Seoul, Jeju

The way i see it, its a little confusing..mixed signals..you said im driving you crazy but i think i'm driving myself crazy knowing that i'm driving you crazy (:

I don't know who is going to..but i think if i don't think about it, the right feelings will come..

Source of photo: Tumblr

--

Seoul Metro is kinda complicated but if you figure out the shortest route (tons of interchange), you'll be alright.

Landed at Incheon 7.30am. Its Visit Korea Year 2010-2012 so we got our tourist package and scoot off to meet Ji Eun who was there early to pick us up although its the first day of new year (:

SQ flight was slightly uncomfortable for me, trying to sleep, trying to eat, trying to exercise, trying to watch movies..pretty empty flight so we got all the attention we need. Plus, we got the champagne as requested. Countdown to the new year was a quiet affair in the air..haha

Weather was bearable at -7 degrees initially..then it took a downhill..freezing my hands/feet at -18 gradually. Breathing became difficult without a turtle muffler, nose was very dry..skin peeling..cold rash..you need a beanie to protect your ears else it might drop off. We started piling on more layers. The sight of snow was so comforting on alternate days. Dragging our luggie in the ankle-high snow is not funny when we had to check out of the teahouse and catch a flight to Jeju :(

Seoul Metro is really crazy on peak hours. They squeeze, they push. But they don't mean any harm. Nobody is rude but nobody will say 'excuse me'. When the roads were badly piled up in snow, more Koreans packed the metro. Their subway is freezing cold..sometimes they'll use shovels to clean up the pavement (half melted ice/snow). Everyone's pretty initiative.

Talking about the worst snowfall in 70 years, i can't believe i was there to witness history. I just wanna stay in, not shower, bundle up in heaps of blanket and sit on the heated floor. But Faith was super enthu, she forced me to conquer Seoul with her. And we did it, free and easy (:

You're right, its not easy if you dont speak Korean. But its possible to overcome. We do speak a lil', sometimes they understand Chinese. Else we just look out for signs and directions. We even walked from Nandaemun to Dongdaemun when the weather was good (good meaning -3 degrees). We passed by Myeong Dong every other day, went into TheFaceShop, Etude, SkinFood..really cheap facial products. Stationery stores became our favorite shopping destination. Clothings wise, they have an awesome sense of fashion. Doota! really showcased it, and i spent the most there. A silk/cotton dress cost around SGD84, leather bag SGD189, accessories prolly SGD12 and shoes from Hello aPm at about SGD50. Mad shopping!! But for the quality, i was very willing to splurge. Faith was uncontrollable :b

Their kimchi pancake..kimchi with rice..kimchi chicken..kimchi ramen..Gim..Mandu..Bibimbap..BBQ..street potato..street fishcake..sausage..yummy!!! I could get used to it everyday :b

Throughtout our short stay at Ji Eun's apartment, they played v v v good hosts to us. Her mummy prepared breakfast and dinner. Her daddy drove us to the nearest metro. Ji Eun accompanied us on shopping trips, gave us bus directions to places, treated us to BBQ dinner, taught us korean, played the good-sister role. We were very touched by their hospitality.

DMZ was the most educational trip. Visited the 3rd tunnel and felt the tension between the North and South Koreans. Freedom bridge..etc..

2 days 1 night trip to Jeju was thankfully not delayed. Considering they canceled all flights at Incheon and Gimpo due to the nasty weather. Jeju is beautiful, except we didnt have enough time to cover all the attractions. Jared was feeling really sick too.. =/
Flight was scheduled at 7.40am and guess what time we checked in? 7.15am. Crazy right. I know. Its the worst experience by far, so scary!

I don't think the Koreans are rude or loud. I think of them as very approachable people. You don't really see Caucasians or tourists around city. Majority will be on tour groups, time is tight and they're prolly traveling on the coach half the time. We blend in well as Koreans..haha..until we open our mouth! O_o Well, i have Seoul at the back of my head so if you need help with your itinerary, let me know (:

Next time, i wanna visit Seoul and Busan in summer/spring.
Have to save up..i am so broke.
:(