Little Summer Vacation-Korea (Part 2)

LITTLE SUMMER VACATION

PART 2 : VACATION IN KOREA

LOU

BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER:

Hey! I hope you have come to read this post after having had a look at Tri's compelling and engrossing account of her adventure in England over the last "summer" vacation! Because if you haven't,  make sure you do that before you proceed. (Believe me, that gal makes everything seem exceptionally interesting huehue)

But if you've already enjoyed the adventure in England, welcome to Part 2: Vacation in Korea!

WOOHOO LET'S START OVER

Good day, hello and annyeong haseyo.

So over the past holidays, I had the chance to go on a trip to the magnificent country of Korea with my mom, brother, aunt, uncle, two cousins and my grandma. What a big bunch of people, right? But to answer the obvious, I definitely had tons of fun there and so I'm going to share some of my experiences in Korea with you guys here! So here go the highlights of my 7 day vacation in Korea:

Highlight #1: Where should you stay while in Korea?

Let's be real. Who goes to Korea and DOESN'T go to Seoul? Considering it is the capital of Korea and possibly the busiest city in the country, filled with shops to 'donate' your money to, restaurants to fill up your tummy and attractions to feast your eyes upon, I can't see why you would not want to stay in Seoul. I mean, staying in the country side is just fine but trees and plantations could get rather boring after some time. (Sorry trees, I love you)

Though the prices may be higher if staying in Seoul, it would be much more convenient to get to your desired location as most attractions would not be too far off from  the city centre. So for me, I stayed at a hotel called New Kukje Hotel that was located somewhere near Myeongdong. Rooms were as good as they could get and yes, for all those who cannot live without it,there is wifi. (I'll talk more about the wifi situation in Korea later on) Also there are sometimes mini markets near or on the ground floor of hotels, so looking for hotels with mini markets is always useful if you are in need of food in the middle of the night.

Highlight #2: Shopping streets/districts?

We all know there is an abundance of shopping streets in Korea. Maybe you've heard of some of them? Myeongdong, Insadong, Dongdaemun, Itaewon, Ewha and Hongdae? There are so many of them that the names can get you tremendously mixed up and possibly make you question,"Oh waaait, what's that place called again?" Yup, definitely happened to me a couple of times.

But if you are visiting Korea one day, make sure to take a day or two to walk around these shopping districts, as you'll absolutely find something you like. And with lower and bargainable prices too.

Though, be informed that not all shop owners (if you're going to places with non-branded shops) speak perfect English as it is not their first language and if you're shopping for clothes in these such places, you have to know that they will not let you try the clothes on. It's not because you're a foreigner though, it's just a general rule, I guess, that they have. It's almost like a gamble. Kinda. "WILL IT FIT OR WILL IT NOT!"

Gwanghwamun

Namdaemun

Myeongdong

Insadong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlight #3: Other places you might want to visit

To be honest, I spent merely seven days there, (without a tour guide) so I would not know ALL the places you should go to. (Google could probably help you with that.) But these are some of the other places that I think you would want to take a look at:

1. Gyeongbokgung Palace

Yes, the palace is indeed a magnificent place where you could observe the mind boggling infrastructure of the ancient royal palace. Inside, you will be able to learn about the history of Korea, for it serves as a National Palace Museum and National Folk Museum of Korea.

Gyeongbokgung Palace from the outside

Gyeongbokgung Palace from afar

Tip: Make sure to go there at the correct time scheduled to watch the guard changing ceremony! It's something you would not want to miss.

Also, during the guard changing ceremony, they use an announcing system thing to narrate the steps of the guards changing their position. I may have laughed slightly too much about how the English announcer spoke. Sorry to say, but the voice was so monotonous and bored sounding I kinda just died a little huehuehue

The guard changing ceremony

2. Busan

Busan is the second largest city in Korea and it would be a waste not to see how it is like over there. You could spend a day or two there, like I did. If you're staying in Seoul, the easiest way to get there would be to buy KTX Train tickets there. Once you arrive, EXPLORE TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT!

(My uncle wanted us to go inside a place where they sold only fish and sea creatures and stuff. Let's just say the smell was so 'pleasant' that the rest of us just backed away slowly and continued walking in the other direction)

Busan Train Station

View of the sea in Busan

3. Seoul Tower/ Busan Tower

Make a trip up either one of the towers and enjoy the breathtaking view over the city skyline. Get ready with your camera!

So at the top of Busan Tower, there's this curved wall where people write stuff on. Ahh all the heart shapes and 'name A ' plus 'name B' messages I saw.

Busan Tower

The breathtaking view from the top of Busan Tower

Messages left by tourists on wall

4. Lotte World/ Everland

Do you like thrilling, scream inducing roller coaster rides? Then these amusement parks are just for you! Gosh. I sound like a sales person. But yes these places are great fun so I suggest you spend 1 day, or at least half the day there to fully enjoy the experience. 
Lotte World was almost a bitter-sweet experience for me because I had to go with my 5 year old cousin who couldn't go on most of the rides because of her height. And we also watched like 2 or 3 plays/ theatre things that involved robotic animals on stage. It was all in Korean though, so I actually have no idea why we watched them. Oh well, my cousin wanted to. Oh and my grandma fell asleep during one of the plays too.

So yup, you guessed it, mostly slow, 'family rated' rides for me. (Well it wasn't that bad since I had an excuse not to give myself a heart attack by going on extreme roller coasters with my brother. *cough*)

Lotte Castle

 

Band performing in Lotte World

 

 Lotte World interior

 

Highlight #4: Tips for Travellers

1) If you are travelling without a tour guide, I suggest you do some reading up before hand. Knowing where you plan to go is always a good thing.

2) Use the public train and/or bus service! They are so convenient, and the train system maps out to every place possible. Speaking about that, it would be much easier if you would just get the train/ bus cards (T-money cards, they are called) so you can just beep in and beep out when you ride the train/bus. You can get these from the machines in train stations.

3) Don't bother getting portable hot spots or anything. There's free wifi everywhere so it almost seems like a waste of money.

4) Don't be surprised about senior citizens in train stations pushing you around. They are some fierce creatures.

5) Don't worry, everything in Seoul is written in both Korean and English so you will face no problems reading signs and such. (Hopefully)

6) Some (SOME not ALL) taxi drivers can be quite reckless, so be prepared for some hard swerves and abrupt halts. (but then again it's like that in all countries I think)

7) Get to know some simple Korean phrases and words. It could be useful. Plus most local people like it even if you just greet them or thank them in their native tongue.

8) Don't get surprised if you see a lot of the word "Lotte" around. Lotteria, a fast food chain, Lotte World, an amusement park, Lotte Mart, a supermarket and Lotte Department Store. They are everywhereeee

So yes, that is about it. Whoops sorry for a very long post, but I hope you enjoyed the read.

Unfortunately, unlike Trin, I did not meet any famous celebrities. Sigh. #ahemwhatwasIexpecting

Either way, it was an unforgettable experience to me and if you ever go to Korea too, I hope you will feel the same.

But to be completely honest, the thing that I cannot forget would be the pain of the soles of my feet after a long day of walking. With an average walking time of 8 hours a day, I have no idea how I survived. Definitely lost a few calories though. Actually probably much more than just a few.

To end this, here are some additional photos that I took during the span of 7 days.

 

Next, Bri will be talking about her holiday in Gopeng. Look out for the third and last part of the Little Summer Vacation series.

Little Summer Vacation-England (Part 1)

Hellooooo to all you lovely peeps on the Internet!

It is Tri here, and I'm enthusiastic to announce that I'll be writing the first part of LouBriTri's third blog post entitled: Little Summer Vacation.

On the plane to England

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I don't have 'summer holidays', where I live in the world. If I did, then, school may as well just cease to exist. (WE WISH.)

Where I am, it's summer all year round.

If you live in a cold climate country, you'd probably react like this:

"Wow, that's awesome! Being able to wear short-shorts and crop tops-or in a guy's case-baggy shorts and loose tank tops-all year long is like, the best thing ever! *squeals obnoxiously* I can sun bathe on the beach in my bikini/swim trunks until I look like Malibu Barbie/Ken. Yayzies!"

Well that's where you're wrong. And it's not only the fact that you would think Malibu Barbie is actually that naturally tanned and pretty.
Author's recommendation: Try to picture me saying the following sentence in a sassy tone. 

That gurl is as fake as those cheap, branded phone covers that break so easily.

On the other hand, if you lived in a hot climate country, you'd probably understand where we're coming from.

"Too much of a good thing is bad." Ever heard of that saying?

No? Well that's cause I phrased it wrong. But it's familiar, isn't it?

Although I don't get rewarded a three-month-long summer holiday like most of the world, I do get our own little summer vacation.

It''s about two weeks long, but if you spend those two weeks like you spend your savings for a Taylor Swift concert ticket, two weeks can equal to three months of fun.

So, for this time's blog post, LouBriTri will be telling you guys about our separate to different places in the world! We would say 'universe' instead, but unfortunately, travelling to outer space is way out of our parent's price range.

This time round', our adventure revolves around somewhere in Asia and Britain.

So if you like the perfect and swoon-worthy Koreans, or the super cute yet sophisticated british dudes in uniforms, you're gonna like this post.

LOUBRITRI GUARANTEE.

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TRI

For my little summer vacation, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to England with my dadster, mumzies, Sister#1 (Tori) and Sister#2 (Libby), and my lovely grandpops and grandmama. They decided to tag along because my grandma has a soft spot for England.

I must have inherited that from her because, let's be honest here, who doesn't love England?

This Charity Shop (Op Shop) Has My Name!

It has the best accents, the coolest (literally) weathers, the hottest (no duh) celebrities and of course the most shoppable shops. Yeah, I know. I'm yo' typical teenage shop-a-holic. I got that from my mom. The both of us share a love for opportunity shops. I mean, whoever created them is brilLIAM. (Oh yes, you read that correctly, I did that ON PURPOSE. IMMA FULL-TIME DIRECTIONER.) As I was saying, op shops are the best: You're getting great deals for designer clothes while donating to charity or helping out an organization. It's like being a good shopper and a good citizen at the same time. Talk about MULTITASKING/helping two birds with one bandage. I was trying to make that idiom less violent, did it work? I think it failed. I'm probably rambling now, aren't I?

#FirstWorldProblems #NotBeingAbleToShutUp



Since I know I'm bound to start rambling again anytime soon, I'm just going to list out the highlights of my trip.

Highlight #1: My Temporary Residence

Outside The House I Stayed In At The Countryside

I loved the place I stayed in when I was in England:Staines-upon-Thames because the view is just breath-taking. Living in a house by the river? Now, that's just cool beans. It's also within walking distance to the weekend market and a little shopping area that has rows and rows of adorable little shops. (You can probably guess where I did most of my English shopping.)

And that's only just the beginning, I spent a few days at this rented house by the countryside as well. I'd like to think of myself as more of a city girl, but the countryside sceneries are my weaknesses. I just adore them so much. Everything is like a landscape painting that I'm only allowed to see in museums back home. Open fields and fresh air is like, the most chillaxing spa day I could ever ask for.

Staines-upon-Thames
Photo Credit: Mum

Highlight #2: Entertaining Hotspots 

As much as England's sceneries are exquisite, there's only so much elegance can do to make a place interesting. sooner or later, entertainment will be much needed. Especially for people who just can't sit still. (By the way, if you don't get who I'm hinting at, then let me just tell you: I'm hinting at me. I can honestly not sit still and be patient. Just ask Lou for evidence.)

Tori & I @ Broadway Playground
Photo Credit: Dad

There was this super cool park in Broadway (Not the one with flashy lights and the kind of performing that Idina Menzel does) that just, entranced me. It was so enticing because you could roll down hills and you could just stare at the gated field that had live sheep, cows and horses for hours.
It's an ideal place for football fanatics because they have a really wide and open space for playing football.

A Selfie Of Me @ Broadway Playground
My nostrils tho...Heh.

I think I would also recommend this place to selfie-lovers would love this place because the lightning there is just on the spot, and you know, the great view and all. Perfect for instagramming.

Wall Of Shakespeare's Plays(Comic Style)

Another interesting place I went to is the one and only William Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon. Having studied a little bit about Shakespeare recently and having read a couple of his famous plays in the past, I felt more enthusiastic about visiting the well-known playwright's hometown. I'm still lingering on the topic of Shakespeare in my history class, and I have discovered much about the Stratfordians and anti-Stratfordians. I am proud to say that I'm a Stratfordian and have always been.          

Found this at the souvenir shop

Furthermore, literature one of my favourite subjects, and occasionally I write my own poems. Here, I witnessed a few live plays written by Shakespeare and was performed by trained actors. I hardly understood anything under all that thick reciting of old spoken English like thee, thou, and thy, but it was fun to see people reenacting Shakespeare's plays right in front of me.

Hyde Park Riverbank 

Among the iconic places I visited, Hyde park was my absolute favourite, because it made me feel like I was walking through a magical Disney forest that are illustrated in books and appear in movies. The lake was probably the clearest and most reflective of lakes I have ever seen, the birds soaring in the sky added to the magic in the air. Enjoying the view was fun, but being the annoying person I am, I dragged Libby along to crash a couple's picnic-date. In our defence, it was by accident. Oops? ( In case you were wondering how we crashed the couple's date, I'll just say it involves a lot of somersaults and wheelbarrows. I should probably write a book called 'Date-Crashing 101'.)

Highlight #3: Food For The Famished

We all know English is famous for their fish and chips, and if you love the fried fishies and chippies then you are gon' like England, there are a hella lot of places that sell the famous dish. And don't even get me started on the breakfast they serve there.

Typical English Breakfast

THE BEST MILKSHAKE EVER

Traveller's Tip: Bring a napkin wherever you go in England, cause' the food is gonna make you salivate. Let's not forget, them good-looking English dudes are all over the place, you wanna look good if you wanna win over a British heart. We all know how Nialler loves his food too, so if you're a Directioner, you should always come prepared for a meal.

When I was at the airport, I was blessed to come across a Costa. If you guys can recall, I mentioned my love for mint chocolate chip milkshakes in LouBriTri's previous post. But the milkshake I ordered at Costa was not just any mint chocolate chip milkshake. It was THE mint chocolate chip milkshake.

I normally have problem when deciding whether or not to get a mint chocolate chip milkshake or a caramel milkshake, now, I've tasted a mixture of both. It taste like heaven. If you don't know how heaven taste like, I totally recommend visiting Costa. No Starbucks is gonna top up any drink like that.

Highlight #4: Famous Stuff

On one of the days I was there, my mom dragged my entire family on a shopping spree at the outlet mall. As much as I love shopping, I was not pleased because everything was branded and too expensive.
Although, a miracle happened on that day because I found myself standing outside the X-factor audition headquarters. JACKPOT. This was the place One Direction began, where future stars will take their first step to getting into the Hollywood industry. Believe me when I say I wanted to barge in right there and then, to audition my fangirling skills, but I was not ready for the camera, and I would've been arrested if I did so. Instead, I spent ten minutes with my face pressed up against the window, watching a guy model a pair of angel wings. Strange, but, talent has no limits.

X-Factor Audition Headquarters

Chris Hemworth's
Signature

Don't judge me for watching them talented peeps for only ten minutes, I would have stayed longer but my mom really wanted to check out those pish-posh boutiques before they shut.

Finally, on my last day at England I went to the Kew Gardens and was greeted by the best surprise EVER. I'll give you a hint: I met a celebrity. Celebrity description: Muscular, Australian and is the brother of Loki, the God of Mischief. Guess the mystery person yet? It's Chris Hemsworth. THOR. Before you ask, my answer is: Yes, I cried in front of him, his wife, his babies and his friend, who was laughing at me. I'd like to apologise to all those teenage fangirls who I always criticised for crying buckets over a celebrity. I now know how it feels like.

Picture With Chris Hemsworth
Photo Credit: Dad

On the positive side, at least he will remember me as the 'crying Asian fangirl at the park'. BUT IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT EVER. I even got signatures. YUP, signatures with an 's'. AWESOMENESS.

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Cheltenham: Bourbon-On-The-Water
Photo Credit: Tori

A Pink Rose in Full Bloom

England's Infamous
Telephone
 Box

My Sunlight Selfies

Well, that's all my favourite parts of my trip, now go ahead and read about Louisa and Bridget's adventures in Korea and Gopeng.

English Sceneries

It's gonna be a good read, I promise!

Windsor Castle
Photo Credit: Dad

Thanks for reading, don't forget to fangirl with me in the comments!
I'll see you there, or rather, in the next post!

xxTri :)

At A Famous Chinese Restaurant
#AsiansNeedTheirChineseFood
#TheyWillGoCray-Cray

English Skies