Jeonju-Busan bus and loved ever since, a chocolate, and a red bean fish-shaped bun ice cream.) and indulged in those snacks at our guesthouse's rooftop.
-2015.05.01-
Busan - Haeundae Beach; Busan Tower
The next day, JC wasn't feeling well, so she rested in the room for a while. The rest of us headed to Haeundae by train to get to the beach area. When we reached the beach area, I couldn't help but smile at how beautiful and tranquilising the scenery was. We snapped some scenic photos and strolled around the area. Our growling stomachs led us to a shop, where we enjoyed some delicious delicacies, including fish dishes and Korean pancake.
As we changed line at one of the train stations, we stopped a while to rest and searched for potential tourist spots to visit while we were there. We decided to just walk along to see the area and at one point, we saw a tower - Busan Tower. We wasn't sure exactly how to get to the tower area but we kept walking while checkin out the tower from a distance. Eventually, we reached the base of the hill where the tower is located. We walked up the hill to have a closer look at Busan Tower.
On our way back to our guesthouse, we came across a mall centre as well as an underground shopping centre. Apa lagi.. We stopped by at some shops and bought some things, especially those on sale.
-2015.05.02-
Busan - Taejongdae; Nampodong
Before noon, we queued at the bus stop to get on the hop-on-hop-off Busan City Tour Bus to Taejongdae. While on the bus, we got to see refreshing Busan City.
We hopped on the bus again to go back. At one of the stops, we walked along and separated into 2 groups - one group of 5 made their way to colourful Gamcheon Village, and the other group of 3 went to Nampodong Street, initially for a casual stroll and window shopping, but ended up buying a bunch of items on sale. Yes, I was with the group of 3. I'm telling you, we simply had to go ahead and shop there. You would too, I believe. On our way back from Nampodong, we stopped by at an Indian Cuisine shop to have a meal.
In the evening, Za언니, Adik, Syera, Maya, and I walked to search for a desserts shop. We ended up entering a coffee shop to enjoy some patbingsu (shaved ice red bean). When we were back at our guesthouse, we cooked some Maggi instant noodles that we brought from Malaysia and (very much) enjoyed the hot noodles at the chilly rooftop of our guesthouse.
-2015.05.03-
Busan
It was our last day in Busan (and in South Korea), so I was feeling a little solemn. I'm pretty sure my friends felt the same too. Guess what? Busan weather felt the same too as it was raining in the morning. We had several hours left before the taxis picked us up from our guesthouse, so took the train and had a walk to the area nearby. Some of us bought a few more items. At the guesthouse, we snapped some goodbye photos among ourselves and with one of the managers of the guesthouse. A few of us left some post-it messages at the guesthouse.
The taxis arrived and brought us to Gimhae International Airport. We bid goodbye and promised ourselves to visit again sooner or later.
Yes, we must visit again!
다음에 또 만나요!
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