Day 56: Revisiting Myungdong Station, Attaining Heaven and Resting at a Sauna

Today, August 16th, I was determined to find that "Heaven" garden that I failed to find last time! But before heading out of the city again, I stopped by Myungdong Station one last time. Both Kpop stores had new inventory! The not-corner Kpop store had several official clear file sets from the That Summer 2 Concert for only 18,000₩ (which I bought for 15,000₩ from waiting in line for 13 hours...). And the corner Kpop store had so much Infinite merchandise, though none from the latest concert. They had a used Over The Top album for 99,000₩! And also two clear file sets from the Infinite Fan Rally for 35,000₩ each, one type of Natuur Pop photocards for 10,000₩, one type of Natuur Pop clear files and three One Great Step desk/mouse pad sets for 23,000₩ (originally 17,000₩ at the concert venue)! With so much new and differing inventory all the time, I really do think all of these products are legit because it's hard to make fake things of everything.

Anyways, so I ended up buying the Natuur Pop photocards and desk/mouse pad set. Anything official and Infinite related, I instinctively just grab it from the shelf and must have it...this is such a bad addiction. I'm surprised I didn't buy the OTT album also.

And now, on to Heaven! It's actually called 벽초지문화수목원, or Botanical Garden BCJ (which stands for Byeokchoji), and it's located in the city of Paju. So I had to lug this big thing all the way up north. But it was nice knowing I'm bringing Infinite with me on my last full day in Korea.

This garden is in the city of Paju, north of Seoul, which is all the more reason why I call this garden "Heaven." It's complicated to get here by public transportation, and took us three and a half hours to finally reach our destination from Seoul via the subway, bus and walking. It is really in the middle of nowhere and in a less developed area. We waited quite some time for a second bus, and found a very active beehive in the bus stop.

After waiting awhile, we decided to walk to the next bus stop, and we saw the bus finally coming! But the driver trolled us and passed on by, though we were walking on the side of the road (practically in the right lane with cars and trucks going into the left lane to pass us). And not another bus came by again. We walked for about half an hour on the and the few taxis that passed by were occupied (probably going to the garden -.-). Eventually we made it!

We didn't see it until we came out, but in front of the garden is a billboard of the many dramas and commercial films that came to this garden to film!

This botanical garden is vast and is broken up into different sections that greatly differ from the next. I suggest grabbing a map (they have English ones), but grab also the Korean one as they list different dramas than the English one) at the entrance; they numbered each section of the garden, making it easier to find certain filming locations if you found out their numbers beforehand. Exactly three months after visiting here, I just find out that this is where episode 4 of variety show Mamma Mia (the episode where Dongwoo and his mom guested!) was filmed here! Finally this garden is now Infinite related hehe.

This is an overview of 7, the Queen's Garden, where some scenes from 49 Days was shot.

The scene from Boys Over Flowers where Kim Hyun Joong was playing the violin was somewhere around this area, but I couldn't find the exact spot, as benches have been removed so I had no reference.

Later on I found out that the ending scene from Heartstrings was filmed in this garden too and I definitely walked by those benches, but I didn't realize it until once I left Korea! I wish I had taken a picture there.

And here is where City Hunter was filmed! It looks pretty rundown now with all the weeds on the platform and no bench here, but this was where the two leads were talking on the bench.

Also here's a scene from B1A4's music video, "Tried to Walk."

And my most favorite part, why I dubbed this place "Heaven," is the Sculpture Garden! You're Beautiful took place here, as Park Shin Hye was descending from the sky, as well as 49 Days and Master's Sun. In the back is the Castle Gate, which can also be seen in the background of 49 Days.

And lastly, inside the Sculpture Garden is the famous European statues where the three members of ANJell angelically posed with! This was the highlight of my trip (besides my Infinite related experiences)! It was You're Beautiful that started this craze, and I am finally here^^

There are more areas of the garden besides these filming locations, showing its grandeur and vastness. Though it's difficult to reach, it's definitely worth coming to this garden! But if you're a huge drama fan, I suggest doing thorough research about all the dramas that filmed here beforehand, so you can find all the filming locations!

And to finish off the night, my friend and I decided to stay in a sauna in Sinchon, called Sinchon Rest. For this specific sauna, you walk up to the counter and make the payment (for adults, it was 11,000₩ a night; daytime is cheaper). The woman, who was super friendly, gave us a change of clothes, two small towels (the size used to wrap on your head like a lamb), and for guys, the locker room key attached to a bracelet. Guys then head to the third floor, while girls head to the ground floor. The woman showed me the way, as she could tell I'm a newbie sauna goer. We took off our shoes, then walked barefoot on a slightly raised wood floor into the locker room. She showed me to a locker with the key bracelet still attached. Now, in the locker room, you take off all your clothes, walk down one flight of stairs into the shower room, and take a shower (which has zero privacy as well). Soap bars are provided, and other necessities can be bought at the counter. Then there are three large tubs to soak in, one cold, one warm, and one scorching hot. Once done, go back to your locker, change into the sauna clothes, and head on to the second floor co-ed common room.

In the common room, there is a snack stand to buy drinks, hard boiled eggs, and more. This sauna only took cash, but others are more high tech and you would just scan your bracelet to put the food on your tab to pay at the end.

There are two large floors with mats and pillows to sleep on and two TVs. Connected are various sauna rooms, like the freezer room, and an igloo with hot rocks to lie on, and other hot rooms to sweat and relax in.

On the top floor was a communal sleeping room, with comfy mats and pillows to sleep on. We went to sleep at around 2:30AM, with not too many others sleeping, and by the time we woke up at 6:30, the room was filled!

To leave, you should take another shower, throw your sauna clothes into the hamper, grab everything from your locker, and for females, leave the locker key attached to the locker, while males bring it back to the counter.

Sadly this will be my last post on this blog, as this was my last full day in Korea. Goodbye Seoul (and with the concert), goodbye Infinite, thank you for the memories. Until I return~

Day 48: Myungdong Shara Shara and Myungdong Station

Today, Friday, August 8th, my friend and I had one last adventure in Myungdong, Gangnam and Magwon Station, which I'll split into three blog posts.

As Twitter showed that a new wave of Myungsoo endorsements had arrived at Shara Shara, I decided to stop by the location in Myungdong that's next to the 32cm ice cream and across from Etude House and Holika Holika. I usually avoid this location as the worker outside is always so aggressive, but decided to test my chances. I went inside and asked how much I'd need to spend to get freebies. They said 10,000₩ for the fan (which they had given me while I walked in...), 40,000₩ for a postcard, or 300,000₩ for a poster. And this is why I hate this company so much -.-  But my friend ended up buying about 47,000₩ worth of snail face creams, and the worker gave her a Myungsoo gift bag, along with two new fans (without the hole cut out) and two rolled up posters (similar image as the fan)! After we had walked out, I noticed that they didn't give us postcards (despite us not spending 300,000₩; though I was scared they'd just take away all of our freebies) I went back in and asked if we could also get postcards. The worker hushed us and said she should only give one, but she gave two! I think the manager wasn't in, so we were able to get so much!

Afterwards we went into Myungdong Station for some Kpop shopping. There are two Kpop stores that I know of, and the first one I went to was in the middle of one of the two hallways. Here, I noticed that there were more Elite products! They had the poster set like last time, but this time they also had two copies of the mini comic book and a sample of it. I have a feeling they had this last time I went, but I was just too excited about the other Elite product to have noticed this one. I bought one for 5,000₩, along with another Infinite mobile strap for 6,000₩ and an Exo ear cap (for my friend!) for 7,000₩.

The other Kpop store is at the corner, near an exit. This time around, there were many official goods, such as SM shirts from the Pop-Up Store (selling for the same price, in their plastic bags), along with white One Great Step tees for 45,000₩, and even two Second Invasion tees for 29,500₩! There was even still a thick layer of dust on top. Also there was a huge supply of magazines, including The Star from June 2013 for 4,000₩ and High Cut from December 5th, 2013 for 3,000₩ featuring Infinite on the covers. Also there was a huge load of official slogan towels for many Kpop groups. For Infinite, they had Man in Love and Last Romeo for 20,000₩. I ended up buying both magazines featuring Infinite, the Second Invasion tee and Last Romeo towel!

I talked to my Korean friend later on and she said the slogan towels are probably fake, as only Woollim sold them in front of broadcasting stations before music shows and now they're sold out. She's also questioning the concert shirts, which makes me sad, as I was so excited about buying all of these. I'm not really sure what to think though, so I'll just put this thought past me.

In the end, I got Myungsoo endorsements and rare and official Infinite goods, so it's been one great day for this Inspirit!

Day 47: Edae Shara Shara and Revisiting Woohyun's Restaurant

In the middle of finals week on August 5th, my friend and I continued our last week in Seoul together with another adventurous outing.

A few days ago I saw on Twitter that Shara Shara has new fans, this time of Myungsoo rather than an ad for their summer sale! There are also new mini standees of Myungsoo, but they weren't available in the store yet (I asked a worker about it, and she said maybe in September). On my way to the Edae Subway Station, I stopped by Shara Shara (from the station, walk down Exit 3 for one block to a dead end, then turn left and walk down half a block, and it should be on the right!).

It seems to be the criteria for Shara Shara employees to be aggressive, curt and crude, and for Shara Shara to have ridiculous policies for exploiting Myungsoo fans, especially compared to other Korean cosmetics stores. As I entered the store, a worker handed me a basket and this gorgeous fan, so I felt obligated to buy something for the fan. After much pondering, I settled on a cooling stick that instantly refreshes when applied to your skin.

At the counter, there were Myungsoo postcards (the black version; white is long gone), tumblers and notebooks. I asked how much I'd need to spend before getting freebies. She said with a 40,000₩ purchase, I could get a postcard or four mask face sheets (not with Myungsoo's face on them), and with a whopping 300,000₩, you can get more freebies. I knew some ridiculous amount would be listed, and knew not to get my hopes up at a Myungsoo notebook. Oh well, my 9,900₩ purchase still came with a free face mask sheet, surprisingly.

Afterwards, my Mexican friend (it is relevant that she's Mexican, as that's more fascinating than an American here) and I headed back to Woohyun's brother's restaurant for our last visit. I was really craving that grilled intestine again!

It was a Tuesday, at 7:40PM when we arrived this time. The ahjussi (who we later confirmed was Woohyun's dad) who cooked our meat last time opened the door for us, so we quickly rushed in, and they sat us at the tables again. There were two parties of older couples, one group of three Cantonese fangirls, and another group of two fangirls. One of the Cantonese fangirls gave (who we assumed as) Woohyun's mom a nice box of Chinese foods with a sticky note on it. The mom soon opened it and said 맛있네 (it tastes good). They looked like dried crackers. Later on Woohyun's dad asked Woohyun's mom what it was. The other ahjumma worker (who was so friendly and not intimidating like Woohyun's mom) also tried the snack.

Here is what we ordered this time! I wanted to take initiative in writing down our order this time, and completely failed. I wanted the intestine, but accidentally chose the item above it! It wasn't until they brought out our plate of raw meat that I noticed. I asked Woohyun's mom, who was at our table, if I could change my order or not, and she kept insisting that this meat was delicious and wouldn't budge. But Woohyun's dad, who was nearby, said that it's fine to switch. He then placed the other meat dish that we correctly ordered on the grill, started walking back to the kitchen with the wrong meat, noticed that one piece of the correct meat was still on the plate, brought it back to the grill, and went back to the kitchen and came out with the intestine. I was so thankful that he was able to make the switch!

Woohyun's mom then distractedly cooked the ribs and cut them for us. She left, making me hesitantly cook the intestine myself. It was so divine when they cooked the intestine to perfection; while my pieces were all burnt, I'll someday learn to master this art.

Later on, the kind ahjumma worker gave us free 된장까지 (soybean paste soup), which was different from past visits! Here's a photo of our entire dinner, with more side dishes as well.

In the middle of our meal, an ahjussi with a knife and pineapple walked to each table, offering a slice. When he came to our table, I thought he worked here and was just giving us some dessert fruit, so when he asked where we were from in Korean, I naturally was honest. Then he tried to sell us the pineapple -.- Since then, I'm more weary of who I tell information to and I'll try to be not as naive.

Once we finished, we waited until Woohyun's dad was at the counter so we could pay him. When I took out my embarrassingly gaudy, super flashy gold card, Woohyun's mom came over and looked at the card, joking in Korean that they don't accept credit card. I was about to get cash then, we she said she was joking, and I replied 신용카드 괜찮아요 (credit card is okay)? After this episode, Woohyun's dad asked if it's a Hong Kong credit card (as the Cantonese people previously paid, and maybe I do look more Hong Kong like than I give myself credit for), to which I said no. I want to elaborate, saying my mom is from Hong Kong, but I always stop myself short and need a first awkward conversation with someone before I'm comfortable enough to keep going.

On the counter they filled up their business card holder since last time! Also, instead of fans, there's a paper version from Lemoncandy.

Just after we paid, my friend asked Woohyun's dad where the bus stop was, as we were planning to go to Insadong. Before I had a chance to see if my note to Woohyun was still posted on the wall, he brisked us out of the restaurant and walked us out onto the street for a good three minutes, caring pt showing us the bus stop! During this moment, I observed that he was short, just the same height as me, right under 5' 4"! Then we arrived at the intersection, and he told us to cross the street half way to the bus stop. My friend bravely paused and asked 우현 아버지 있어요 (Woohyun's father exists)? to which I corrected 이에요 ((someone should have just corrected me with 예요) are you Woohyun's father?). He then quickly nodded and pointed us on our way, as the crosswalk just turned green.

Another wonderful day, but I'm just sad as this is probably the last time I'll visit Woohyun's restaurant, which is definitely my most favorite out of all of the members' restaurants.

Day 31: Grand Mart

Today I shopped at Grand Mart, a multistory, miscellaneous mart next to Sinchon Station (신촌역). Honestly this place is rundown and carries items aimed more towards middle aged people, with not-so-fashionable clothes on the top levels, household bedding on the ground floor and groceries on the three basement floors. Because of these surroundings, I had my doubts about whether or not I could find anything interesting in here, when I came across two surprises.

I rode the escalator up to the fifth floor (there are supposedly seven floors, but the escalator stopped at five), and found underwear and...Elite uniforms! This was the first time I spotted Elite uniforms in Korea, so I was so surprised and excited! The two ahjummas working asked if I needed help, and I embarrassingly stated in Korean that I'm an Infinite fan and asked to take pictures, to which they agreed.

There were advertisement posters and event posters lining the walls, along with advertisements hanging from the ceiling and photocopy signed mini posters on the counter.

I was so tempted to ask if they had any freebies, but chickened out.

Afterwards, I headed to the grocery area, asking for bath towels. They sent me down to B3, where there was more underwear, bathroom supplies, sports equipment and...Kpop CDs! This was the most random thing, but in the corner by the register, there was a display of the latest Kpop albums. I asked when they would have Infinite's upcoming repackaged album, but they didn't know when it'd come. I also asked if they had any posters, and the worker showed me a tub of rolled up posters and offered to give me an Infinite poster for free! He had trouble finding it since he had labeled them in the corners, but I just looked at the image of the back half of Myungsoo's hat and hair from "Last Romeo" and knew I found one. I think he commented to another worker how I found it like that. ㅋㅋ While the "Last Romeo" era posters aren't flattering, I'm so happy to now have one!

While Grand Mart may seem dull, don't underestimate its many wonderful surprises! Also there are food samples that are really tasty!

Day 25: Myungdong Station

Today I browsed through Myungdong Station, which has little shops within the subway station. There are at least two independent Kpop shops, which can be easily found just by walking around. I went to one that has fan goods that aren't tacky, such as Kpop student name tags for 1,000₩, lightsticks, faux leather bands, beaded jewelry and phone caps for 7,000₩. Inside, there are many Kpop albums and other official goods, such as DVDs and photobooks. I was surprised that this store still has several copies of the first press edition of L's Bravo Viewtiful 2! Also in the Infinite section, there were packets of IU&Infinite Elite mini posters for 10,000₩. Also there were slogan towels, and I found an official Infinite Man in Love era one for 15,000₩!

I ended up buying the Infinite phone cap, which has the Be Mine era logo, the Elite poster set and the slogan towel!

I couldn't help myself and visited these shops again. One shop had a large selection of T-money cards (cards used for public transportation and more) with idol photos lamenated on top! Sadly they are 10,000₩ each while regular T-money cards at convenient stores are 3,000₩. Also this shop had one copy of the first press of L's Bravo Viewtiful Part 1! And also there were Infinite collection card packs sold individually for 3,500 Won each; I was so tempted to buy them to complete my rares...I ended up buying a Myungsoo T-money card and his photo essay book, just so I could complete my postcard collection (review to come).

So in all, while Kpop can be found all over Seoul, I suggest Myungdong Station for more collectible, official merchandise, as well as hard to find first press editions, as well as pretty fan goods (meaning they don't exploit faces, but rather just have the logo and is more so simplistic and doesn't scream out fangirl). Next time I'll have to check out that other store in hopes for more rare Infinite merchandise.

Day 22: Infinite Dongwoo's Family Restaurant, Lotteria, and Not Attending Toheart's Sinchon Fansign Event

Today, Friday, July 11, is Toheart's rescheduled fan signing in Sinchon, at U-Plex! Sadly, the venue is on the 12th floor, where it only consists of a large, enclosed room and a narrow walkway beside the escalators. While I live in Sinchon, the sad reality of not seeing (or hearing through the walls) Woohyun, I decided to visit Dongwoo's family restaurant (and speak to his parents) instead!

By subway, get off of Guri Station (구리역)  and take exits 1, 2 or 3. Take a right and at the end of the block, cross the intersection both ways to the street with Woori Bank (우리은행) and continue down that street until there's another intersection. Staying at the corner, turn right and walk two blocks until there's a dead end. Dongwoo's restaurant is the last business on the right, first floor! You can see the sign that reads 인창 쭈꾸미, then you know you're in the right place.

When you step into the restaurant, there is just Dongwoo everywhere! But first off, you take off your shoes and sit on the floor. This restaurant is known for grilling octopus, so we ordered two orders of octopus, along with some other sides (cheese was one, but I'm not sure what the other was). If you don't know what to order, I recommend what we ordered, shown above! 

You wait for the octopus to cook thoroughly, then cut the octopus into bite sized pieces and add the cheese and bean sprouts on top. Next, take a mint leave, top it with a piece of seaweed, then octopus, and wrap it up and eat! It's so delicious! The waitress also pointed us to a rack of aprons for customers to use, as the sauce can be messy.

After we finished the octopus, the waitress recommended adding an order of stir fried rice (marked as the last item on our order form), which was white rice with seaweed, to mix it with our leftover sauce. I highly recommend this, it's a perfect end to a wonderful meal!

Later on, a man came in, sat down and started talking to a woman. The man later appeared to be Dongwoo's dad (as he also stayed around the counter) and was talking to a family member!

Afterwards, I stared in awe at all of the photos. There were so many official posters (including those life size Japanese posters!), photos, fanart, everything lining up the walls and columns of the restaurant. There are too many to post here!

The waitress saw me taking photos and quietly pulled me by the waist to an enclosed room, turned on the lights, and revealed more Dongwoo photos on the walls! I was so touched by her gesture, and glad she didn't find me creepy for appreciating these photos for such a long time. She even came back a few minutes later and offered to take my photo!

There are also Infinite's autographs on the wall, along with Infinite clocks and news articles.

I still had my shoes off as I went to the restroom. When I came out, Dongwoo's dad chuckled and told me there are slippers I can use...I felt so embarrassed, but happy he was so lighthearted and funny! I then went to pay, but Dongwoo's dad was sleeping at the counter, which is also filled with lots of photos and photocards (BTD exterior postcard!) so I felt too awkward to take pictures! Also there is a stack of fanart postcards of Dongwoo on the counter. Once he woke up, I got a few pictures and this time didn't say I was a fan of Dongwoo as it was already obvious by the staff. Overall, I loved my experience so much here! I'll definitely come back soon! Here is the business card for more information.

On my way through the subway, something caught my eye in the trash can: an Infinite Lotteria cup! I was so temped to be a bum and pick it up..,until I came to the conclusion that Infinite cups were still available at Lotteria. Lotteria is a fast food burger chain by the Lotte conglomerate, and in the entire month of June they offered an "Infinite Pack" that didn't actually include anything Infinite-related, except for their cup and a Korea World Cup cheer towel that Infinite is seen modeling in these posters (which have since been removed, as it's past June).

So after Dongwoo's, I decided to step into Lotteria for a soda! I couldn't order just an empty cup because they had to do an inventory count or something, so I got a Cola (...they didn't offer Pepsi?) and cleaned the cup with a wet nap. This cup is so beautiful, how can someone throw it away...

As I live in Sinchon, after leaving Lotteria I got off at the Sinchon Station, which is directly underground of U-Plex. It was now 9PM, one hour into the fansign event, so I decided to stop by and check it out. On the 12th floor, about 15 other girls my age were sitting around and waiting. There was a TV tucked in the corner playing the "Delicious" music video on a loop. There were a couple of guards standing behind a podium, answering several passerby about the event taking place. At times this man would sneak into the venue from the back door (located directly in front of the podium), and now I regret not following him. At 9:33 I hear three bursts of fans screaming, then at 9:35 a worker opens the back door and I can hear on the microphone Woohyun briefly, then Key speaking! This lasted two seconds, then the worker closed the door again. By 9:42 the doors open and fans flood out. I later walked to the main entrance, which revealed about 100 seats. I saw the stage up front and wishfully thought Toheart would still be there...oh well, I'll try to see them at their next fansigning in Myungdong!

Day 02: Myungdong, Gangnam, Noryangjin Fish Market, Dongdaemun

To start off the day, we are at a little stand just outside of our hotel in Myungdong called 호봉 토스트. This stall serves a variety of toasted sandwiches and freshly blended fruit juices for around 3,000₩ each.

I ordered the 호봉 Special, which had a warm toast sandwiching a slice of ham, tomato, red onions and chopped potatoes, along with a plum juice. I'm mind blown at the sweet, savory taste of my sandwich and freshness and pulpiness of my juice! The drink was so refreshing, I came back later on for some orange juice too! Also I ordered in Korean, but the shop owner was also fluent in English, Chinese and Japanese. And the workers were so hospitable, setting up seats for us outside of their stall.

Like many of the other surrounding stalls, this was broadcasted on a TV program.

We walked around Myungdong, which has so many streets for pedestrians (rather than cars) and there are so many cosmetic shops, the same ones just storefronts away from each other.

The only cosmetic store I was interested in was Shara Shara, since their products are difficult to obtain for foreigners and their endorser is none other than Myungsoo. (This was taken before 9AM, when all the shops were stilled closed, hence why the L cutout isn't visible). The first Shara location I saw in Myungdong was a very cramped hallway and had aggressive sales ladies who kept insisting that after spending 100,000₩, then I'd get the L goodies (face mask sheet, postcard and tumbler), and a smaller purchase wouldn't consist of anything. She even argued that other Shara locations have run out of the L face masks, so I'm lucky that it's available here. Frustrated with the ridiculous pricing on my precious L (though of course he's priceless!), I left empty handed, hoping to run into the other Shara branch in Myungdong.

After a few blocks, I found another Shara Shara in a nice, larger and roomier corner location! Here's the gorgeous storefront. And better yet, inside the shopping baskets were the L face masks as freebies! Already I knew I'd have to buy something this time.

At the register was the collection of L freebies, including posters (only 3 left), postcards (only the black version left), face masks, notebook and tumbler, which would need a purchase of 75,000 or 150,000₩ for various freebies.

After discussing with the sales lady, she generously made me a deal: I spend 30,000₩ and receive a poster (which I already have) or the other L face mask and a postcard. I decided to buy a 28,000₩ body scrub that had a "buy one get one free" promotion and a random 2,000₩ item. I'm so happy to have continued my Myungsoo Day with these amazing goodies; it's like spending $10 for each Myungsoo good and getting the scrubs as a bonus!

Afterwards we went to Lotte Department Store in Myungdong. Just outside is a food stall with unexpectedly pricey, but delicious, street food. The 김밥 was the best!

Though we were quite full, we then went to the basement of Lotte, which consists of a very glamorous food court that has vendors such as Beard Papa's (that has 빙수 and fresh fruit drinks, much different from the States!), Chinese food Korean style, kimchi, udon, sushi conveyor belt, and raw seafood like abalone!

From here, it was off to Gangnam to Samsung D'Light! This Samsung store is located in the Samsung building and takes up the first three floors. The top floor has high tech displays and a very cool 3D experience in an elevator about storing data. Also on that floor are various home entertainment rooms and a test kitchen. The second floor has motion-sensored video games and a counter of cameras with still life objects at a table to test out the cameras. The bottom floor had all the phones, tablets and accessories. I came into the store not interested in purchasing anything, but just as I stepped onto this floor, Infinite's "Reflex" played which really made me feel high-kind-of-happy. Speaking of infinite, there were sadly no endorsement advertisements in the store.

However, on display was the Samsung Round, a curved phone, but the workers said this phone was too outdated to sell. Also on display was the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom 2, a phone with a high quality, built-in camera, which wouldn't be released until the following week. As these phones aren't available in the States, I hope to get my hands on one!

Next stop was Coex Mall! Just as the taxi was pulling up to the mall, I saw the most beautiful ad: it was a small truck with L's Bravo Viewtiful Part 2 on the side! I found this surprising, as it's been about nine months since his book came out.

Coex is currently remodeling until December 2014 so some areas were closed. Besides the aquarium and movie theater inside, there wasn't anything else. Despite a lack of interesting shops, it was well worth the trip as I got to see an ad for L!

Following Coex was Kyobo Tower, to visit its basement shop, Kyobo Bookstore. In this shop, the left carries books while the right has a joint CD shop called Hottracks. This shop is a bit small, but I found the three products I was looking for! Sadly there were no posters to give away though. There was even a copy of Infinite's instrumental CD, Origin, still available for 24,000₩!

For dinner, we went to the Noryangjin Fish Market (노량진수산시장), which was like a large, open warehouse. The first floor had many vendors selling live and frozen seafood. Most don't speak English, but there are a few English speaking vendors floating around to help guide you. Once you purchase your seafood, which is then placed in plastic shopping bags, you go to one of the many restaurants on the second floor or the back of the first floor. At the restaurant (some of which are floor seating, others at a table), you pay a base price for entering, and then an extra charge per dish cooked using your just-bought seafood. The chef also discusses how he'll cook each dish for you, such as sashimi, steam and BBQ.

One thing this market, or Seoul in general, is the live baby octopus that can kill you if its tentacles suck onto your neck while swallowing. Here's a blurry photo of the octopus, which was still wriggling around in the dish! To finish off the perfect evening, this restaurant played songs from Infinite's latest album: "Reflex," "Season 2," (which I thought "Last Romeo" would follow, because who would just play an intro song), and later on, "나란 사람!"

It was difficult finding a taxi at the fish market, but eventually we followed one taxi on standby who got out of his car to hang out with a group of other standby taxi drivers. We approached him and instead his friend spoke to us in Konglish. They were very nice and eventually decided to drive us despite being on break. While we were speaking in Korean, some guy had slipped into the back seat of the taxi! Our driver began to get in, and was shocked to see someone back there. His friend opened the door, shooed him out, and kindly let us in. I finally had my first real conversation with a Korean, which was very exciting! Proves to me that maybe I can get, eventually without the use of English.

Our last stop for the night was Dongdaemun, which is a shopping district with five multi-level malls of fashion shopping! Despite being like a nigh market, several floors, as well as this underground mall, sadly closes earlier than expected.

Day 01: The Arrival

My long-awaited trip to Korea has officially started today! After flying for half the day, I arrived in Seoul on Friday, June 19, 2014 at night.

To my pleasant surprise, the hotel I'm staying at is affiliated with Etude House! The concierge gave us ten Etude Green Tea face mask sheets.

And at the elevators of my floor, there's a pretty vanity with Etude's Entoinette nail polish line. The tenth floor is even dedicated as the Princess Floor, but actually it's just the same as my floor.

There are other themed floors too, like The Face Shop.

And inside each room, there are complementary necessities provided by Etude: Silk Scarf Shampoo, Milk Talk body wash, Skin Mal:Gem Smoother and Emulsion.

After gawking over all the Etude products, we headed for the streets of Myungdong. We didn't get far, as this one intersection was all we needed for the night.

We went to a food stand that had dried octopus and squid and ordered a bag of octopus slices. After paying 5 Won, the shop owner then grilled it once more to warm it up. 

He didn't allow any pictures of his stand so I only have one of the octopus.

Behind the food stall was a small Kpop CD shop that had the latest posters plastered on the glass doors (above my label "CD Shop" you can see Infinite's "Last Romeo" and Exo's "Overdose") and was playing none other than...Infinite's latest album! I first heard 로시난테 and then 숨 좀 쉬자. I could not stop fangirling and labeling myself as an obvious tourist obsessed with Kpop. It was here that it finally hit me: I'm in Korea, listening to Infinite on the streets!

After being dragged away from my happiest moment of the day, my family stepped into a quaint restaurant called 신선설농탕.

They served mostly 선농탕 (a kind of milky broth soup with beef), so we ordered that with 떡 along with an order or dumplings. There were also 반찬, kimchi and pickled radish, in buckets at the side of the table ready to self cut and self serve. I tried ordering in Korean, but the waiter kept answering back in English...maybe it's best to go to less touristy places to test my Korean.

Around the front of the restaurant were pictures indicating that a few dramas have been shot here before. Actually, many vendors in Myungdong show that they've been on TV somehow before, which is pretty cool!

Our last stop for the night was 7-11, which had American comfort but loaded with Korean goods. Inside I saw a television ad with Suzy, a Kim So Hyun ad, and...I had to look for Pepsi since Infinite currently endorses it, and found a mini Infinite ad! If only Infinite were on the Pepsi can itself, then I would have bought it.

I can't wait to see what else Seoul has in store for me! Another exciting day awaits~