Finally got the time to document my trip! I want to write it short and sweet, but that’s not happening as I tend to ramble endlessly and get sidetracked too often!

Anyway, I wrote a travel bucket list before, and I got to cross 3 out of 5 items off, with South Korea 🇰🇷🫰 as the third place I finally got to visit. Honestly, I need to update that list because times change, and there are places I would like to visit that are actually doable, but that’s another topic for next time. I mentioned in my wrap-up that my oldest sister sprang this trip on me because she saw super cheap tickets to South Korea and wanted to celebrate her birthday there.

I was super reluctant because, you know, they required a visa, and there wasn’t much time to prepare. Also, April wasn’t really a good month overall. But she insisted we try it out! I dragged my younger sister along on the trip, haha! And we got approved! Now, it was truly happening—we were going to South Korea!

I’m going to split this into three posts: one for Seoul (this one!), another for Busan, and lastly Gyeongju—my favorite place we visited on this trip! It was a one-week journey, and you know what? It still felt too short! Anyway, let’s get started for real!

It was just the four of us: my oldest sister, younger sister, nephew, and me. The trip was spontaneous, and I honestly had no idea what we were going to do or the places we would visit. Unlike my two sisters, who are into K-dramas, K-pop, or K-entertainment, my major exposure is webtoons! Despite this, I was still too excited. It was a new country to visit, so that in itself was something to look forward to. Also, not knowing what to expect was kind of thrilling!

We arrived super late, almost at midnight! We got out of the airport around 12 AM, and the next bus was at 1 AM, so yeah, we barely slept, haha! We took the bus and went to our hotel near the Myeongdong area. Good thing my younger sister was so prepared because she had all the necessary apps installed. We really didn’t know how to get to our hotel after the bus dropped us at our station, but she had Kakao T installed. We used this app so much during the trip; it’s kind of like Grab here in the Philippines, so you know how much you’ll pay. Taxis in Korea aren’t super expensive, unlike Japan. Since there were only four of us, we figured out that the metro fare was only a few thousand won cheaper, so we opted to take taxis. It was incredibly hot in Korea too! I know I shouldn’t complain, coming from a tropical country, but I don’t go out much. I avoid walking in broad daylight, plus I’m a nocturnal person!

Anyway, back to our trip! We visited two palaces, the ever-popular Gyeongbokgung and then Changdeokgung Palace! It’s always kind of surreal to visit a piece of another country’s history. I was amazed at Changdeokgung Palace because it’s bigger, and there is a lot to see. There was a secret garden tour, but we missed it because it was almost closing time. The whole group, except me, wore hanbok. I wasn’t feeling well because it was my period week (migraine, cramps, lethargy—I know, bad timing 😵‍💫), which was a bummer. But they looked great in those traditional clothes!

Of course, we couldn’t miss out on the food! 😋 The food was so great! We tried the popular Gwangjang Market, where we had tteokbokki and cold noodles, fruit shakes, and hotteok! It was good! Even though they say this place is a tourist trap, we still enjoyed browsing the stalls. We also ate at a few restaurants (chicken, of course!) and cafes. In Korea, they heavily emphasize CLAYGO (clean as you go). Koreans do love iced Americano; almost everyone was drinking it, even in the morning (maybe because it was summer, I don’t know?). Homemade kimchi is the best! Korean BBQ FTW! Since we were near Myeongdong, of course, we dropped by! The nightlife was so energetic! There were so many food options! We also bought skincare products because they’re so cheap here! Also, their Daiso is another level! They have everything there, and it’s cheap! My older sister ended up buying a new luggage because she kinda hoarded, haha! I forgot to ask her, but I hope she successfully brought the buldak noodles and banana milk to Australia!

We also went to popular places like Namsan Tower (we went there at night, and there were still too many people! But it was walking distance from our hotel, so we couldn’t miss it!), the Starfield Library, Gangnam, and Bongeunsa Temple.

Also, the department stores there are insane. The exterior isn’t as glamorous as malls in the Philippines, very unsuspecting, but the stores inside carry high-end brands like Burberry, Gucci, Chanel, YSL—you name it, haha! It was kind of intimidating when all my sister wanted was an extra shirt from either Uniqlo or H&M!

There was still so much to see and do in Seoul, but we ran out of time! But that’s all the more reason to go back, right? 😝

But we didn’t stay only in Seoul. In the middle of our trip, we rode a train to Busan and Gyeongju (where we stayed overnight), which I’ll share in the next installment. Stay tuned! 😊