South Korea Trip, August 31

Good morning Gangnam!  And, sadly, goodbye.

Today's weather will be a comfortable 27°C (81°F), and there will be less rain than yesterday but still some.

Today's Agenda

Soon I will be leaving my apartment to go to the airport.  I am very early for my flight, but there is a reason for getting out of here early.

What am I going to do in Incheon today?

• See and chat with EXID.
• Explore Incheon with 다인 (Da-In).
• Get on my plane to USA.

It is going to be a good day until I have to say goodbye.

Today's Experiences.

On every day this month, I have written my agenda in the morning then updated my blog post with what actually happened during the day.

Today will be different.  Today, I'm not going to share the details of the day on this blog.  I suspect that it will be too personal and special, and it will be inconvenient since I will be on a flight for a super long time, both good reasons to skip my final update.

Just assume that everything went according to plan.

South Korea Trip, August 30

 Good morning Gangnam!

Today is my last full day in South Korea.  The temperature today will be a cool 20°C (86°F), but it will be raining all day.

Today's Agenda

There are a few things that I could do today, but I don't know how much I can do in the rain.  I think that I will mostly stay indoors.

• Buy stationary for letters to EXID.
• Clean up and pack.

The first item may raise some questions.  How am I going to get letters to EXID?  That is part of one of tomorrow's adventures, so find out then!

Today's Experiences

I am very sad to leave this city.  The first part of today was just like any other day, but the last few hours were about preparing to leave.  It is very sad.

Bun Patty Bun

I really like this restaurant.  The meat is mediocre, but the buns are really great, and the toppings on some burgers are unique and very good.  Actually, all of them are very good.

I also really love sitting here and watching the street outside for a while.  It is a very good view.

I stopped by Bun Patty Bun on my way to an art supply store that my friend 다인 (Da-In) found.

Letters to EXID

I stopped by an art store after lunch to pick up some stationery and envelopes.

I am meeting EXID tomorrow, and my friends suggested that I write them letters to read on their plane ride to Japan.  I did just that.

I am very thankful to 다인 for helping me to translate my messages to Korean!  She saved me a lot of time and effort.  I, of course, still had to write them for a personal touch.  :D

South Korea Trip, August 29

Good morning Gangnam!  Today will be a comfortable 23°C (74°F) temperature, but there will be rain starting at around 3pm.

Today's Agenda

I have no goals for today.  Maybe I will go on an adventure, maybe I won't.  :)

At the very least, I think that I will have some pictures of food to share later tonight.

Today's Experiences

Today, I worked on LEGGO News for a few hours.  I may be on vacation, but the theme of my trip is EXID, and the fansite is about EXID, so... my priorities should be set.  However, I have been putting off working on LEGGO News for a few days, so I had a lot to catch up on.

I did, of course, have food today!

Spontini Pizza

Most of the food in Korea is Korean.  Even most of the "western" food doesn't really remind me of home.  It took me a very long time to find a restaurant that had a menu item that would satisfy my cravings for real American food.  That restaurant is Spontini.

Or you can go to the Michelin steakhouse in Sinsadong, which is also "western", but that is also insanely expensive.  Spontini is affordable and nearby where I am staying.

Okay, it is still influenced by Korean culture.  You eat the pizza with a fork and knife.  The taste, however, is definitely something to satisfy a craving for authentic American food!

Since I'm talking about finding American food in Korea, I think that it is on topic to note some differences.  American food is definitely unhealthy with lots of fat and oil, and that is probably why we are so fat on average.  Korean food is healthier -- of course! -- and centers around mixing many things together, mostly vegetables.  I have not seen many fruits in South Korea, which stands out as odd to me.

Coffee and Dessert

I don't remember the name of the restaurant that I went to tonight, but it would be very easy to find another one just like this one.  It is insane how many coffee and dessert restaurants exist here!  I love it so much!

I don't know what exactly I ate, but it was much lighter than I expected and very great!

South Korea Trip, August 28

Good day Gangnam!  Yes, after sleeping late then finishing the blog post about yesterday, it is now past morning!

The sky is mostly clear, but the air is not too hot.  The weather will be mostly sunny all day, and the temperature high today is 29°C (84°F).

Today's Agenda

I don't have much on my goals list that is left undone.  My friend 다인 (Da-In) did suggest a couple of places again last night, so I may visit those if I have time.  I think mostly I want to spend today working on the LEGGO News fansite.

My goals for today are:

• Work on LEGGO News.
• Eat something delicious.

If I have time, I'll add something else to my agenda.  I don't like to overload my daily goals, because then it can be a disappointment if I fail to meet them all.

Today's Experiences

I have not worked on LEGGO News today yet or done any chores.  I did go out to eat lunch then dessert, and I make a run to the local 7-11.  However, for the most part, I didn't do anything except smile out my window!

Am I too happy after yesterday?  Maybe I should stop reminiscing and make new memories tomorrow, or maybe I should embrace my desire to enjoy the moment.

I do seriously need to work on LEGGO News though.  I got EXID's logo tattooed on my wrist, which is permanent, so I definitely want to maintain that fan-idol relationship.  Haha!  I'll support them later I guess.

Bibimbap

I finally had bibimbap today!  It has been on my list of meals to try for over two years.

I could have had bibimbap earlier on my trip, since it is a very common meal here, but I keep missing my opportunities.  It is a lunch food, and I keep skipping lunch because time slips by unnoticed when having fun.  The best bibimbap restaurants nearby have always been closed when I searched for it.

What is bibimbap?  It literally translates to "mixed rice" (I think), but the idea is to take leftover Korean foods from the past week then mix them together and eat them with rice.  Of course, a restaurant isn't going to serve leftovers, but the idea can be simulated.

The foods are separated as in the picture above, but they are mixed before being eaten.

I mixed everything together first, except for the liquid in the middle bowl because that doesn't go in the bibimbap.  What is the liquid in the middle bowl?  I don't remember, but it comes with it, but you don't mix it in like the other ingredients.

I think that bibimbap is normally eaten with a spoon, but I found that it is very easy to eat it with chopsticks, especially with the seaweed paper to hold the ingredients like a wrap.  I picked up the ingredients with my chopsticks and put them on the seaweed.

This way of wrapping things reminds me of kbbq with 은재.  Then, we wrapped everything in lettuce or leaves.  I think that I've noticed a pattern with Korean food.  A lot of Korean food is taking a mix of ingredients, wrapping them in a vegetable, then eating that.

Movember

There is a cute cafe behind my apartment with a dog out front who just sits there watching the passersby.

I never have gone into the cafe, because I don't know what exactly is in there.

Well, today, on my way to eat bibimbap, I walked past this cafe and saw a picture of their menu.  It is dessert and coffee, which is one of my favorite combinations.  I decided to eat there today near dinner.

I really like the environment, but the dessert and coffee is what I was going for.

Oh, fancy!  Would you believe me if I told you that this was only 15,000원 ($11 USD)?  It's so pretty, right?

How was the taste?  The coffee was really good, and I liked that.  The nuts on the brownie were also good, and I may try that slicing and browning technique for my homemade meals.  The brownie and icecream were just average.

My quest to find my favorite coffee and dessert cafe continues, but the next location may have to wait until my next trip to Korea next Spring.

South Korea Trip, August 27

Good morning Gangnam!  Today's skies are the clearest that I have seen here!  It will be sunny all day, but the temperature will be a comfortable 26°C (78°F) at the max.  If the weather is any indication, today will be a good day.

Today's Agenda

Sadly, I don't plan to go outside and enjoy the great weather for most of today.  I have a few chores to do first.  Maybe I will complete them then have time to go for a walk around town.

Even though today will be dull relative to most of my other days here, tonight will be one of the most special.  I will be meeting with some of my friends to go somewhere special.  I don't know why the place is special or what exactly I will be doing there.  All of that will be revealed to me after I arrive.

My goals for today are:

• Do laundry and other chores.
• Meet with friends at surprise place.

Today's experiences

I spent most of today being lazy.  I watched YouTube videos, chatted with friends online, and found other ways to pass the time.  I also did a few chores that were on my list of things to do today.

Finally, 6pm came, and it was time for me to go to meet my friends!

가막새

가막새 (Gamagsae) is a small Korean restaurant with a cozy authentic feel.  It is just under an hour away from me by metro.  I am told that there is some more to this restaurant that I will discover when I arrive.

I meet my two friends 다인 (Da-In) and 수진 (Soojin) in front of the restaurant right at 7pm as planned.  We enter and are guided to a place to sit to eat.

My first impression is that it is extremely cozy and traditional.

The owner is very friendly.  My friends start a conversation with her.  I don't know enough Korean to participate, but I can understand enough to know that the topics are the restaurant, EXID, and fans.  Somehow these are all related?

After the chat, we get up from our table and are taken to the front of the store.

On a post and wall next to the cash register are letters, photos, and other memorabilia.  Among these are, in order of when I noticed them: a signed EXID album, a letter from Solji to the owners, and a photograph of Solji with the owners from over ten years ago.

The photograph of Solji was before she became so famous.  The lady showing us these things must have known Solji for a very long time.

After my friends chatted with the owner -- again, I barely participated since I can only understand a few words -- we go back to our table.

My friends explain that this restaurant is owned by family friends of Solji's.  The lady's son is the best friend of Solji's brother.

Suddenly, the owner brings a Solji poster in and gives it to us.  Maybe we can't eat with Solji tonight, but we can eat with Solji's likeness!

It is absolutely adorable!

We also have our food now.  It's really delicious.  I get a recipe for the first main dish, but sadly some of the ingredients aren't readily available in Mississippi.  I guess this is the only country to eat the authentic meal.

We eat the good food, enjoy sitting next to the Solji poster, and hear stories about Solji.

I really love the story about Solji saving a stray animal.  She gave the pet to a business owner and paid for the pet's food.  I couldn't tell if the business in the story was this restaurant or place, but it doesn't matter.  Solji really does have the biggest heart.

My friends and I had a very special and lovely time.

Photo Booth

After the restaurant, we have plans for more activities.  On the way to them, we stop in a photobooth.

Yes, I'm wearing a bow.  (I know one friend back home will tease me about it -- bring it on, haha!)

Arcade

After the photobooth, we walk farther down the street to an arcade.

We wander around until we find a three player game.  "Deadstorm Pirates: Special Edition".

We totally rock it!  Well, we "rock" the game until we run out of coins to continue.  We are very good for having never played the game before though.

Room Escape

We end the night's adventures at an escape room.

I have no digital photos of this adventure, and I was asked to not share the details of it.

I'll just say that 다인 (Da-In), 수진 (Soojin), and I made a great team!  We beat the escape room with twelve minutes to spare.

South Korea Trip, August 26

Good morning Gangnam!  I don't care what the weather is today because I'm not doing anything.  I will skip my usual weather report.

Today's Agenda

I have nothing on my agenda.

Why am I not doing anything today?  Really, I've done most of the things that I wanted to do, and now I just want to spend a day normally.  I don't want to go on an adventure today.

I want to know if I still enjoy living in Seoul when I'm bored in Seoul.

Today's Experiences.

There is really nothing to report today.

I did try to eat at VENEZ again, but they were full.  So, I came back home and got a snack at the 7-11 for supper.  Now I'm eating supper in my apartment, then I'm probably going to sleep.

South Korea Trip, August 25

 Good morning Gangnam!  Today will be cloudy with some rain.  The temperature high will be 24°C (76°F).  I am glad that the temperature is going down, but I hope that there won't be much rain today.

Today's Agenda

I won't have any grand adventures today, but that doesn't mean that today won't be busy.  Still, I hope to take it easy after yesterday's mountain climbing.

Here's what I have planned for today:

• Exchange more money.
• Buy 다인 (Da-in) a gift.
• Work on LEGGO News fansite.

It should be a full day, but there will be less physical exertion than usual.

Today's Experiences

Today was mostly about food with a little bit of shopping and walking.  There was a lot of food though.

I'll start with the shopping because that's what I did first after finishing my fansite work.

Buying a Gift

Gift giving is a very popular custom here.  I have received many gifts from my friends in the fandom over the years, and all of them have been very good and well thought out.  I don't know if that is also part of the custom or if I just have good friends in this fandom.

I decided to give a gift to a special person while I am here in Korea.  다인 (Da-In) helped in planning my trip, she is answering my many questions, and she found a language tutor to hire when I asked for one.  I want to show her my appreciation and give her a good gift.

I have a specific gift in mind (but I can't share what it is on here), and I think that I know exactly where to go to buy it.  I return to the massive Lotte Department Store.

I find the specific shop within the department store that I am looking for.  There are communication issues, and I have to resort to using a translator app to clear up a misunderstanding.  Finally expressing my desire to buy a certain item from a picture, the employee shows me one that is very similar to the one that I want.

I am shocked at the price.  The version that I want is much cheaper, but I have no way of buying that one, because it is only for sale online and I can't easily purchase things online without citizenship.  This similar one seems like it is my only option.  I decide to buy it.

I'm a little anxious about the unexpected cost of the gift.  My friend and her efforts are worth it, and I can afford the gift without stress, but I'm worried about how it will be received.  I will give my friend the gift on Saturday when I next see her.  I hope that she will like it.  :)

Waffle Topped with Icecream Lunch

For lunch, I want to try a restaurant near my home.  I walk past it often and see the pictures of their delicious-looking waffles with icecream.  (There is a specific name for the dessert, but I forget it.)

I find the restaurant easily, but it takes me several minutes to figure out how to order my lunch.  The layout is very confusing with each floor serving a different type of food.  I finally find the desserts on the third floor of the restaurant.

I order the waffle and icecream with brown cheese.

Mmm!  The cheese tastes like cheesecake, and the rest are just as one would expect: also delicious!

The view from this floor is also really good.  I can sit and watch the passersby for a while, and I do just that.

After my dessert lunch, which I could not finish since it is enough to fill two people, I walk back to my apartment and stay there for a while.

Apgujeong Rodeo

Around 5pm, it's time for supper.  I ask 다인 (Da-In) for suggestions because I have already gone to everything nearby that I wanted to go to.  She suggests that I check out Apgujeong Rodeo Street.

It is a street filled with fashion stores and fancy restaurants!

I get the feeling that 다인 has realized that I set a comfortable budget for my trip.  However... I'm not rich enough for this street!  Haha!

I am also uncomfortable about eating at an expensive restaurant because of my recent big purchase.  I think that I will stick with a 100,000원 limit for the rest of my trip.

I decide not to eat on Apgujeong Rodeo Street, but it is still a neat street.  I enjoy exploring it and window shopping for the next hour.

Pizza for Supper

I decide to head back home and find a restaurant near my apartment.  I walk around the block then eventually decide on a pizza restaurant.  I forget the name of it, but it was not very special.

It was average.

Really, if you're going to get pizza, go to the restaurant that I visited the other day, the one that Hyelin suggested.  Actually, just go to the restaurants on Hyelin's list.  I've realized that is the thing to do.

South Korea Trip, August 24

Good morning Gangnam!  There are clouds in the sky, but the visibility below is clearer than usual.  I think that this implies that there is a good breeze today that has swept away the usual dust that fogs the view.  The forecast is also good: cloudy with a high of 27°C (80°F).

Today's Agenda

I will finally climb 불곡산 today.  It will be a very difficult climb, but today's weather is on my side.

After the climb, I want to find 성북 돈가스 and eat there, if I'm not too exhausted or dirty.

This is my agenda:

• Climb 불곡산. (inspiration)
• Eat at 성북 돈까스. (inspiration)

Both of these are inspired by Hyelin -- really, what would this trip have been without her?

Let's go!

Today's Experiences

I am dead tired tonight.  I will sleep very well.

Today's adventures were inspired by Hyelin's YouTube vlog about her hiking 불곡산, a mountain about two hours North of where I'm staying.  It was the third and final mountain that I wanted to reach the top of on my trip, so I have succeeded in that goal now!

Trip to 불곡산

I woke up this morning with plenty of time to get ready for my mountain climbing trip.  I took my time.  I didn't want to leave until around 10am or 11am so that I could skip all of the rush hour traffic.

When it was time to go, I hopped on the long-distance bus and relaxed for the next couple of hours.

The bus ride finally ended in Yangju close to the mountain.  This area seemed very rural compared to Seoul, though I have seen much more rural areas back home.

Climbing the Mountain

I wasn't exactly sure where to go to find the mountain trail that I wanted.  Instead of Googling it like a smart person would, I just walked in the general direction of the mountain.

Eventually, the road turned narrow and steep.  As I walked the couple of miles along the steep and narrow road, I wondered if it would have been possible to drive to the top of the mountain.  It wouldn't have been, and I soon found out where this road leads.

Near the base of the mountain, just before the slope becomes steep, is a Buddhist temple (I think).  This is where the road ended.

With the road ending here, I was not sure where to go next.  The people around the temple completely ignored me, so I figured it must be common for hikers to come past here.  I walked around behind the temple to search for the trail that must be there.  I found it!

The trail was surprisingly not maintained very well and was very steep.  I found out later that this was not the trail that I was looking for.  I just found a shortcut, a direct path from the temple to the mountaintop.

This path eventually connected to the main trail beneath a walk-bridge.  The main trail was much cleaner and had more assisting tools such as handrails and ladders, but it was still very steep.

In record time -- thanks to my temple shortcut -- I reached the top!

Here are few pictures of the view from the top and from near the top:

Also near the top was the penguin rock.  I have to include a shot of this to complete my mission.  It was also included in Hyelin's vlog.

It's just a rock that looks like a penguin.

Dinner at 성북 돈까스

After Hyelin climbed the mountain, she at at 성북 돈까스.  Because I'm copying her for this adventure, I go to eat there too.  I take the easier main trail back down.  Then I walk to the restaurant near the bottom.

Hyelin was with friends on her trip, so she could order a variety of food.  I could not have eaten all of that alone, so I just picked one item on the menu: cheese filled fried pig slices.  (I don't know what it's actually called, but it looked so good!)

After dinner, I rode the bus the two hours back home.  Then I got cleaned up, did some light grocery shopping at 7-11, and updated this blog post.  Now I am ready to say "goodnight".

Goodnight!