South Korea Trip - Day 3

We woke up to a another cold weather for our day 3 in South Korea. We were now in Seoul and our activity for the first half of the day was to visit a Duty Free Shop, Ginseng Shop, and a Jewellery Store.

One of the buses parked is our tour bus. We still can't get enough of the cherry blossom trees lining up the streets. 

For lunch, we headed to Myeongdong wherein we had a very delicious and heavy Barbecue Buffet. 

Our usual table mates in their cute mother and son shirts. :)

We were given around 2 hours to walk around Myeongdong. There were a lot of stores selling food, clothes and souvenirs. It is one of Seoul's main shopping and tourism district. We caught a few cute photos while walking around.

The street is also famous for having performers who practice and showcase their dancing skills. In this cold weather (that we're not used to), they are not as wrapped up as we were in our coats.

The rest of our afternoon was spent at shopping at a bigger Duty Free shop. It was a good exercise for slight shopaholics like us. We were able to buy the things that our friends asked us to buy and other gifts as well. Periodically, we would go out of the mall to walk in the streets and take more photos. 

After shopping and wonderful dinner, we went to N Seoul Tower. There were a lot of people who were also walking towards the tower through this walkway with lovely trees.

But before the trekking begins, we had to have a photo to capture the happy moment. 

I so love this photo with the tower looming up ahead behind those trees. I can feel the anticipation of seeing the tower for the first time. It's like seeing it but not seeing it clearly. 

Finally seeing the tower up front. Too bad it was very foggy because of the cold weather. We were not recommended to go up to the viewing deck. Despite this, we were happy to look around.

Love locks at the side of the tower. I have seen a few of these before but never have I placed a lock. Maybe in the future? :P

Ah what a dreamy place to be. Just looking at the view on this window still makes me happy. There were stores, souvenir shops, and food stalls on the grounds surrounding the building. There was even an area where a local artist can perform.

After, visiting N Seoul Tower, we headed to Dongdaemon to continue our (window) shopping and food tasting. It was very cold so from time to time we had to go into a coffee shop to get some warm cup. Never have I drank a lot of warm drinks in my life! haha.

We went back to our hotel at around pm. Again, tired and happy but worried because the next day is our last day in Korea. I'm excited to write about it soon! Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!

South Korea Trip - Day 1

With my mantra of better late than never, I now have the time to blog about our trip to South Korea last 7-11 April. I felt very happy and relieved while browsing thru the photos. So, here goes..

We arrived at Incheon International Airport at around 8am but because there were a lot of arrivals in the immigration, we were able to go out of the airport at around 10am.

The cold air was what surprised us the moment we stepped out from the airport. For someone who has lived in the Philippines and Thailand, boy was it cold to the bones! I began to think if my outfit can still keep me alive until the end of the day :-D.

The drive out of Incheon International Airport was lovely. It was that time of the year when Cherry Blossoms are forecasted to bloom. I was staring so wide eyed onto the streets to take in the view as much as I can.

Our guides at Ocean Holiday Travel Co. decided that we would have lunch first instead of following the supposed activity. It made sense since it was almost lunch time. We originally thought that we had to pay for our meals but it was such a relief to know that it was part of the tour fee. 

This was our first meal at South Korea. It was good to eat warm food in the cold weather. The guides helped to serve the dishes and showed us what to mix with what. They always made sure that every guest is attended before they eat.

Our first stop after lunch was Provence Village in Paju. I'm not quite into Korean movies and drama series but they said one famous series was shot here. It is a themed village with restaurants, galleries and cafes. I guess it's more pleasant here at night. 

Just had to take a photo under this beautiful cherry blossom tree before exploring more of the village.

This is the Fashion Gallery part of the village wherein shops are selling clothes, accessories and interior design items.

Our next stop was the Paju Premium Outlet. We were given ample time to browse and shop. The place is famous for their super affordable New Balance outlet as well as other famous brands.

We had about one hour travel to our next destination. I was able to catch up some sleep and see the wide roads and tall buildings of this part of South Korea.

Our next stop was Nami Island. There are 2 ways on how to reach the island. One is thru zipwire and the other by ferry. As we were a big group, we boarded the ferry. 

Nami Island is a half moon shaped island and a very picturesque place. It is especially famous for being the location of a very well known Korean drama. We were greeted with awesome views. One can choose to walk or rent a bicycle to see the whole place.

We spent the most time at the cherry blossom footpath. Though some trees didn't flower yet, it was still a lovely sight.

It was such a beautiful place and we wanted to see more of it for a longer time but we had to catch our ferry back. We had to maximize our time and instead of walking towards a beautiful spot, we ran towards it :-)

Back to the wharf. See you again soon, Nami Island. It was such a short yet sweet time. 

Our last stop for the day was at a restaurant serving Dak Galbi for dinner. It was such a relief to come into restaurants or establishments because after getting off the bus, it was so cold outside. Eating something hot is heavenly!

I remembered I ate a lot during this dinner. It was delicious and very satisfying. 

After dinner, we were then checked into our hotel for the night. We were busy right away even if it was still the first day but nobody complained because we love South Korea! This ends our first day adventure. Thank you and 'til next blog ! :-)