Blogs from Seoul, South Korea, Asia - page 11

Asia » South Korea » Seoul June 20th 2015

The first of exactly three gas stations we've seen. All have been in Gangnam.

Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long! Last week was pretty crazy, since Tanya had to leave on Thursday for her orientation (although somehow we have managed to hang out after her orientation activities are done for the day, and she has all day tomorrow to hang out. On Monday she goes away for a retreat, though, and I won't see her again before I leave on Thursday). Therefore, be forewarned that this will be a long post. ^_^ Last Saturday, we went to Gangnam, the fashion district of Seoul (most commonly recognized from the song Gangnam Style by Psy that went viral a few years ago). When you first exit the subway station, you see lots of very brightly colored bear statues (kind of like the cow ones you find throughout the US). Each statue ... read more

Day 6 & 7, Seoul & Busan

Asia » South Korea » Seoul June 19th 2015

Jjimjilbang area

LauraJH

Day 6 Yesterday was our last night in Seoul. In the morning we first went to Jjimjilbang which is a Korean sauna and spa. The name of the spa where we went is Dragon Hill Spa and it's one of the biggest jjimjilbangs in Seoul. There we first got electronic keys, two towels, shorts and a t-shirt. Then we had to leave our shoes in lockers and go to get a shower. After that we could go and enjoy different hot baths like Korean Ginseng bath, and just relax. After the spa section, we went to the jjimjilbang area were we could relax while wearing the shorts and the t-shirt we got, and had Korean sauna style eggs and water :) We spent about 3 hours in the spa and after that we went to Bukchon ... read more

Day 4, Seoul

Asia » South Korea » Seoul June 16th 2015

Hanbok

LauraJH

Today we first headed up to Korean Tourist Information Center in Gwanghwamun area. In the center we tried traditional Korean dresses. Two ladies helped us to put the dresses and then they took pictures of us. After leaving the center we also passed by the statues of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin and King Sejong, which are situated in Gwanghwamun Square. Next we went to the N Seoul Tower located in Namsan Park. The tower is 236.7 meters high and from the observatory you could see the entire Seoul. To get to the tower we first took a cable car and then we had to walk a bit. Before going to the tower we went to a platform which was full of locks. We also bought one lock and put it to one of the railings. Usually couples ... read more

Day 3, Seoul

Asia » South Korea » Seoul June 15th 2015

Sumunjang

LauraJH

Today we visited quite a few places. First we went to the Gyeongbokgung Palace, which is the largest of the five grand palaces remaining in Seoul. It was built in 1395. We just walked around the palace grounds and took pictures. Also we saw a re-enact of Sumunjang changing of the guard ceremony, where these men were dressed in traditional Korean clothes and played some traditional instruments :) After the palace we went to eat this very popular dessert Bingsu, which is shaved ice with toppings. We took a berry bingsu, which had strawberries, blueberries and red beans. Next we went to Hongdae Street near Hongik University subway station. There we were hunting for Rilakkuma teddy bear plushie for Tiina :) Unfortunately we didn't find it from there so we continued to Ewha Womans University area. ... read more

Day 2, Seoul

Asia » South Korea » Seoul June 14th 2015

COEX mall entrance and Clash of Clans

LauraJH

So today was our second day in Seoul and we decided to go shopping! When we went to the metro this Korean guy came to us and we started to talk about Finland and Finnish bubble gum Jenkki, but after a while he changed the topic to Jesus, God and repention, which was quite interesting :D But he was still a nice guy :) We have been using metro because it is easy, fast and convenient. Yesterday we bought these rechargeable T-Money cards, which can be used for public transportation (subway and bus) and in some convenience stores. We went to Asia's largest underground shopping mall COEX. It was fun that there were a lot of big posters about this Finnish Game Clash of Clans from Supercell around the mall. The first one was in front ... read more

First day

Asia » South Korea » Seoul June 13th 2015

Kimchee Seoul Station Guesthouse

LauraJH

After 15 hours of waiting and flying we finally arrived to Incheon International Airport at 10.35am. We flew with Turkish Airlines and we had to change flights in Istanbul, Turkey. We left the airport and went straight to the city center of Seoul by Airport Express train AREX and it took us about 43min. Then we went to Kimchee Seoul Station Guesthouse, where me and my friend Tiina will stay for the next 7 days. There we were met by Scott who showed us our room. We stayed in our room only a while because we didn't want to fall asleep. We decided to go to the Myeongdong shopping street to get something to eat and to do some shopping. We went to eat to this small restaurant called Neul Bom. I took a dish named ... read more

And We Thought Getting Lost Was Bad...

Asia » South Korea » Seoul June 9th 2015

SO MANY STAIRS

katiekate

Hi everyone! I know I wrote a post recently, but today was too eventful not to write about it. To begin with, we hiked up to the base of the N. Seoul Tower. The hike felt like it took forever, and was a steep uphill the entire time. Most of it was stairs (although there was a portion at the beginning which was just a steep hill in order to reach the beginning of the actual trail), and they were made of stone and very oddly spaced. In some areas they were low and wide, and in others they were high and narrow. And it was a very irregular thing, too. The hike was torturous, and I was definitely feeling how out of shape I am as I climbed and watched the crazy people running up/down ... read more

Whatever Happened to the Strong Independent Woman?

Asia » South Korea » Seoul June 7th 2015

Lotte World Mall

katiekate

Hi everyone! 12:00 am marks the end of my third full day in Korea, and the beginning of my fourth (although I will definitely be sleeping for a bit before doing anything). It has been an exciting three days! Hanging out with Tanya has been trying and overwhelming at times but overall so much fun! Our apartment in Seoul is tiny--it seems more suited to one person than two--but since we spend most of our time out and about, it works. I think I am allergic to airports, though. It seems if I spend much time in them, I inevitably end up with a cold (or maybe it's just Tanya. It seems like I'm always getting sick when I'm with her! And she never gets sick, it's totally not fair). Anyways, the first day here was ... read more

Engineering Picture Books

Asia » South Korea » Seoul May 22nd 2015

2.1432325825.insadong-market--starbucks

bwendorff

Corey taught Judo this morning until 9am, so we didn't get up until he returned home. Then Clara made us all tasty pancakes that we covered with Nutella and bananas. What a great way to start the day! Meanwhile CJ was watching cartoons on the TV. The show was one about pulblic buses and other transportation in Seoul. Corey told me the site was such a big hit that the government started making some of their public buses look like the characters (same colors/eye headlights) and have the voices inside for stops sounds like the voice on the show. Great idea to get kids comfortable on public transportation, if you ask me. The bus system in Seoul is inanely large. When we went to the bus stop that morning, the flow of buses never stopped. Finally ... read more

Dance until you Drop

Asia » South Korea » Seoul » Gangnam May 21st 2015

2.1432194856.myeong-dong-cathedral

bwendorff

I got up early to catch the train to the airport. I made it through the gate and onto the train just as it was pulling away (oops cutting it close). Not a minute after I got on, they made an announcement that every seat was reserved. Dang it! So I hopped off quick at the next stop to ask the platform conductor how to get one. He directed me back on the train, so I got back on. A few minutes later, the train conductor made his way through the train checking tickets and let me pay for one. Lucky me! When I finally made it to the airport, I was really confused trying to leave because the one I bought on the train was only half the price. I originally used my PASMO (the ... read more

2.1432194856.fun-with-cj-at-myeong-dong-market

Brief history of South Korea

Korea was an independent kingdom under Chinese suzerainty for most of the past millennium. Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five years later it formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, a...more history

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