*SKIP TO DAY 1 IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ MY OPINION OF SEOUL*

*Warning: Post is LOOOOOOONG and picture heavy**

So I just got back from Seoul last night and I thought I would make this post sooner than later so I don't forget anything. Anyway, in general...well, when we first arrived, I'm going to admit Seoul was NOT up to what I had expected. Of course, I am speaking with a bias of living in Tokyo and being surrounded by the Japanese culture, so I was honestly expecting something similar - it's not. Now may be a result of my ignorance of just not really knowing Seoul culture/society - had I gone there with more knowledge and known what to expect, things may have been different.

From my point of view, Seoul was...well...dirty if I had to describe it in one word: people were rude (we were spat at many times and yelled at by various people), we were shoved out of the way and ignored, glared at and stared at, drivers are crazy and there was an overall lack of respect that I've grown used to from living in Japan. I thought it was maybe the areas that we were in, but we only ever stayed in the popular tourist areas that should be used to foreigners. But after speaking with my friend who has been in Korea for 7 months now, she said the same stuff hit her when she first arrived, but it's just something you get used to - and I noticed it's true. By the end of our week, things didn't bother me as much and I think I was slowly getting used to it. Although I will admit there was some kind of sense of relief or 'welcome home' when we arrived back in Japan. 

Anyway, I don't want to scare any of you from thinking of going, but just don't go there expecting everything to be like a drama, or to see k-pop idols everywhere and blah blah blah. You don't realise how much dramas and something like k-pop seem to beautify things..(Take note, we also travelled during winter, so yes I am aware that things are usually dirtier appearing because of mud and such, but it was a different kind of dirty). And everyone has different experiences and influences that will affect their reception of it. Like I said, I live in Tokyo and am surrounded by the Japanese culture and society, so I am used to that, therefore Seoul was VERY different and unexpected for me. Now that's not a bad thing - a different society and culture is what it is, a DIFFERENT society and culture and you can't do anything to change that. All you have to do is accept it and learn to live it. 

Now enough of all that stuff, I've said my opinion and why it's like that, but now onto what I actually did:

Day 1:
We arrived around 5 something and took a bus from the airport to Namdaemun market, where we proceeded to get lost and take about an hour to find our hotel when we were actually dropped off about 2 minutes away from it >.< Now we paid about $100 each for a hotel for 4 nights, and well...you get what you pay for...but it worked. Our bathroom was a wet bathroom (is that what it's called?) There was no separate shower stall or anything like that, the drain is in the floor and you could shower sitting on the toilet if you really wanted >.> Anyway, that was an experience that well...lol I would never like to repeat. It was okay once you were in it and used to it, but with little to no heating in the guest house (lolyup - like I said, you get what you pay for), the bathroom was freezing cold and it was tiled, and the water never dried fully, so you would step in freezing cold water every morning and yeah. ANYWAY, ENOUGH COMPLAINING.

We decided to go visit Namsan Tower for the night and decided to walk there, since it was apparently only a 7 minute walk. And then...well, Namsan Tower is on the top of a mountain...and there's a cable car, but for some reason we decided not to use it. Queue climing a mountain when it's freezing cold and dark and there's literally 2km of stairs and steep hills and you're pretty much dead at the top. LOL! We worked for that view! And then we went back to our guest house and stopped into a local place and murdered the Korean language until we somehow ended up with galbitang 갈비탕 or beef short rib soup.

Day 2:
This was Palace Day as I would like to dub it - we saw 2 of the four main palaces in Seoul. First I took some pictures of the super sketchy alleyway our guest house was in. Then we found a Mahabodhi Temple on the way to Changdeokgung Palace where we explored for a bit before taking the Secret Garden tour there.

We then went to meet with my Korean friend at Gyeongbokgung Palace! Then we walked around the historical village there before going for lunch.(YES THAT IS A BAMBOO PILLOW! I almost died laughing and was like OMG I NEED A PICTURE). I forget what we ate (what it was called) but it was really good, and apparently it's something that only Korean people know about, so whatever~ AND IT WASN'T SPICY!

Then we went to the Bukchon Hanok village. There is a point in the village where you can see all of Seoul. (Gandalf was not in the village but I needed another verticle picture XDDD) About this picture: those are these cool phone boxes in the subway stations that let you phone someone for free and talk for 60 seconds at a time! We had no idea who those guys were, but everyone was taking pictures of them. Then we had taiyaki or bungeoppang in Korean. And my friend made some traditional toffee. Then we bought some traditional toffee that's pumpkin and honey and is good for your throat from this guy on his bike. And then we headed to Insadong and had hotteok, which were delicious! And then we had bulgogi fried rice in the area (which we couldn't finish because we were dying from spiciness XDDD). 

Day 3: (Ohgod...how much stuff did we do?!)
We started off the day souvenir shopping in the Namdaemun market since it was right around the corner from our guest house. We got these really good...things called goguma chalba, or sweet potato chalba - it's the white things in the photo. Korean street food is SO good omg <3. We then went to Myeongdong and I went to a music store - look what I found! :P We had bibimbap for lunch (I forgot to take a photo >.<) After we headed over to Gangnam-gu and went shopping at COEX before going to a temple Bongeunsa in the area. Then we headed over to Dongdaemun for the night market...but we couldn't find it, so we just wandered around for a little bit. We went to another restaurant that didn't speak English, but this time I was a lot better at ordering and we had japchae bap! Then I included a picture of the different won bills, plus that banana milk that you always see people drinking in dramas and now I know why - it's so good!

Day 4: (Okay seriously, now I'M wondering how I did all of this stuff >.>)
We went to City Hall/Seoul Plaza and then decided since we were in the area, we would check out Deoksugung Palace. We arrived just in time to see the re-enactment of the changing of the rear guard ceremony. Then we headed over to Idae and explored around Ewha University for a bit since I have a lot of friends who go there. We ate omelette rice and hamburger patty in the area and did a bit of shopping before we went to Hongdae and explored around the area, including finding a cafe with 2 live sheep! After Hongdae we headed over to Itaewon, stopping at the War Memorial first. We browsed around in Itaewon for a bit, then went back to Namdaemun market for dinner, where we finally had ddeokbokki, and I had vegetable fried rice while my friend had ramyun. We picked up more snacks - this time I tried strawberry milk! And that bag - we were given it at Narita airport for converting money, but it's too small to fit anything, so naturally it became a hat XD.

Day 5:
Our last day, so we didn't have much time to do stuff since we had to be at the airport for 2. We split up in the morning and I went back to Myeongdong to go CD shopping. I had bibimbap for lunch again, and then we pretty much shipped ourselves off to the airport.

SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: Now this is obviously the most important part right? :P

I wasn't kidding when I said I bought a lot of stuff...

Did I just buy all of Infinite's CDs? Yes. (Other than OTT >.< And my Infinitize is back in Canada right now) I got free photos with it too! I also got Sungjong's photocard for paradise! AND it came with a poster! Aaaaand I got the special edition of NU'EST's new album that comes with a free poster! ANDAGIANTBOOKFULLOFPICTURESOFTHEM.

Clothes! I got a starry short-sleeved sweater, a sweater with wings on the hood (anyone reminded of Dongwoo's for Paradise dance practice? That'swhyIboughtit , cute tiger socks and two headbands.

GIANT POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST. SCROOOOOOOLL!