My Trip to Korea- Soul of Asia (Day 7 & 8- Seoul)

Last day of my tour already, I feel sad and reluctant to go home before the day even begun. We started the day with shopping at Lotte Youth. This day, I was feeling more energized to wrestle the other tourist to buy stuff. The beauty product section is always the busiest of all departments, partly because Korea is famous for their beauty products and also, they are cheap. Very cheap. I bought some CC creams and face mask which back in my country, cost double the price, why not buy it there and bring back?

Me and my sis were so engrossed in buying these stuff that we are left with little time when we went down to the food section (plus, it doesn’t open till 9.30- the upper sections opens earlier). They have all the street food I was aching to try and the displays of cakes and macaroons are just so mouth watering! It was a sweet tooth haven down there! The cakes are so prettily made. Oh my gosh~~ There’s more down the row but I was dragged away due to time constraint.

Here is just one small section of a whole sweet galore.

I felt like I have missed out on a lot of things just because of this tour. The time allocated was too little and at the wrong time. We don’t need 1 hours in specialty/local product shop! 30 minutes is enough. Ugh~~ I’m coming back here next time, WITHOUT using tour.

Guess where he dragged us next? An Amethyst shop. At the entrance, we were given a brief introduction to the gemstone and the qualities of Amethyst. There was this giant amethyst at the door and we were told to touch it for good luck and wealth. This stop took an hour because the other ladies wanted to buy some gemstones. I personally prefer sapphires. So I passed.

 When the ladies were done buying their Amethyst, we went for lunch. It was Mandooguk (Dumpling soup). I love dumplings so I really enjoyed the meal.

It was noon and the sun was shining so brightly, I thought Jesus came. Just kidding. Autumn sun in Korea is not hot, the air is still cool, but the sunlight is piercing. It was hard looking without my sunglasses. For the afternoon, we spent it at Namsangol Hanbok village. It looks like a setting from the Joseon era village, like the place never aged. Again, I like to imagined like I’ve been transported back in time and now I’m in a Korean village exploring my surroundings. I don’t know how the people back there differentiate their houses, it all looks identical. These houses are furnished according to how it looks in the olden times.

They provided some traditional games for tourist to try on and there were some shows at the stage. I saw some traditional dance performance. There were pretty much a few couples there for a wedding photo shoot and I was lucky enough to get a glimpse. They wore beautiful Hanbok and posed in front of the houses. The village was pretty big and they have sections for different purposes, like I wandered into a house about Korean traditional medicine/acupuncture. The workers in there really wore the traditional doctor & nurse attire.

            I saw the bedroom setting and it looks uncomfortable, but I’m not going to argue on the cultural differences. It looks neat and pretty though. The kitchen was also on display.

If you get tired of walking around, you can just sit near the pond, surrounded by cool trees. I felt a little intruding when I sat next to a bench where a young couple was sitting and the girl had her head on the guys lap while she read, the guy stroked her hair. How sweet~ Are all Korean guys this sweet?

By the time we finished touring Namsamgol Village, it was 2 hours past noon. My final stop to conclude this entire tour was Myeong Dong fashion street. It is the perfect place to go after work. The streets are bursting with people. Food stalls and accessory stalls lined the whole street. Since it was my final day here, I will not miss the chance to eat all the street food that I wanted. The street boast cheaper apparels and you can find everything you want there. I skipped the clothes and went for Etude house to run some errands. The shop was also filled with customers. I bought the last minute face product I wanted and also grab some for my mom. Korea’s beauty industry is trying to promote snail creams (their slimes) because of the high water content in it. I don’t find it appealing at all. 

 I wasn’t planning on buying any clothes or accessories here, so I walked the street and enjoy being in a busy Korean street. It felt more real. I grabbed a Hotteok as a snack, it’s like a flat bun with nuts, cinnamon and brown sugar in it. I also saw malt candies, traditional hard candies, long and spiraling ice cream cones and smoked octopus & squid. The street is my food retreat! Many people are seen walking with snacks in hand or they just eat by the side.

For tourist, Myeong Dong is a compulsory visit. The street is so busy I don’t really know how to differentiate between Koreans and tourist. I just blended in, nobody knows until I start talking. I enjoyed street food the most and some banana milk again. 

When it was time to meet up, I bought some Tteokboki (Spicy rice cakes) and enjoyed it with my sister. I took this chance to look around the buildings. They remind me of New York because of all the skyscrapers, you don’t see much small buildings around. I am impressed at the architecture and advancement of the city. This is a place I grew to love and I already missed it terribly. My last dinner in Seoul was some kind of pork belly stew with tones of cabbages. We were able to visit a newly opened restaurant near Myeong Dong. My last dinner, might as well enjoy all I can. After dinner, I was back at the hotel.

Two hours to midnight, we walked the streets, feeling nostalgic. Just for a little while, let us mingle around and hopefully the memories linger. My sister insisted on grabbing a Coldstone ice cream in this crazy weather. I forgot what flavour, maybe Green Tea pistachios? She enjoys watching the person mix her ice cream, poor guy must have felt pressured. I am more contented reading the labels on the bread and pastries. I am pretty impressed at how they manage to come up with the combination of ingredients for the bread. And no matter how appetizing the cake looks, I had to tie my hands up. They're so alluring. 

That night, I packed up and prepared to leave for Incheon Airport early in the morning. Usually i just sleep like a pig for the entire night but that night, I hesitated a bit, knowing well what the next day would mean. <Sigh>

Day 8

We made sure to wave goodbye to our fellow tourist and lugged our heavy baggage to the streets to find a taxi. It was a Friday morning and traffic was heavy. We were actually just supposed to go to the nearest bus stop and wait for the airport shuttle bus but our bags are just too huge and heavy. The taxi drivers weren’t that keen on fetching us since it was just a walking distance and we are going to be stuck in the traffic.

I noticed that Korea’s taxi drivers don’t speak a word of foreign language, which complicates things. I had to use some of my broken Korean language to communicate with them. After considering for a while, he reluctantly let us into the cab while grumbling.

When we got to the airport, our box of KimChi was waiting at the check in counter, unattended. Since I bought some tax free product, I get to claim some money back at the tax refund counter. It actually wasn’t that much, just 3000 won. There were more tax free shop in the terminal but I was all drained of motivation to shop. Later, we board the plane and when the plane took off the ground, I felt an overwhelming sadness.

It felt like I left my soul there. It was an incredible adventure and I really appreciated the time I spent there. Throughout the journey, I have gained many insights. It was refreshing to learn about new culture and the stories behind some practices. Somehow, I felt like my world just got broader during this trip. I know that one day I will return to Korea again, this time, without a tour. Until then, Annyeonghi Gaseyo Korea! Thank you for the experience and joy that you bring.