My visit: December 31, 2011
Day 9 (4th day DIY Seoul Tour)
Hongdae (Hongik Daehakgy University)
Seoul, Korea
We went to Hongdae twice in one day. You will know why as you read along. Hongdae is an abbreviation of Hongik Daehakgy. Hongik University is an art school, other than that the area is well known for entertainment/clubs, coffee shops and of course, shopping!
Hongik at night
We went there on a Sunday, suffice to say, the banks are all close. When you are out of the country, you lose track of time. That's what happened to us but how the hell do we suppose to know that there isn't a single money exchange in the area? Now, you know why we have to go back the second time. But before that let me tell you more about what happened that day.
inside the elevator wearing our newly bought eyeglasses
Once inside the hotel elevator, you need to insert your room key to be able to access your floor. How cool is that?
taken somewhere in between our hotel and Seolleung Station
I already told you about the 10 minute walk to the station, right? What I forgot to tell you is that it's uphill going back to the hotel. Some nights, even with wind chill, DH and I would sweat a lot.
animal hospital
finally reached Seolleung Station
I still like Taipei's subway system than Korea's. At least in Taipei, escalators and elevators are everywhere.
While getting out in one of the stations, I saw an elderly looking perplexed at the other end of the station. He was trying to get up the steps almost the same as the one you see in the photo above. Poor old man! Nobody assisted him ; (
More on Seoul Metro in my next post.
with our newly bought eyeglasses
Our eyeglasses were bought in Look Optical in Myeongdong the night before. These eyeglasses, even with graded lens are ultra light and stylish.
took this photo when we went back to Hongdae for the second time
Western Fried Rice
menu board
Since we don't have enough money, we shared one order of "Combination Fried Rice" ; p
Combination Fried Rice W8, 000 (PhP320)
An order came with 3 side dishes- a side salad, kimchi and ginger. The fried rice has a curry like sauce on the side. It was spicy but you will soon be craving for more!
I think this is Hongik University
Since we don't have cash, we could not shop. We did the next best thing, enjoy the surrounding area and people watch.
Tourist Information
shopping haven but not for me... waaaaaaah!
taken right across the Tourist Information booth
No shopping? No problem! We ate instead hahaha We went to Hello Kitty Cafe and Charlie Brown for an afternoon snack. Thank goodness for credit card hahaha
finally a Man's Studio hahaha
Guys will feel neglected in Korea because everywhere you look, there's a makeup counter lol When I saw the signage above, I asked DH to pose for a photo op.
street of Myeongdong
We went back to Myeongdong to exchange our money at DONG- A Tour Money Exchange (02-7746100/070-76426100). It has the best exchange rate!
we ate in a Chinese restaurant
We decided we will have our dinner in Myeongdong area. We noticed a couple of diners waiting for tables when we arrived. We got a number and waited for our number to be called. It took around 20 minutes waiting time to get a table.
DH
We ordered a lot hahaha
steamed dumplings
xiao long bao
pan fried dumplings
my favorite sweet & sour pork ; p
Christmas lights were everywhere. We took photos first before leaving for Hongdae.
free hugs, anyone?
Back in Hongdae, we saw kids (girls and boys) all lined up with placards saying "Free Hugs" At first, I thought of it as a joke but then I saw them hugging tourists and fellow Koreans. I guess that's how kids in Korea celebrated new year lol
Around 10 p.m., there were a lot of beautiful Koreans lining up to enter a bar/pub. It's time to party. Considering our age, we decided to forego the celebration and retreated to our hotel lol
Crazy Burger coffee & burger
DH holding his order from Crazy Burger
Before we left, we saw people lining up for this burger joint called Crazy Burger. The line was really long but DH was satisfied with his order.
We watched the New Year countdown back in our hotel. I think we made the right decision. DH was too tired and slept early. I, on the other hand, packed our things because the next day would be our last day in Korea.
Next 2 posts will be all about Hello Kitty Cafe and Charlie Brown Cafe!
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