Hokkaido 4D3N in Autumn (September)

Quick trip to Hokkaido last September (transition from summer to autumn with a dash of typhoon)
Depending on the season, you get to see a different kind of scenery so choose wisely.

Your guide to a (lil) mission impossible 4D 3N trip to Hokkaido

which is actually quite possible! Obviously you can't cover ALL the spots but these were the ones we decided on. It was a real quick fingersnapletsdoit start planning, get the tickets and there we were, off to Hokkaido. It happened in the span of 2 weeks- from planning to flying, no joke.

We took the Saturday night flight and arrived at Shin-chitose airport on Sunday morning 8am. We agreed that this trip would be a zen, chill out one, so we didn't squeeze in too much in our plans.

Tip: It's best to travel by car when it comes to Hokkaido, and we did not regret one bit!
There are plenty of car rental services provided, including ours that we booked online - from ToCoo! (unfortunately I just checked again and somehow they are closed?) and collected the car easily. Just google and you will find plenty. We got the one nearest to the airport so it was easy to start and end our journey. Remember to ask if there is an option of getting an english GPS. I tried using Waze at certain areas and it works, but I'd still recommend the GPS. They function searches by phone numbers of the places (as we don't know how to read/type japanese). So for example if you wanna get to a restaurant, you find out its phone number and key that in! Easy peasy.

Got a little worried looking at the typhoon greeting us.

The first destination we drove to - a 2 hour drive to our accomodation near Daisetsuzan

Pension Ressha House - would highly recommend this place. Affordable stay at a cosy neighbourhood area. It's a house run by a family- or that's what I gathered. It seemed that the uncle who spoke to us (the owner it seems) is a retired man who previously worked under the Japan Railway company. That's probably also why there was an old train carriage at the side of the house. Very instagrammable lol

Set our luggage down and then drove around 1 hour 30 mins to Asahidake Ropeway Station (tel: 0166-68-9111) to Sugatami station, which was our way up to Daisetsuzan. (the other would be the Kurodake ropeway*Sounkyo which is on the east side of the mountain) This is probably the easiest way to reach the prettiest view ever - it was really worth the time.

Our view consist of the autumn colours- it wasn't the most vibrant time but it was still beautiful nonetheless. I think most people do the hike but if you have limited time like us, you can always still enjoy the view and hang around the base. The ropeway brings tourists up to the main area, then it's by foot from there- it's a famous hiking spot and people spend up to 7 hours hiking their way to the summit while exploring the national park. They provided shoe and jacket rentals at the ropeway station. I wore my denim ballet flats (not the best choice) but could walk up a short bit for pictures, but we already enjoyed the view enough even without going way too far. Tip: Best to check the weather first - depending on whether it's winter or raining, or what sort of hike you would like, you'd have to wear something more specific. Double confirm the ropeway schedule too! Spent around 1-2 hours there and hopped on the cable car before it stopped servicing. There were quite a crowd so we had to wait abit in line.

I would say this spot is a MUST DO!

Since we had nothing else in mind after dinner, we found out there was a pretty garden in the near by Furano Prince Hotel - Ningle Terrace. It features wooden cabins and is actually a mini shopping area with pretty lights! I was really looking forward to this....

But it was closed LOL. They actually open from 12pm to 8.45pm, and smart people like us decide to get there at 9pm x_x Tel: 1167-22-1111 So back to sleep we went because it was a long day next!

Day 2, we departed from Pension Ressha to head towards Asahikawa. Before that, we dropped by Biei to visit the Blue Pond (which was not exactly on the way) that was less than an hour drive away.

This is the view I expected

And the view that greeted me.

Actually, the PROCESS of getting to this view was more important. There was a TYPHOON going on while me and dad braved our way through almost falling/breaking trees and strong winds with rain, while they decided to stay safe in the car. I was just being really stubborn (come to think of it we insisted on driving through that wind, thank goodness we didn't fly away) and wanted to get to the lake no matter how drenched we get. It's still beautiful, just not extremely blue.

Asahikawa

Our home while in Asahikawa was a little cottage-like backpackers house surrounded by green fields - P-Dash Garden ... Highly recommend this but it is ONLY accessible by car as it is in the middle of plots and plots of fields. There were a few other backpackers while we were there. Once you step in the house, it just feels like home. The living had a mini reading area full of japanese comics (favorite pasttime), a dining/chillout area and a mini bar. The rooms were generally clean and the showers/toilets although shared, were decent.

Free to park anywhere in front of the house - it's an open area.

It was quite a good pick!

The area was really dark at night and you get to experience a different kind of driving landscape, but with the car, it was easily accessible and we could drive to the tourist spots easily.

If you don't know what to eat, what better to try in Japan none other than RAMEN!
In Asahikawa Ramen Village, there are 2 long rows of ramen shops to choose from. The ramen ranges around 700 to 900 yen with plenty of choices to suit your taste buds. Dropped by for ramen on the way.

Melon and Lavender flavored soft serve! Loved the pure melon taste.

Rows and rows of pretty flowers at FARM TOMITA

One of the shops with lovely scents

Furano melon is a THING here. It's undeniably the best and sweetest. I don't think I've ever tasted a sweeter or yummier melon than this. Apart from tomita melon farm there are alot of places that sell it too around the area.

The typhoon was seriously giving us a taste of it. Strong winds and slight drizzle on and off, we STILL enjoyed the beautiful view surrounding us.

The walkway towards the shops/restaurants. The melon puff was quite memorable too, try to get that.

We never got sick of ramen and this shop had AMAZING scallops.

 
In a local kaiten sushi restaurant we found randomly for dinner. You gotta get some local sushi and fresh sashimi when you're in japan! With true green tea served in powder form with unlimited refills.

Dressing up

The weather at this month was generally on the colder, wetter side. Long sleeves/jackets, yes. Waterproof jackets, yes. Hoodies, yes. Shorts, not so much.. but you can still survive in that. Caps/hats - it probably fly away. Sunnies - yep! No skirts unless you wanna do a Marilyn Monroe scene. Footwear - anything comfy and probably waterproof, just not slippers.

Enjoy your upcoming Hokkaido trip!

Korea- Seoul, Jeju, Busan {Part 4 SEOUL}

A Girl's Heaven

From shopping to partying to beautifying yourselves, Seoul is probably the perfect place for a typical girl. Myeong-dong, the equivalent of Orchard Road in Singapore or Shinjuku/Shibuya of Tokyo, is really the best place to stay in, if you're looking for a central area that connects shopping, sightseeing, eating and partying.

Being the primary shopping district with tons and tons of makeup, food and the very hip korean youth culture; you have endless of options for fun!

Our EKONOMY HOTEL room in Myeongdong - with the best view out of all the rooms!!! (or so we heard) It was tucked in a cosy corner of Myeongdong. Super convenient for us as it was a 10 minute walk to the Subway line that we used to go literally everywhere

Rainy day in Myeongdong, the streets that we were so familiar with as we have to pass it everytime we travel out

Could never forget the raspberry maekgolli that we tried here. And my favorite naengmyun (cold noodles)

This is actually a fraction of what our haul included.

Met up with a local friend who brought us for Korean BBQ!

Hongdae 

a.k.a Hongik University  - by far the place we miss the most
Well known as the artsy "nightlife area", hong dae streets enclose various gathering spots for youngsters. Trendy, well-dressed people swarm the area. While strolling along the street, more often than not there will be street buskers performing; occasionally these will be university students showcasing their talent or just taking turns singing for fun. The whole vibe just gets you hyped up and feel like joining in. Girls walking in little groups laughing, dance groups taking over a certain territory for practices, couples dating hand-in-hand, blasting music everywhere - gathering little crowds --- all these complete the whole university life scene. It is very influenced by the indie music culture. This area not only holds the crowd of Hongik University students, but also youngsters from everywhere else; including tourists like us!

For party-goers: The famous clubs in Hongdae include NB/NB2, Cocoon, M2, Club Vera, Club Mansion.. the list goes on but from our mini pre-party research and speaking to locals, these are the more well known ones. They even have a Hongdae Club Day that admits you to 11 clubs at only 15000KRW! The well known NB/NB2 has a wristband deal that allows you to hop from one to the other. I think we paid 15000KRW. It's mainly popular because it is owned by the YG Entertainment company and it plays LOADS of hip-hop music. It wasn't really my thing too until we actually experienced it. Trust me, the vibe is just... WOW. Cocoon was not in our plan but since we had so many nights in Seoul, a spontaneous chance led us there. It was 10000KRW on a weekday. The music was more of pop songs and at some point we really just missed NB2 so much. I'd give it the benefit of the doubt though, since we heard that it is famous, and it was a Wednesday night anyway.

Party people there are generally very friendly and wouldn't mind trying out abit of english to try to communicate with non-korean speakers. It is also filled with youngsters from all over the world so you actually get to mingle around, make some new friends or just dance the night away. You might get to catch a glimpse of some YG artists there although unlikely; but young trainees sometimes practise their dance there. Tip: You'd wanna dress your best or up your game because people generally dress VERY WELL there. Eye candy everywhere, whether you are a girl or a guy haha

Itaewon and Gangnam

are two other famous locations to check out. I can't remember exactly where we went but there was a nice eatery upstairs that served chilled YUMMY FLAVORED MAKGEOLLI (put that in your to try list!) and then we went to a club but decided to hop back to HongDae instead and I can't even remember why. But Itaewon does have quite a lot of good clubs as well, such as Octagon and Arena, but you could easily search up the new popular ones.

I knew Gangnam as an area well known for their vast amount of plastic surgery clinics. We only passed this place twice, once to shop in a random mall and the second because we needed to take the bus to Everland from there. It's basically the "designer" district where everything is expensive,trendy, high end and upscale. Quite alot of high end clubs/pubs there as well.

E-hwa Women's Uni

It was a last minute decision to go, just to check out the popular "shopping street". The place just gushes with feminine vibes, with plenty of makeup stores, drugstores, clothing/apparel stores; youngsters on the sidewalk dancing, singing, rapping (abit similar to the HongDae scene but more shopping) I did remember buying quite a number of masks from one of the drugstores there. Their winter coats were really pretty too but I thought I'd save the money for makeup stuff then.

Experience it: Eating in a pojangmacha on a cold night near the Uni
Tteokbokki and warm fish soup!

TBH I can't remember where this was. One of the examples of food stalls in a market (probably Namdaemun market) that sold intestines and such. Again we took it with makgeolli!

The famous banana milk! They sell this everywhere, I think. We got it from Lotte Mart at Seoul station
There's a hype about Lotte Mart and a WHOLE list of things you need to get if you're there 😍

Korea- Seoul, Jeju, Busan {Part 3 SEOUL}

Seoul Searching

Myeong-dong/ 明洞/ 명동; at one of the intersections

View from one of the restaurants. Just across this (2 floors above etude house) is an amaaazing fried chicken restaurant. We had chicken and beer before one of our night outs and it opened till late.

One of the alleys - they really have food everywhere

 That was a glimpse of Myeong-dong, the epic shopping area with endless intersecting streets.
We spent our remaining 7 days in Seoul here, where all the action is!

South Korea is well known for its beautiful people and wonder makeup, so it was not surprising to find multiple (and by multiple I mean like 3!) same beauty shops on a single street, say Nature Republic, Missha, Innisfree, Banila co., The Face Shop, Tony Moly, Etude House, Aritaum.. the list goes on and on. Alert: Girls heaven! Even for guys, you'd probably be able to find something nice to use, like a concealer, acne serum or facial scrub etc. The selection of clothes are a plenty too! It was the winter collection in most places though, so I barely found anything I wanted/needed T_T , but their fashion is seriously OUT OF THE WORLD. Every piece, especially all the winter coats!!! was so pretty it broke my heart when I couldn't/shouldn't get it. The rational part of me still worked most of the time lol. But yes I did have a mini haul, and I don't even usually have makeup hauls. 

 

A fraction of the area map in the station. Holyyyyyyy 

Since the final 7 days for us was a mix of sightseeing, shopping and partying. I'll just go by categories! We used the T-money card for travelling on the subway and buses.

Sightseeing:

Gyeongbokgung / Gyeongbok Palace 
aka the Royal Palace of the Joseon Dynasty

Opens 9AM-6PM closing time might differ for different months Closed on TUESDAYS
Entrance Fee: 3000KRW

Line 3 Gyeongbokgung Stn. Exit 5, Walk 5 mins.

Line 5 Gwanghwamun Stn. Exit 2, Walk 10 mins.

Guard-changing ceremony

Being the main palace back in the days, the place is HUGE. We got there at around 9.30am and the year-end crowd was already filling up the area, with lots of foreign tourists and school kids. Got there just in time to witness the guard changing ceremony, where the guards actually wear traditional clothing, full equipped with their weapons/trumpets/cool gadgets (lol) changing their posts with a traditional background music. Worth looking so be sure to check out the timing.

They have free English (Japanese and Chinese as well) tour sessions available so we waited for that, one of the sessions at 11am and plenty of other tourists were with us for it. Means so much more when there is someone to explain to you what exactly the designs mean and what the ancient folks do there. We toured around till say.. 12pm and left to visit the National Folk Museum of Korea - a 5 minutes walk from Gyeongbokgung area. The admission is already included with the entrance ticket for Gyeongbokgung. So be sure to have a look because the collection is pretty complete and informative, best place for art and culture enthusiasts!




Bukchon Hanok Village

No admission fee. Lots of restaurants, museums, workshops and art houses in the area.
Walk 15 mins from Gyeongbokgung or

Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2. Go straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village

After finishing our tour in Gyeongbokgung we walked for approximately 15-20 minutes to the well-known Hanok Village, where traditional houses that were originally there since the Joseon Dynasty are located. This place is a MUST VISIT. Absolutely fell in love with the streets, although tiny but it feels like you're walking back in the ancient days, in between old brick walls and an occasional beautiful wooden door to each house. There are lots of restaurants and souvenir shops to drop by too. We had lunch at one of the restaurants along the street, while people-watching from the top floor. 

Korean lunchbox and seaweed soup!!

N Seoul Tower 

Cable car 10AM-11PM: Round trip 8500KRW, one-way 6000KRW
Observatory 10AM-11PM/12AM: 10000KRW
Boarding point: Myeong-dong Station (Seoul Subway Line 4) Exit 3, walk for about 15 minutes following the street of the right side of the Pacific Hotel.

We followed these directions > http://www.myeongdong.org/2013/11/from-myeongdong-subway-station-to.html  and had no problem finding it.

I've always heard about the famous N Seoul Tower (N referring to the "New'ly done changes) and the love lock platform with the signature bench. My advice would be to try to catch the cable car by sunset. We went straight after Bukchon Hanok Village and got to the Namsan Tower Cable Car station at about 5.30pm (i think). The sunset view while in the cable car was BEAUTIFUL. Take some pictures and try to get up to the observatory as soon as possible to see the transformation into the night view. ;)

Managed to snap this (zooming past peoples' heads lol) while in the SUPER CROWDED cable car

At the top of the hill!

TA-DAAAA! The popular lovers' spot and a background of love-locks, which can also be purchased at the souvenir shops there

Not ours haha

Night view!!!

Everland

Admission: One-day ticket 48000KRW (adults)

Tip: Keep an eye for Everland Vouchers, usually given to tourists. We managed to get our hands on 30% discount vouchers, so it was 33600KRW per person.

Jeondae-Everland Station (Yongin Ever Line), Exit 3.
- Take the shuttle bus to Everland. (Operating hours 05:30-23:30)

By Bus:
1) Sinnonhyeon, Gangnam, Yangjae Stations: Bus 5002 (~2100KRW one-way; approx 45 mins.)
2) Pangyo, Segok-dong, Suseo, Songpa, Jamsil, Gangbyeon Stations: Bus 5700
3) Sadang, Nambu Terminal Stations (via Bundang and Gwangju): Bus 1500-2
4) Gangbyeon, Gangdong Stations (via Gwangju): Bus 1113 
We took the subway to Gangnam Stn. and took Bus 5002 from there.

We had an epic night right before our initially planned Everland day so we couldn't pull ourselves out of bed lol. Fast forward to 2pm --- we decided to dash for it because it was the best time to go according to weather forecast. (People usually go at like.. 9am?) It was probably the coldest day ever but it was only going to get worse the next few days so it was then or never. Being on a mountainous area, the temperature was brought a few more degrees down. Talk about F R E E Z I N G COLD. Braving through the cold, we still managed to go for some outdoor rides and thank goodness they had quite a few indoor attractions! As the night approached, loads of people were gathered around the limited standing heaters in the middle of the park, sticking their palms out to get some warmth.

That roller-coaster seen faraway is the T-Express. Apparently the world's 4th steepest wooden roller-coaster. We didn't go on it PURELY because it was just too cold we couldn't even walk properly. What a pity. On a side note, I guess Everland is a better place during Summer/Spring.

The pretty night view!

Continuing our Seoul journey in the next post! 

Korea- Seoul, Jeju, Busan {Part 2 BUSAN}

Top of the world. - BUSAN (Geumjeongsan)

The flight from Jeju to Busan was really short, like probably 45 minutes? We spent the first 3 nights in Calli Hostel, a little corner lot just a walking distance from Seomyeon station, and 1 night in the Haeundae beach area.

Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Square

Our room in Calli Hostel, we could look out the window and see life of the locals
Super cold that day too. Stuck our heads out the window and froze

Jalgachi market and dinner

The night we got to Busan, we went for a walk in the market area before dinner. Headed to Jalgachi market for dinner and decided that it was THE night for a huge crab! After walking around and surveying some shops, we came back to a shop at the start of the street, where they served a variety of fresh crabs, squids and octopuses. The girl who attended to us spoke chinese, which made it much easier for us to communicate (in fact, a lot of the staff who work in that area are chinese) so we could ask about the price, menu etc. Ordered a 1.3kg crab for ourselves with soju. With the variety of side dishes they gave, it was PLENTY for us.

THE CRAB WAS SO FRESH. The girl who served us taught us the method of cutting the crab open and how to get to the flesh with specially designed scissors. It was probably the sweetest crab I've ever tasted. And it was PLAIN crab, with none or maybe only simple seasoning. Just the juice that comes from the flesh was enough to melt us.. Ah missing it so much.

Plenty more side dishes not in photo.. and more of our soju days haha

Geumjeongsan / Mt. Geumjeong Hike

It was an early day for us the next morning. Woke super early to take the train from Seomyeon station to Beomeosa station (busan subway line 1, take exit 5 or 7) take a short walk up a small slope to get to the bus terminal and catch bus number 90 that goes to the entrance of Beomeosa Temple. In case you were wondering, the T-money card works for buses as well. Just tap on and you're good to go.

Prior to starting our hike up, we wandered around in Beomeosa Temple where there was a prayer thing going on and people sat in rows, chanting. We noticed that the other visitors were generally older people.

Geumjeongsan is basically a very large historical mountainous area with a 17km long fortress wall and consists of 4 main gates: Dongmun, Nammun, Seimun, Bukmun (East, South, West, North gates). There are several recommended routes to hike while in Geumjeongsan. Here's a list of it: *icopypastelah :P

* Course 1 (8 km, 3 hr 30 min) Busan Nat'l Univ. - Gobyeoldae Cliffs - Dongmun Gate - Buchaebawi Rocks - Bungmun Gate - Geumjeongsan Mountain
* Course 2 (7 km, 2 hr) Dongnae - Mandeokgogae Hill - Seokbulsa Temple - Sanggyebong Peak 
* Course 3 (6 km, 2 hr) Geumgang Park - Nammun Gate - Sanggyebong Peak
* Course 4 (6 km, 2 hr) Busan Nat'l Univ. - Dongmun Gate - Sanggyebong Peak
* Course 5 (6.5 km) Beomeosa Temple - Bungmun Gate - Dongmun Gate 
* Course 6 Botanical Garden - Dongmun Gate - Bungmun Gate - Beomeosa Temple
* Course 7 (8 km, 2 hr 40 min) Jung-ri (Sanseongmaeul) - Gukcheongsa Temple - Bungmun Gate - Godangbong Peak

Choose wisely before starting. We're happy walkers so we didn't mind the effort. Here's the BEST english map I could find. They provide maps and guides at the tourist information centre too, but this would've been so much more helpful at that time ><



*Try reloading the image, it might work.
Looking at the map is one thing; truly walking it is another. Important thing to note is that most of the signs are in Korean/Hangul - so try to learn up some landmarks at least. At one point, we were reaching the end of the hike but had trouble looking for the cable car station and literally walked on the same road back and forth like multiple times. Thankfully I managed to catch a glimpse of a sign saying 케이블카 which actually really reads kae-bul-ka LOL. We were also always happy to just walk up to any ahjusshi or ahjumma with a friendly "Anyeonghaseyo" and a bow, ask "------ eo-di-ye-yo?". We were always greeted nicely and pointed to the right directions. Love their helpful spirit! If you're polite, they are twice as polite

Did some research before going and we took course 5, starting from Beomeosa Temple, end with South Gate and take the cable car down. Named after a Nirvana fish.

Encountered the first gate before entering the temple

Gathered autumn leaves - beautiful mixture of colors!

Then we set off. I vaguely remember one of the recommended time to spend was like 3 hours..? But we took our time with photos, taking in the beautiful surrounding and chatting all the way up. I think we spent like 5 hours. Which was worth it. In the middle of the hike, abit further from this place below (see below lol) there was snow! Not just ANY snow, but the PRETTY kind of light snow. One of the most memorable hikes I've ever had.

The route was mostly rocky steps like these, some stairs in between and some flat grounds nearer to the gates. Oh and I actually hiked in my good/'fashion' boots a.k.a. NOT FOR HIKING. but went ahead anyway and it clearly was upset and broke down at the end I had to throw it away the next day T_T

Cable car ride down

Perfect meal after the hike. Beef and pork stew!
Walking distance from the jimjilbang

Jjimjilbang / Onsen experience!

After the 4 hour+ walk we had in Geumjeongsan, it was of course, the perfect time to treat our poor feet to a jimjilbang + onsen session! This was a first for both of us. If you already heard about proper traditional onsens, yes they require guests to be fully undressed eg. not wearing anything at all when you're in the onsen to preserve the cleanliness of the water, and they are also very particular about guests with tattoos. We were planning to go for an onsen in Japan as well so we've already did quite a bit of reading beforehand. Being fully nude in front of your friend might be an awkward thing (I was expecting the worst), but we both got comfortable SO quickly as if we have done it a hundred times. I guess once you get in and every other woman around you is naked, you feel like there's no need to be too embarassed. x) Of course, ladies and men have 2 totally separated areas. In the jjimjilbang area though, everyone is dressed and it's a public area where men and women both use.

We went to one of the more well known ones in Busan - HurShimChung Jjimjilbang (here's a good list to choose from). Upon arriving, at the counter, you just show your passport and they hand you a key with a locker number on it. They have a system whereby all the information is stored in the key so whenever you spend, for example on drinks they sell by the pools, they just scan the key and you're good to go. This is so that you can keep your cash etc in the lockers and only pay the final sum at the counter when you're leaving. Very smart system indeed- was amazed by it I wonder why not all places use this.

Gamcheon Cultural Village

Started off early to catch a bus to Toseong station (subway line 1), get out from Exit 6 and take the local bus Saha 1-1, Seogu 2 or 2-2 - it all leads to the same place --  Gamcheon Cultural Village, which was on top of a hill. Bus comes quite often and is marked clearly so when you see one just hop on. The rooftops of the crowded houses forms a sea of colors, which made it the pretty "Santorini of Korea".

They try to promote tourism in that area so there was a route map designed for tourists to follow and we get to collect stamps at each spot we stop at. I think there is a small fee of 2000Krw to get the map. We didn't think of doing it initially, but out of the feeling of accomplishment (quite fun too, like a mini treasure hunt), we actually obediently followed the steps and collected ALL of the stamps (VICTORY!). Followed it closely and managed to obtain the 2 free postcards that are given in 2 of the locations. But seriously, the alleys were quite the VERY confusing at one point we almost gave up on one of the stamps because we got too tired walking up and down the same stairs (mind you it's like a LONG one) looking for it. Since my comfy boots were destroyed from the day before, I actually wore my H&M ballet flats in that freezing weather LOL. I survived, but not without new calluses and sore toes.

Main attraction of this place: The culture, artsy decorations and some shopping. The colorful fish symbol is everywhere along the mini streets and there are many more abstract artwork and interesting stories behind each of them. Lots of Instagram-worthy spots too ;)

Their version of love locking - a lock set has to be bought first before they let you up. 

We went to BIFF Square for street food as late lunch after we got back to the town area! Loved the whole vibe there. School kids were in their uniforms flocking the whole place, food stalls with a huge variety of street food; generally it was a busy place during the day.

For those who are interested in drinks/dancing/meeting international friends

We moved to Haeundae for our 3rd night in Busan. Haeundae beach area is known for its bars and clubs so we wanted to have a go to experience it. Initially went to a very very dodgy club and it was just 2 of us so within 10 minutes we RANFOROURLIVES ok kidding not that bad but couldn't communicate in there anyway. Found out that koreans are sometimes actually really particular about who goes in eg. if you can't communicate in korean or if you're not good looking/dress well enough for them (yes if you have read about korean culture they emphasize alot on looks) We then read about this bar/restaurant called FUZZY NAVEL and its hype so we decided to just give it a go.

Samgyeopsal at 5am wooooooooots

IT WAS THE BEST NIGHT EVER.

Just gonna describe this one because it was QUITE an experience. When we first went in the place it was already 1am-ish but still crowded with happy people and music was blasting but not too crazy. You could see happy bartenders and customers bouncing to the music. After we had our drinks, the manager dude came over to chat us up and he was CLEARLY drunk. Probably the happiest and funniest drunk man ever. He brought a few of us in the shop together, including 2 korean girls, 2 korean guys, 1 from Czech Rep, 1 from the States, 1 from Germany and made all of us friends with his cheerful vibe. At the end of it he brought us to a BBQ shop and treated us all to Samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly ftw!!!!!!!!) I don't even wanna mention the time we finally got back. Hey it only happens when travelling :P

Majestic indeed

Haedong Yonggung Temple

After getting back in the morning, we quickly caught up with sleep and then had to peel ourselves off the bed because it was the hotel check out time! Managed to hand the keys in on time, then dragged ourselves to visit Haedong Yonggung Temple.

I would say it was worth going. It's a wonder built right beside the sea, giving it a very majestic look. It was pretty crowded when we were there. For a temple, there were plenty to look at and quite a few interesting practices to follow, for example pouring water over the sculpture while praying.

Go to Haeundae station (Busan Subway Line 2, exit 7), take bus 181 (the bus stop is right in front of a convenience store) and alight at Yonggungsa Temple - bus ride was about 40 minutes so it would be best to find a seat. It wasn't too difficult because you could clearly see the same crowd going to the same place from Haeundae station. From the bus stop, a little bit of walking is required, but nothing too crazy - just a 10-20 minutes slightly uphill and some steps leading to the temple.

I was depending on an Americano I bought from the convenience store where we took the bus. One thing I like is that they have WARM drinks that comes in aluminium bottles which you can recap. I could keep it in my bag and take my time with it. It worked wonders! Literally kept me awake even with that mere 2 hours of sleep.

When we got back to the hotel again, we had to RUSH TO BUSAN STATION! -- For our Korea Train Express (KTX) train ride to Seoul WOOHOO

The receptionist for our hotel in Haeundae was SO FRIENDLY AND SWEET she wrote a note for us to hand to our cab driver to tell him we needed to rush to Busan station because we were late for our train at 4.30pm, and even quoted us an estimated fare for the cab AWWW

Next up: Read about how we spent our nights in the super happening shopping area Myeongdong, Hongdae with the exciting hip vibes, Gangnam, and Everland, just to name a few!

I'm still missing my crab.