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Tourism

Things to Do on a Summer Trip to Tokyo: Tsukiji Market, Ebisu Garden Place, Shibuya, Akihabara, Ueno

Posted on December 27, 2015

This day could best be described as a day of leisurely cramming.

Day 3 and 4 was dedicated to music-festivaling, because really that was the entire point of this trip. This day therefore, day 5, was our last full day, since the next day was the one wherein we fly back home to Manila (sadness). So tired and bruised though we were from two consecutive days of dancing under the sun, Hazel and I were still hell-bent on getting the most out of our last day in Tokyo. Continue Reading

Tourism

Things to Do on a Summer Trip to Tokyo: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya

Posted on December 27, 2015

Day 2 was kind of Tokyo-drifting day 1 proper, that being our first full day to roam the city. Our hosts said we arrived in Tokyo at a very opportune time, just after the heat wave had come and gone (32+ degrees! Boiling heat just days before). It was cloudy and a bit dry that day, and we left the cool comfort of our air-conditioned apartment for the great outdoors.

Tourism

Things to Do on a Summer Trip to Tokyo: Chiba Castle, Ginza

Posted on December 25, 2015

Going to Tokyo was one of those dreams I never thought would come true. Even with the news of dirt cheap plane fares, guesthouse-type accommodations, and more lenient visa rules, the Tokyo-plan remained in the airspace of dreams. The trip just had to be perfect, you know? Sakura blossoms raining from the sky, sushi platters floating in the air towards me, and maybe Oguri Shun escorting me around the city. That kind of perfect. This year, however, I realized I cannot keep waiting for the perfect timing, or the perfect weather (or the perfect celebrity bishounen date. Sad face), or else I will never get there. I just needed the perfect travel buddy, and the perfect excuse. Continue Reading

Tourism

Things to Do on a Fall Trip to Korea: Korean Folk Village, Hwaseong Fortress, Lotte and Myeongdong

Posted on December 14, 2015

Now this was the real day trip. Day 3 had us going to Seoul station to catch a train bound for Suwon. It was raining and bone-numbing cold the entire day, but obviously that wasn’t going to stop us. Continue Reading

Tourism

Things to Do on a Fall Trip to Korea: Lotte Mart, Edae, Hongdae, Gwanghwamun

Posted on November 18, 2015

Day 5 and Day 6, our last two days in Seoul, saw us virtually penniless. Yeah, I guess we were not ready for this. But going around a foreign place with almost no cash on you teaches you important survival things. Like finding a place where you can use your credit card. OR learning to stop yourself from spending too much. Or teaching yourself to just look, maybe touch, but to NOT buy.

Lotte Mart. First stop of the day was Myeongdong’s Lotte, because we’ve been trying to catch this place open so many times now it’s not even funny. We went straight to the grocery for some pasalubong, then nipped through Duty Free to window shop some more. Then it’s off to dump the groceries at the guesthouse and roam the free cities of Seoul with our limited budget.
Hello to the man from the stars. Lotte Mall, Myeongdong. Photo by Ace Tria.
Ehwa University or Edae. It was a shame really that our funds decide to run low now that we were headed to the cheaper shopping districts of Seoul. Ehwa University or Edae for short is a women’s university, and thus is surrounded by streets upon streets of fun finds at good prices. I’m talking clothes that go as low as KRW5k to 10k, and coats as cheap as 30k. Dongdaemun is pretty much Edae’s bitch, and I wish we knew this sooner. Oh well, on the next trip.
Picturesque Ehwa University. Those glass walls house a library, cafe, among many other places we did not have access to. Hu. Photo by Ace Tria.

We managed to get a couple of things, then we hiked to the oh so picturesque university to just look at the autumn colors against the backdrop of that charming campus. Then we went back down the slope (not allowed to enter the buildings, sadly) to get our street food and bingsu fix, before heading to our next stop.

Serenades are common while walking around Hongdae on a weekend night.

The guards of Gyeongbokgung preparing for their ceremony.

Changing of the guards ceremony at Gyeongbokgung.

The only three things on the menu of Myeongdong Kyoja.

Changing of the guards ceremony at Gyeongbokgung.

Doing a book drop of CP Santi’s When Cocoy Became Kikay at Kyobo Bookstore.

Spicy bean sprout soup with rice and squid. Unassuming but packs a punch and wowza, some heat!

Last shot of Myeongdong before we say goodbye yet again.

Gyeongbokgung gate.

Changing of the guards ceremony at Gyeongbokgung.

Doing a book drop of Songs of Our Breakup at Kyobo Bookstore.

Coloring books at Kyobo bookstore.

The last dessert of this trip. Chocolate ganache cake at Twosome Place.
Hongik University or Hongdae. This was easily my favorite stop last year. The energy in Hondae is infectious. And though we did not have the funds to scour the budget racks like we did last year, we went back just the same to take a leisurely walk around the streets, watch college kids have fun and be merry, and to catch the free shows on the pedestrian-friendly street.
Serenades are common while walking around Hongdae on a weekend night. Hongdae. Photo is mine.

Sadly, no one was doing a dance cover of any EXO song, but the performances we caught were pretty cool nonetheless. We also managed to find the university, which though not as pretty as Edae, was a cool sight too. Maybe next time we’ll try to find the Free Market.
Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung Palace. Last year we took the free English tour of this palace, but did not manage to see the changing of the guards ceremony. This time I had a few hours free before our 9pm flight, so I took the chance to go to Gwanghwamun, explore Kyobo Bookstore (because I need to go to a bookstore, okay, even if I won’t/can’t buy anything), walk around the square and see King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sunshin, see the memorial/petition tents set up by the Sewol ferry families too, and then head to the palace gate and outer grounds to watch the changing of the guards ceremony.
Changing of the guards at Gyeongbokgung. Photo is mine.

Let me tell you, that ceremony takes time and effort! I mean you’d think the new guard on shift would just poke the exiting guy and say “okay dude, you’re out, I’m up.” But they have flags, marches, and inspections… they did not do anything half-baked in the Joseon era, for sure.

I took the train back and spent the last free hour I had back in Myeongdong, finishing an entire slice of chocolate ganache cake on my own in Twosome Place cafe. Myeongdong is where it all starts and ends with us when we’re in Seoul, seems like. And it’s not a bad habit to build. Will probably do the same things next time we’re in the country, but in different places. Walking until our backs and legs burn in pain, resting in cafes and downing large amounts of sweets and lattes, binging on street food and spicy soups, shopping for cosmetics, skin care and discounted clothes, snatching freebies and samples here and there. Maybe in Jeju next time. Maybe even Busan can tempt us. Either way we will likely still end up in Myeongdong, in some cafe or other, taking stock of another awesome trip while looking forward to the next one.

Total cost, breakdown
Air Asia round trip (includes airfare + taxes and terminal fees + baggage + travel insurance)		9,350.00
Accomodation		7,525.00
Subway/bus/taxi/entrance		3,246.20
Food		7,525.80
Shopping		Secret
TOTAL COST, FALL IN KOREA 2014		27,647.00

Tourism

Things to Do on a Fall Trip to Korea: Noryangjin Fish Market, KBS Building, Yeouido Park

Posted on November 18, 2015

Day 3 was another day trip of sorts as we crossed over to the other (dark? Not really, hihi) side of the river for a day of fresh (live!) fish, trolling around the KBS building, and an hour or so to rest our tita bones with the view of autumn colors to relax us.

Noryangjin Fish Market. This was on Tin’s list and oh boy were we happy to have gone here. Noryangjin is supposed to rival Japan’s Tsukiji, but I won’t be able to tell the winner really since we only ate outside Tsukiji and didn’t venture the inside market when we were there last August. We explored Noryangjin though, and as a word of warning, this is not a place for fancy/open shoes and squeamish stomachs. A lot of moving, swimming things around, and then they are slayed on the spot, I am not even kidding. The market folk are friendly enough, and if you know how to haggle (like my Divisoria-trained sister), you should be able to get a lot from your budget. Don’t expect hole-in-the-wall level prices for your lunch though. What happens here is you pay for the seafood first on the first floor, then the stall would have a runner to lead you to one of the second floor restaurants, where you pay separately for the cooking.
Looking for the market. Look for the trucks bearing market goods, or better yet just follow the fishy smell. Noryangjin Market. Photo by Ace Tria.

Looking for Noryangjin Market. Photo by Ace Tria.

Runner from the market led us here. Noryangjin Market. Photo by Ace Tria.

Not the full spread, but here you will see the baby octopus sashimi, fresh uni, and another fish served as sashimi. Noryangjin Market. Photo by Ace Tria.

The three of us had 4 pieces of abalone (grilled), 4 pieces of scallops (grilled), one giant fish (half sashimi, half grilled), 2 uni sashimi, and 2 baby octupi for sannakji/sashimi served with unlimited lettuce and kimchi, and that entire meal set us back KRW40k each. The freshness and taste was awesome and totally worth the price and the fishy taste on our clothes after. Side story: after we agreed on the price of the fish, the guy smashed the fish’s head three times with his metal rod, right there on the market floor in front of us. Not something we will forget in a hurry.
KBS Building. After our market trip, we took the train a few more stops down and got off at the National Assembly Building station. A few meters walk and a sherbet stop later, we were in the KBS building, where we found the entrance to the free walking tour. Free, because you pay nothing, and free because you roam the place by yourselves, guided by a map. It was great that we were the only ones roaming the floor, so we got to play with being newsanchors/TV personalities/directors and such with no interruptions.
Reading the Hangul news really slowly at the KBS Building, Yeouido. Photo by Ace Tria.

Tin playing producer at the KBS Building, Yeouido. Photo by Ace Tria.

Walking the KBS tour. KBS Building, Yeouido. Photo by Ace Tria.

Chilling with the boys of 2 Days 1 Night! KBS Building, Yeouido.

Watching a short clip of Autumn in My Heart and trying NOT to cry. KBS Building, Yeouido.

“Taping” our show. KBS Building, Yeouido.
Yeouido Park. Just outside was Yeouido Park, and standing on top of the KBS stairs, it’s already a breathtaking view. We meant to go to the Hangang Park so we can see the river, but that was on the other side of the city and we were tired, okay? So we trudged to the one in front of KBS. A lot of things you can do there with the locals, such as jogging or hiking. There’s even a bike rental place. But we found empty benches and just SAT there, people watching and yes, resting our tita bones while the wind wasn’t too cold yet and with the fall colors as our company.
Fall colors. The view that welcomes you once you exit the KBS building.

To bike or not to bike? Yeouido Park.

Titas of Manila resting, Yeouido Park. Photo by Ace Tria.

We ended the day back in Myeongdong, trying to catch Lotte Town (and ultimately failing), but having a grand time anyway strolling the streets, gorging on street food.