Lastly, with taking UH Manoa classes, I would say I've been managing a lot better than I thought. Since the two classes are completely asynchronous, I appreciate the flexibility of being able to complete my assignments abroad. By taking these courses now, I am able to better balance my schedule for next semester!
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Hyundai Premium Outlet Gimpo This week, my friends and I started off the week by heading to Gimpo, an hour journey west from Seoul on train to go to the Hyundai Premium Outlets. It is one of the main outlets near Seoul and heard a lot about it on social media! I thought it was pretty interesting as there are three sections within the outlet for you to explore. From luxury to every day brands, there was so much to look from that we ended up taking half a day there! They also have a Nike outlet (which there isn't much in South Korea) so I would definitely take a look at that and maybe even make it your first stop! If you end up having time left like we did in your day, we headed to the Lotte Mall at Gimpo Airport Station, which also had a lot to look around! Going to a Lotte Mall is one of my favorite things as sometimes, they have Lotte Mart, their grocery store which is usually couple stories tall and has an enormous selection of food and snacks. At the mall, we also got to try 부대찌개 (budae jjigae), or Korean army stew for the first time~ It was definitely filling and I would highly recommend getting this with couple friends to get the full experience! Everland!! I LOVE amusement parks!! Therefore, I was so happy when my friends and I decided to plan this trip to go to Everland, South Korea's largest theme park. *An interesting fact, many businesses around Korea are owned and operated by chaebols, or large family businesses. Everland is owned by Samsung C&T Corporation, a subsidiary of Samsung!* Since it is almost a 2 hour 30 min journey by public transport (train and bus), we left Seoul around 8 am and arrived at 10:30 am, which was around the time they opened. Once you get there, I would highly recommend going straight to the ride T-express (South Korea's first wooden rollercoaster) since there is always a long line and you would want to reserve a spot before all the spots run out. Throughout our day there, we got to experience and see so many things! Since we went during Halloween, we got to see the Halloween parade. Additionally, since they have a mini zoo, we got to see capybaras and alpacas, which was so cool since it is was my first time seeing them in person!! It was such a fun day trip, I would highly recommend going! *The tickets are also super affordable through trazy/klook! Gwangjang Market!! Ever since I knew I was coming to Korea, I've been wanting to go to Gwangjang Market! Known for their variety of street food stalls and popular Netflix shops, it was a must visit on my Korea bucket list. At the market, my friends and I decided to make Cho Yonsoon's handmade noodle stall our first stop! As seen on the Netflix show Street Food, she was so lively and her food was amazing. We had her 만두 (dumpling) and 칼국수 (knife cut noodles), which were both simple yet so flavorful. Like many of the food stalls, her food tasted amazing and very affordable, making you want to come back for more! Our second stop was 부촌육회 (Buchon Yukhoe), a Michelin star restaurant that serves the famous raw beef dish. We had 육회 with raw octopus which was an experience I had never had before. However, to my surprise, I actually enjoyed both, especially the beef. Initially the beef looks not so flavorful but after tasting it, the slight flavors of sesame oil pair perfectly with the meat. Our third stop was to eat some 빈대떡 (mung bean pancake). It was really good but since we had so much food earlier, part of me was already very full but since we were already at the market, I wanted to make the most of our time there! Lastly, we got to try hand twisted donuts at 꽈배기, which were surprisingly only 1000 won! Fall at Ewha This week was definitely one of the prettiest times at Ewha! The colors of the leaves were changing and everything was colorful. To commemorate the changing of seasons, here are some photos of me at Ewha :) Food spots of the week!
Here are some places I went this past week that I thought I'd share were worth mentioning! 1. Yoemnya Goemon - This restaurant is a popular Japanese Spaghetti restaurant. They had a special menu so I ended up getting the souffle omelet with mentaiko risotto, which was sooo good. Also the egg initially doesn't look filling since it's in souffle form but it was super filling! 2. Hai Di Lao - I'm sure many of you that have gone to other parts of Asia have visited Hai Di Lao (somewhere I definitely wish I went during my time in Singapore). I finally got to try it and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. They have snacks/tea while you wait and once you get to your seat, they gave me a hair tie, seeing that I had longer hair and I had it down. The best part was that there was also a sauce bar that you can make your own dipping sauce and there were some sides there as well. In all, pricier than usual but a great experience! *Note: It seems like I only explored food this week, so enjoy some new food recs :) Korea Costco! Today, I got to go to Costco in Seoul for the first time! It was very interesting as although they do have products you would find at Costco back home, such as the snacks, food, clothes, etc., there were also Korean/other products that you wouldn't normally see back home! Something that they had which I wish we have back home were the sushi platters. They were totally affordable and worth the value, which made me wish that my friends and I can try it one day! Although we didn't shop much, some of us ended up buying a longer coat to prepare for the upcoming winter season. Like with any Costco trip, we had to stop by the food court! It was definitely a trip worthwhile as the choices were different from the ones back in the US. Some unique options were bulgogi bake, meatball pizza, chicken salsa wrap, red grapefruit juice, fried chicken wing set, and greek yogurt granola. All the options seemed so delicious but I ultimately ended up getting the grapefruit juice and the meatball pizza (since I had a craving for Costco pizza haha)! If you do end up going to the Costco food court 10/10 recommend trying the meatball pizza! Greek yogurt cravings satisfied! As someone who eats greek yogurt almost everyday back home, I definitely have been missing it a lot. This week my friends and I tried out Thanks, Oat, a greek yogurt shop located in Hongdae! The store front was very homey and the inside was very cute. I decided to try the fig and blueberry yogurt as fig is currently in season and there isn't as much fig dishes back in Hawaii! The fruit was very flavorful and the greek yogurt was soo thick, you could definitely tell if was homemade. A little bit on the pricier side (7900 won) but I definitely satisfied with my bowl! Some of the other dishes my friends tried was the grape greek yogurt and the bagel. Bloggable aesthetic?? This week we also celebrated one of our friend's birthday (happy birthday Alissa <3)! To celebrate, we headed to Euljidarak for dinner. They are known for their omurice and pasta, which were both very aesthetic when presented! I got their spicy cream pasta (which was a good balance of creamy and spicy). It was pretty cool how when the waiter brought the omurice, he cut the egg in half in front of us, showing the egg dropping off the rice! To be quiet honest, the dishes were good but worth the price(?), I'm not sure. I think it is still worth it to try at least once! Michelin star meal ⭐️ In Myeongdong, we visited a Michelin star restaurant called Myeongdong KyoJa. They have two locations but we visited their main location, which had about 4 stories! They are famous for their kalgukusu, which my friends had while I had the bibimguksu (which was pretty spicy, so if you can't really handle spice, I would recommend the kalgukusu)! We didn't have the stomach space for it but if you can, their dumplings seemed to be very popular as well! Cafe drink recommendations! 1. IM1L Coffee: They have affordable coffee options and this time I tried their matcha latte, which reminded me of a Starbucks matcha latte! I enjoyed it a lot and will probably be getting it often :) 2. Palgong: Ok by now, palgong is one of my favorite cafes (not because they sell boba, which majority of the time I don't get while I'm there). The sinchon branch is a great study area and the drinks are affordable as well! I usually get their iced americano (which I add the milk foam on top, which makes the drinks basically a cafe latte but cheaper :>)! This time I also tried their ade's which were also really good! 3. Starbucks Reserve: Compared to back home, there are so many Starbucks Reserve location in Seoul. This time I went to one near Myeongdong Station, where they finally had the nitro cold brew I was looking for! The three flavors they have are the regular reserve nitro cold brew, velvet dark mocha nitro, and the french apple tarte nitro. To be quite honest, I think my favorite ones are the dark mocha or the regular one as the apple one I ordered was a little too fruity/sour to me. Also compared to the Starbucks stores back in the US, they have a variety of pastries, cakes, sandwiches, etc., that both look good and appetizing. Last but definitely not the least, dessert :)
1. I finally got to try the melon bingsu from Sulbing this week!! I was super excited since the dessert is literally half a melon with ice cream, strawberries, and of course the ice. With four of us sharing it, the whole bowl was gone before we knew it. A word of advice, since the half melon covers the entire bingsu, you'll definitely need to eat it first, unless you can put it on the side. 2. As for market ice cream purchases, I got to try two new ice cream bars this week (the fish ice cream is always a good choice, I had to get it this week). The chocolate and coffee ice cream bar wasn't tooo sweet which was nice and the mango was very fruitful, they were both great choices in my opinion! 3. Ms. Braids braided croissant was a new discovery. I tried the injoelmi one and I absolutely enjoyed it. The dough was soft yet flaky and the injoelmi balanced out the sweetness making it a perfect combination! I can't wait to go back soon and try the other flavors they have (they have both sweet and savory, along with regular waffles as well)! 4. McDonald's ice cream is always a great go to ice cream. In Korea, they currently have strawberry cones, which are only 700 won!! The strawberry ice cream was very creamy, which made it feel like an ice cream version of strawberry milk! If you're ever in Asian in general, I would definitely recommend trying the different ice cream flavors since there aren't that many varieties back home! Weather update: Once October began, you can definitely notice the change in temperature. The highest temperature was always below 75 degrees and the lowest temperature listed around 60 degrees. During the first week of October, I would recommend starting to gather any sweaters and thicker jackets if you do not have any yet as there are predicted days where there is a sudden drop in the temperature. Incheon Chinatown 🥢 On one of our free days of the week, my friends and I decided to adventure out and head out to Chinatown in Incheon, which was about an hour half to get to from Hongdae by train. Upon arriving, you could definitely tell the impact covid has had on the businesses as many of the stores were closed. Our first stop was 共和春, which is a restaurant known for their jjajangmyeon. In addition to their jjajangmyeon, we also had their jjampong, which was also very tasty and flavorful as well. We went as a group of four and got 2 bowls of jjajangmyeon and 1 bowl of jjampong to share as we also wanted to experience some of the food stalls that were open around the area. After eating lunch, we looked around and I was able to try 红豆饼 (red bean bread) and sugarcane juice from the mini shops, which were both very tasty. Since it was also a little past Mid-Autumn festival, I was glad I was able to buy a mooncake, something I eat during this time every year. Although it was not exactly the same as a traditional mooncake, it was pretty similar. After exploring Chinatown, we went around the Incheon area to find filming locations from the popular kdrama Goblin! Although I have never seen the drama myself, I have seen clips of it and it was honestly wonderful to be able to see the places in person. Once we found the filming locations in the area, we headed to Wolmido Island, which was about a 15 minute bus ride from Incheon. The island is known for their mini amusement park called Wolmi Theme Park, particularly the ride called Tagada Disco. This ride in particular is famous for the DJ's commentary/banter that there are multiple YouTube videos of this ride! Although we didn't go on it, it was interesting to see how the people reacted as well a how fast the ride went. Before calling it a night, we decided to ride the Viking, which swung a lot higher than I expected! National Museum of Korea The National Museum of Korea is one of the free activities you can do in Seoul! The museum itself is very pretty and even has three stories. From pre-historic artifacts to modern art, there is so much to explore that we could only really look around the first two floors before we all decided to call it a day as we had already spent 3 hours there and it was approaching dinner time (we definitely will be back another day to check out the last floor). If you plan to look around the entire museum in one day, I would highly recommend booking an earlier time to make sure you have ample time to walk around (also reserve your spot couple days in advance as depending on the day, the spots tend to get filled)! New food discoveries of the week! I'm happy to share with you all the new dishes I got to try this week! As midterms are coming up, Blanc has been one of the cafes I have been going to study. This week I decided to try their multigrain sandwich and it was honestly one of the best decisions. The sandwich is made with their multigrain bread and the insides contain cheese, ham, korean pear, tomato, bacon, lettuce, and pickle, which only costs 3600 won! The sandwich was honestly filling while still maintaining a great balance. My second discovery of the week was ayce pork neck steak for 12,000 won at 통큰갈비 홍대점. Although there was only two choices (regular or spicy flavor), it was definitely worth the price. We also order steamed egg with cheese, which is a dish I would recommend ordering as well! The last discovery was Udon 0410. This is a great place if you're looking for a quick and cheap meal, while still having a decent variety in menu options. They have several different udon options in addition to several different bowl options and set meals. I got the spicy udon which was 5000 won and very filling! Lasty but definitely not least... dessert!
Ok, if you haven't figured out already, I love my desserts. I was so happy I got to try the mango ice cream from Go Mango this week! As seen in the picture below, it's a pretty big sized ice cream for only 1500 won (it really makes me wonder how this store is making money haha). Once again, I am bringing up Blanc but I finally got to try one of their desserts. Although I went in wanting a strawberry shortcake, they were unfortunately sold out (I guess I have to go back :)) so I ended up getting the mint chocolate pie. When getting a dessert from Blanc, I would recommend sharing as even if the pie slices initially seem small, the cream and chocolate itself was very rich. Lastly, after figuring out that the market near my place sells cheap ice cream (by cheap, I mean 400 won cheap :0) I have been trying different varieties of ice cream! This time the new flavors/types I tried the mojito, injeolmi, and red bean, which were all delicious and would recommend if you find them! Ewha Peace Buddy meet up At Ewha, you have the opportunity to be paired up with an Ewha Peace Buddy. They are local students who are usually learning English who are there to help you with your time at Ewha! This week, I got the opportunity to meet my buddy, who is a freshmen at Ewha, along with two other girls from the UK and US who are part of my buddy group as well. She took us around the famous Gyeongbokgung Palace, where we got to see around the palace. Additionally, while we were there we also got to see how the guards change their shifts and the rituals conducted, which was very interesting as well. After the palace, we headed to a nearby pork belly store and wrapped up the day with getting ice cream Baskin Robbins! Another day in Gangnam The Gangnam area is so big, we had to go back again to explore more. We started our day in the afternoon, where we ran into a really cute cafe called Grain Bounday, which turned out to be a cookie and coffee shop! Although there were several different types of cookies, we decided to share the oreo smore cookie, which I will say was probably the best choice we made. The cookie was so soft with a melted marshmallow inside and surprisingly not too sweet! I also got an einspanner to go with it, which was also very pretty :) After taking some cute mirror selfies (hehe), we looked around the area. While we were looking around, it was really cool to run into a Steve Jobs/Apple pop-up called Steal the Apple. To be quite honest, I'm not sure exactly why the store was there but it was interesting to see everything! Since Gangnam is also known for flagship stores of brands as well as just stores with gorgeous displays, we had to stop by the popular ones such as Dr.Jart, Gentle Monster, and Tamburins, along with Line Friends, and Kakao Friends which already just happened to be nearby. At Kakao Friends, we were very fortunate to be able to try the famous Knotted, a famous donut shop that has collaborated with Kakao Friends and has a cafe at the top of their Gangnam location. The donuts were airy while filled the cream, a perfect balance! Lastly, we also stopped by Seoul Escape, a popular escape room with multiple locations around South Korea. The interesting part about Seoul Escape is that their escape rooms have connected stories, making you want to try all of them. Unfortunately the Gangnam location will be closing in a week but can't wait to try out the rest, especially since we got out of the one we tried! Other eventful activities of the week :)
One place I got to visit this week was Common Ground! It's a popular shopping area with mainly streetwear and other mini shops. I thought it was very interesting to see how popular streetwear is here in Korea. Some of the popular brands are Covenant, Carhartt, Thisisneverthat, and Nerdy to name a few. Additionally, my friends and I ended up having another brunch day at Colline. This time, I decided to try their persimmon bingsu, which was so good. I was even more surprised that my bingsu was the one person serving size! Regardless, everything was so flavorful (I'm pretty sure I has the equivalent of 3 persimmons on my bingsu) and we even got pictures this time! |
kelsFrom traveling to tips, I hope to share my experiences with you all and motivate you to explore your kuriosities :) Archives
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