Best of Korea: 2AM Concert Experience

It so happens that when I planned my 2nd trip to Korea, 2AM was to perform on the weekend. So I told myself that this would be the perfect K-Pop related activity to do in Korea. It was even the last thing we did on the trip so it's like a "Save the best for last" moment. Eventhough the concert had been announced for a while, I did manage to snatch seats. Excited!

Best of Korea: KTX

I've heard of the bullet trains in Japan so I figured Koreans must have something similar. It might not be as fast as bullet trains but KTX is definitely an alternative for transport if you're thinking of going from one big city to another. On my trip in June last year, I decided to try out the KTX from Busan back to Seoul instead of taking a domestic flight which can be quite pricey.

Best of Korea - Apgujeong, SM, JYP and Cube Cafe

What is every K-Pop fan's visit to Seoul without visiting the management companies buildings. My 2nd trip to Korea, as it is with my K-pop fan friend, we decided to go search for the 3 common buildings people usually go: SM, JYP and Cube.

Best of Korea: Cafes

This is a bit less of a specific landmark. I just wanted to write something about the abundance of coffee shops around Korea itself. I'm not really a fan of coffee besides Nescafe but my sister was excited at the fact that there's so many coffee shops around Korea. We went on a hunt to the various cafes, tried out their drinks and cookies as well as get some free souvenirs out of them.

My sister's collection of coffee cup holders from the cafes we visited.

Best of Korea - N Seoul Tower

One of the most significant landmarks when you visit Seoul is of course the N Seoul Tower. I was frustrated that my first visit to Korea didn't include that. It focused too much on the shopping aspect and neglected this beautiful landmark. 

The tower at night

The tower in the day

Best of Korea: Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul

In Seoul itself, there are 5 grand palaces that you can visit. I visited Changdeokgung Palace on my 2nd visit to Seoul in 2012. I've also previously visited Geongbokgung Palace, which is the most famous one, and Deoksugung Palace, a smaller palace located in the middle of the city, but I have to say Changdeokgung is the one that impresses me the most. I was influenced by the drama Rooftop Prince in which the palace it apparently took place in was Changdeokgung (although it was actually filmed elsewhere). If you're reading this at buzz KOREA, click on the original URL to see more pictures.

Best of Korea: Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul

I've been to Korea for like 4 times in just 2 years and every time I'm there I never get bored. I just love the country especially the big cities. I thought instead of sharing my travel itinerary, I'd share things by the places I went. So I'm gonna start with Bukchon Hanok Village. I've seen and read about this place being a recommended visit when I'm in Seoul. However, only the 4th time I went that I finally get to go there. While my mum was working at a convention at COEX, I set out on my own in search of the village.

Trip to South Korea - Day 7 & 8

Previous Posts: Day 1&2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6

I'm finally at my last post on my travel to South Korea which happened earlier this year. How fast time flies by. The next days were spent around Seoul checking out places to shop and the historic sites around town. Check my full post after the break.

Spring rolls for breakfast? Meh..

The host at the Amethyst shop explains what Amethyst is all about

My Touch Korea Tour Entry

I've been setting out to do this ever since finding out about the Touch Korea Tour contest last 2 weeks. Arrgghh.. feels like it's too late now. Entry closes in 2 days and I need to gather views. It's a compilation of clips from my trip to Korea earlier this year featuring me and my cousins. Anyway, I hope, by some miracle, I could win the contest. Thanks for watching!

Trip to South Korea - Day 6

Previous Posts: Day 1&2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5

We were informed by our tour guide that the day will be very cold. In fact, at -17°C, it was the coldest day in Seoul in 34 years. Our day started with breakfast at a restaurant in Itaewon called Evergreen. It was a sort of Arab style breakfast with Naan bread and curry among the food offered. That was unexpected as I was ready to be content with hotel breakfast. That would've been better though after last night's Indian flavored dinner (Reminds me of New Zealand when I had a lot of Indian food cuz they were halal). The day's activities planned was a trip to Lotte World and downtown Dongdaemun for some shopping.

Waiting for Lotte World to open

Trip to South Korea - Day 5

Previous Posts: Day 1&2, Day 3, Day 4

The fifth day started with breakfast at a nearby Japanese restaurant. Fish chips with Udon. Strange for breakfast but the fish chips were delicious. I guess since we were so used to eating healthy Korean dishes that anything fried is delicious at that moment. After breakfast, it was time to ski! I'm not sure if the ski shoes were suppose to be tight but mine almost felt like it cut all the blood circulation from ankle down. The walk to the slope was at times slippery. We were taken to the easiest slope, for obvious reasons. Only my family opted to learn how to ski. The rest of the tour members just watched us make fools out of ourselves. 

Alpensia Resort in the morning