Blogs from Hongdae, Seoul, South Korea, Asia

Suzanne here... I was really excited about Seoul. We arrived at the huge bus terminal, some way from our hotel, not unexpected given the size of Seoul. We found wi-fi and worked out which bus we needed. First of all we picked up T-cards, the easiest way to travel in Seoul. There was one blip when the first card we'd paid for failed to dispense. We pressed the call button and an engineer came out, and promptly found the ticket which was just stuck at the side. Oops! The bus took about 45 minutes. First impressions of the area were good with lots of cute bars and resturants (we'd picked it for nightlife). We were staying at the Haemil Guesthouse. The room was small but fine, apart from the stupid shower attached the sink arrangement as ... read more

We arrived in Incheon airport by night and took the subway to our hostel. We booked a place in Hongdae district (Seoul) which turned out to be a great idea. It's very close to Seoul University thus the area is young and there is lots of restaurants and pubs with reasonable prices (of course coming from China everything seem expensive, we have to adjust). Jimjilbang. You should not leave Korea without experiencing a Jimjilbang. So we checked that off our list asap. But what is it? Jimjilbang are public bath house. Upon arrival, we were given two towels, a large T-shirt, a short and a key. We had no idea about the procedure so we followed the woman who entered just after us. First you have to leave your shoes in a small locker. Then you ... read more

This blog was supposed to be just about the interesting food finds we encounter, but just this time I am going to include a photo that is not food-related. What is it? -It's a magnet. But not just ANY magnet; it's Yui from K-On!!!!!!!!!... read more

Let's be serious for five minutes. Wandering through Hongdae in Seoul, is like walking through the Taste of Colorado minus the tickets. Taste of Colorado is a one weekend, three day experience in the heart of Denver where restaurants bring a selection of simple foods and recreate them for you to try. It's a teaser menu. A menu big enough to entice you to their restaurant. Hongdae, is like this everyday. There are little eateries everywhere. And since bumping into Justin about a month ago (again). We've been indulging on eclairs, ice cream cones, artisan breads, pretzels, macaroons, barbeque beef, noodle dishes, sweet bean pies, fruit shakes and more. It's been one heck of an edible cornucopia adventure! One unexpected Friday evening, Shauna and I take off into Seoul after work for dinner. Justin calls says, ... read more

Cat Cafe- Located near Hongdae station, exit 7? If you want to go write down cat cafe in korean and there will be many students hanging about the station willing to show you to it (as we experienced a few days ago!). Anyway after a few hours of searching and getting lost we finally get the right subway stop and right alleyway and find the cafe of cats (n.b opens at 1pm!). We walk in and yes, we are inundated with cute. Overwhelmed by kitty love. it cost us a mere 8000W to hang out at the cafe and this also included a drink- I went for iced tea, Tina went for green tea latte. Ohhhhh how I was wooed by the charm of the kittens. I was surrounded by 15 year old girls, infatuated by ... read more