South Korea Day 1 | Seoul Tower

Hey hey! It’s the start of a new adventure, this time to Seoul, South Korea. This trip was really random – one day, I just asked my sister “do you want to go to Korea?”. She obviously said yes and two weeks later we took off.

SK still had quite a lot of covid-related protocols when we were there (Jun 2022). We had to do an ART pre-departure and a PCR on arrival but were free to roam as we were vaccinated. Luckily, both of us cleared the PCR with little hassle. The other thing was that my sister had a leg injury, so we stopped at many cafes during this trip for quick breaks.

Our first order of business was to leave our bags at our hotel (check-in was at 3 pm) and get some breakfast. We were staying at Myeong Dong and decided to just explore the place and settle at a cafe nearby called 10000LAB NAMIB. Unlike what its intense name suggests, it was quite a cute & chill place.

After filling our tummies it was time to head to our first location – Namdaemun Market, Seoul’s oldest and largest market. When we told my aunt about this trip, she said we ABSOLUTELY HAD TO go there.

The aunties, they were EVERYWHERE barging into everyone and haggling. To say that we were intimidated was a massive understatement. And this place is HUGE. There is an above & underground market and both were filled to the brim. The items being sold were not of our taste, so we left without buying anything and completely traumatised.

Anyway, next was lunch! We decided to stop at a small eatery on the main road which had those artificial food displays. My sister and I both got Soondubu jiggae, a type of soft tofu stew and it was great on a cold, rainy day.

Did I mention it was raining? So much for summer. It eventually subsided but the drizzle wouldn’t let up and there was still a little bit of time before 3pm so my sister and I travelled back to Myeong Dong and sat in a cafe called A Twosome Place.

Then, finally, we were let into our room. It was a really great room for a really great price! With…a bathtub & Japanese-style, high-tech toilet!! We were very pleased.

After a quick rest, we headed up towards our final destination of the day – Seoul Tower! There’s a ropeway up the mountain, but in order to get to the ropeway, we did have to trek up the foothills. Guys, just look at how beautiful & green Seoul is.

The atmosphere on top of the mountain was so wonderful. It was cool, serene & my goodness look at that view! Even though it was cloudy, the view was still really pretty. It’s the type of place that calms your mind.

My sister & I sat here for a bit while eating ice cream & churros, and it was great. Seoul Tower is really a magical place right smack in the middle of one of the world’s busiest cities. I can’t recommend it enough.

Finally, as it got darker, we headed down towards Myeong Dong for dinner. My sister & I settled for a place nearby, but it was still pretty good! Overall, I was really satisfied with the day.