Note: Really long post
I went to Korea in August with my boyfriend and stayed with his family (big mistake)
Somebody once told me "its not a vacation if you have to stay with someone else's family"
and boy were they right, it was horrible.
When I go again I'll probably only stay for a week in a hotel NOT in the summer; I like my privacy and don't like being told what to do constantly and I don't like being constantly hot and sweaty either.
We flew from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with Asiana Airlines, our flight was about 11 hours or so. The good thing about Asiana is that if you get their club card you collect points! We went round-trip with them and I earned 10,000 points which means if I were to go to Korea again I can fly to Jeju island for free from Seoul (not sure if its round trip) but its pretty cool. Korean flight attendants are so nice too! they were really professional and well groomed their standard of service is way above North America's standards and their English is quite good too.
We parked at the Park n Jet for close to $100 for two weeks and there's a free shuttle bus that will take you to the airport and also pick you up when you arrive.
Gorgeous day to fly.
The Seattle airport has a little monorail to get you close to your gate.
busy busy plane
Great view!
I figured that because we're on a Korean airline that they would make good Korean food...
I was wrong T_T
There's a steak with vegetables in there... I wish I got that instead! >.<
This is our second meal we got later in the flight,
So it turns out whenever I order food the person I'm with always orders something way better than me >.< WTF (this is spaghetti with chicken and vegetables) don't eat the salad T_T
The description of this was so horrible (it said fish roe on rice wtf) I thought it was going to be disgusting but it was way better than the stupid spaghetti! WHY MEEEEEE!
When we arrived the first thing my boyfriend does is go find the smoke pit, wtf...
The cool thing is it's indoor! So I don't have to wait outside
There are lots of smoke rooms in Korea.. even at Lotte World (amusement park)
We took a bus ride into Seoul which took about an hour. The buses are air conditioned and have TVs and internet!
There are lots of smoke rooms in Korea.. even at Lotte World (amusement park)
We took a bus ride into Seoul which took about an hour. The buses are air conditioned and have TVs and internet!
My first meal in Korea, we had some bbq pork. This was actually my favorite place of all the places we went to but my boyfriend and his family never let me go back there... wtf...
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This was probably the cleanest restaurant I ate in while in Korea as well.
BEST SPICY NOODLES EVER. The noodles are made from green tea! O..O~!
This is a typical Korean bathroom, There's actually no shower stall but a glass wall. The floor is lower than the rest of the house and there's a big drain in the floor. Steve's grandma's bathroom only has a toilet, a faucet/shower head, no sink and its the size of a small closet.
If you are a picky eater and think that you can't find anything to eat in Korea you are way wrong. There are tons of western fast food chains here like: Papa John's Pizza, Domino's, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, Dunkin Donuts, Crispy Kreme, Starbucks, mcdonald's, Burger King, KFC and probably more but I can't think of them.
Went to the Aquarium... I regret going in there...
There are tons of kids and pushy parents... its really crowded...
Apparently I dress like a hooker
Korean Mcdonald's! I ordered the Shanghai Chicken Burger and Steve got a Big Mac
(which apparently sucks). It was also Olympic's time so they had a special menu.
(which apparently sucks). It was also Olympic's time so they had a special menu.
The drinks don't come with lids. When you're finished with your meal there are designated spots for each piece of garbage for instance there is a sink to dump your unfinished beverage in and you stack your cup with the other cups instead of trashing them, and paper products go in one designated spot in the bin same with plastic like straws and forks.
The Mcdonald's in Korea is so much cheaper like $6 a meal some meals are even cheaper and so much healthier too! the french fries are way less greasy... Steve said if it were greasier Korean people wouldn't eat it.
The Mcdonald's in Korea is so much cheaper like $6 a meal some meals are even cheaper and so much healthier too! the french fries are way less greasy... Steve said if it were greasier Korean people wouldn't eat it.
The subway was not always busy for me!
The transit system is really well done in Korea, It could never work like this in Vancouver.
In Korea you can go to 7-eleven (and other establishments) and get a T-money card which is like $3 and at every station you can put as much money as you want on it and even use it to buy snacks!
Its mainly used at the subway stations and buses you just go up to the pad and tap it and it makes a beep noise and done! just go! so quick! You can even use a credit card (not sure if foreign ones will work though)
This wouldn't work well in Canada because of all the scammers here lol. You scan in the subway station/bus and scan again to leave, you don't have to pay again if you transfer within a certain amount of time.
This is at the Shinsegae Shopping mall (its like Nordstrom/Holt Renfrew on drugs, all luxury brands)
Right beside it is the really awesome cheap mall that's really busy.
We went to go see a movie! We went and saw Batman, Western movies come out like a week after it comes out in North America and its subtitled in Korean. Movies are like less than $8 and you get big comfy seats and you can lift the arm rests out of the way (I saw so many couples cuddling lol)
You can get Caramel popcorn and regular popcorn! we got Chilsung cider which is the Korean version of 7-up/sprite but I kind of like it better O..O
Went for another Korean bbq meal.
We got 3 large Korean steaks, they're so juicy!
Steve's house is super freaking haunted lol
His mom took me to this super sketchy underground market place.
They have tons of street food
The next day we went for more Korean bbq lol. Some Samgyupsal??? Pork!
Too hot to eat! but really good.
I got this purse for $10! I wish I bought more!
Blueberry and herb ice cream! tasted like cotton candy lol.
*****
At this point we went to Yeosu for about 4 days, I had no internet and nothing to do but play with an Ipad and I couldn't charge anything because the charger I bought from Future Shop SUCKED BUTT and almost blew up everything I charged or did not work at all (I bought two), We went there to visit Steve's grandma and go to the expo. My skin broke out horribly at this point too and I was so bloated because they didn't have regular water, his mom kept giving me weird herb water that was pretty salty >.<
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At this point we went to Yeosu for about 4 days, I had no internet and nothing to do but play with an Ipad and I couldn't charge anything because the charger I bought from Future Shop SUCKED BUTT and almost blew up everything I charged or did not work at all (I bought two), We went there to visit Steve's grandma and go to the expo. My skin broke out horribly at this point too and I was so bloated because they didn't have regular water, his mom kept giving me weird herb water that was pretty salty >.<
*****
THIS IS THE BEST PORK CUTLET EVER.
Seriously, I got it on the way to Yeosu to visit Steve's grandma, and at the rest stop we had dinner O.O who knew it would be this good!
Seriously, I got it on the way to Yeosu to visit Steve's grandma, and at the rest stop we had dinner O.O who knew it would be this good!
*****
Didn't take many photos in Yeosu, there's not much to see there. We went to the expo at night time and most of the things had closed. We watched this weird water show and there were kids dancing lol. There were also performances from ZE:A and others! but I didn't get to go because Steve and his dad didn't want to walk lol.
*****
*****
Back in Seoul in Hongdae! one of the emptier streets, waay livelier at night time.
Went to pet some kitties!
This one was my favorite! so faattt
The concept of a kitty cafe in North America would make people thing its really unsanitary but actually this place was quite clean. The worker in there was constantly swiffering and wiping things.
Sometimes they put the cats up for adoption!
Sometimes they put the cats up for adoption!
We also went to the dog one.. it was not as clean as the kitty one and the dogs go CRAZY if you buy a bag of dog treats...
I posted this on my facebook and everyone thought it was a menu... NO! its a list of all the dogs that live in the cafe, their names and when they were born.
I believe you can also adopt some of the dogs sometimes too.
Lots of people come and bring their dogs to socialize!
I believe you can also adopt some of the dogs sometimes too.
Lots of people come and bring their dogs to socialize!
Went shopping at Etude House. They watch you like hawks... lol
*****
I actually love their shopping system there, everything is so neat and organized and the sales girls are really professional. I don't really care if they try to talk to me because I have no idea what they are saying and I try to tell them I don't speak Korean and they leave me alone.
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I actually love their shopping system there, everything is so neat and organized and the sales girls are really professional. I don't really care if they try to talk to me because I have no idea what they are saying and I try to tell them I don't speak Korean and they leave me alone.
*****
This is a weird Noraebang, you can see everyone from the outside. There was this one girl that was super rocking out in the window.
Japanese food at the super creepy underground market, we came here again for lunch this time.
BIG MISTAKE.
Random fried things! lol
More fried things!
I really wanted some spicy rice cakes.
Soondae sausage! Steve's favorite
In Gangnam, We were looking for a certain bus stop that would take us to Everland but then it started raining. For some reason all the girls started FREAKING OUT when it happened lol. I asked why and Steve says "its acid rain" and I was like O.O WHAT but he was just kidding he said its probably make up smudging and all that they want to avoid.
Seriously it rained for like 5-10 minutes and I could see tons of girls huddled underneath anything that would cover them from the rain. The worst part was when we were trying to enter the subway station and there was a huge horde of girls there and they wouldn't move >.<
Went to Dunkin donuts and they gave us this little order ready call thing.
Its actually a friggin mini tv! WTF! in Canada people would steal that!
Abandoned our plans to go to Everland (because we couldn't find the bus stop)
and ended up going to Lotte World.
and ended up going to Lotte World.
We were there for like 5 hours and only rode like 4 rides! We had to wait in line for like an hour for each ride! bah! (they also have cosmetic stores in the amusement park lol)
Plus it was super hot out >.<
We had Korean fried chicken! so tasty!
Also comes in a Super Junior bag! lol
First time riding a bus in Korea and I did not know the buses are in Manual Transmission.
And yes I feel like dying when I try to get off the bus lol because he stops so abruptly. I guess getting on is not so bad when there is nobody on it and you can latch on to anything.
At this point my stomach was super messed up and i had to eat crappy bland food. Anything else I ate would give me a huge stomach ache plus weird poos...
Steve's mom was going to make Snail soup...
My new Favorite drink! I saw milkis tons of times in Vancouver but I had no idea what it was and the name was not appealing but I tried one and it was so gooooooood!
It tastes like that little yogurt drink you can get at asian markets and its in a tiny bottle that you put in the freezer. Tastes like that but in soda form... ok that doesn't sound good...
Did you know Chunky soup is like $6 each? lol
Campbell's soup is like $4!
This was our last meal in Korea, this is what Steve's mom got sticky rice in a pumpkin/squash thing...
Steve got this weird sandwich which was really good, the outside is like french toast! comes with a side of jam to put on it.
I got the Charcoal chicken Pasta, it was so good!
Steve's dad got a hamburg steak
I also forgot that we got pho from a weird restaurant... its not hot sauce in that bottle
It's Ketchup! >.<
The pho was really bland...
And this is the end of the trip! I ended up with like 20 HUGE mosquito bites.
Yup not coming back in the summer ever...
The main reason I would go back to Korea is to shop lol there are probably lots of people that want to go there for that but now I know where to go and how to get there. I just have to learn more Korean lol and I would only go for a short period of time because I know my skin would get messed up again if I go and my stomach too. Plus I would love to go to Japan next time I'm in the area too, I have a feeling I would have a more enjoyable time in Japan than Korea. Plus if I don't go in the summer I don't have to deal with cicada's ... they're annoying to wake up to.
Check it out imagine waking up to this:
Check it out imagine waking up to this:
I made this video when I was waiting for Steve to finish smoking and holy crap it was so loud
The last week I was there was the worst because I didn't want to go out after I ate anything
(I brought pepto pills they didn't do anything) plus my self confidence was at an all time low because of my sensitive skin and the bloating...
It would be a lot nicer to travel with friends instead of staying with Steve and his family, he has too many obligations to visit his family members and because I stayed at his house that meant I had an obligation to see them too. I didn't get the chance to even meet my friends there for dinner which made me disappointed. I felt this vacation was more for him than it was for me but now I know for next time not to go with him.
Shopping there is great for ladies, you can find tons of cheap clothes and shoes and accessories! even in the subways, they're like mini malls, so weird! like aritaum and nature republic are everywhere. I didn't really encounter any cheap clothing for men... socks? We did stock up on tons of cute stationary.
There are tons of couples walking around in the same outfits. Me and Steve felt left out because most couples will wear the same shirt with a noticeable logo on it or shoes or caps, even backpacks!
Another thing that's weird is that if you need Tylennol or Advil you have to go to a pharmacy, you can't just go into like a 7-eleven and pick up a travel pack of Tylennol or a grocery store you have to talk to a pharmacist. I wanted some allergy medication like Benedryl because when I bloat up like mad (which rarely happens) it has to do with whatever I'm ingesting and benedryl makes it go away, instead the guy gives me a cream.... WTF! lol I used it nothing happened, it was only for rashes the description on the box said "for various skin diseases" lol...
So if you are going bring meds beforehand.
I didn't encounter any squating bathrooms, I did encounter a bathroom with no toilet paper but the toilet paper was near the sink, you just grab what you need and go in (was toilet paper not paper towel). The Hyundai Department store has THE NICEST BATHROOM but I was a little confused because there was a choice of squating or western lol obviously I chose the western one, and when I had to flush there was like 3 buttons and I had no idea what to choose lol, One of them was a perfume spray so if you make a stink it'll cover it, the other flushes and I have no idea what the last one does...
At one point I had run out of money and needed some and I didn't want to use my visa card so I went to the "international" ATM at Coex mall and IT DID NOT WORK FOR MEEEE, I ended up using my visa card but I was pretty pissed off lol. Next time bring more cash!! (and an empty suitcase LOL) or open an account with citibank lol.
(I brought pepto pills they didn't do anything) plus my self confidence was at an all time low because of my sensitive skin and the bloating...
It would be a lot nicer to travel with friends instead of staying with Steve and his family, he has too many obligations to visit his family members and because I stayed at his house that meant I had an obligation to see them too. I didn't get the chance to even meet my friends there for dinner which made me disappointed. I felt this vacation was more for him than it was for me but now I know for next time not to go with him.
Shopping there is great for ladies, you can find tons of cheap clothes and shoes and accessories! even in the subways, they're like mini malls, so weird! like aritaum and nature republic are everywhere. I didn't really encounter any cheap clothing for men... socks? We did stock up on tons of cute stationary.
There are tons of couples walking around in the same outfits. Me and Steve felt left out because most couples will wear the same shirt with a noticeable logo on it or shoes or caps, even backpacks!
Another thing that's weird is that if you need Tylennol or Advil you have to go to a pharmacy, you can't just go into like a 7-eleven and pick up a travel pack of Tylennol or a grocery store you have to talk to a pharmacist. I wanted some allergy medication like Benedryl because when I bloat up like mad (which rarely happens) it has to do with whatever I'm ingesting and benedryl makes it go away, instead the guy gives me a cream.... WTF! lol I used it nothing happened, it was only for rashes the description on the box said "for various skin diseases" lol...
So if you are going bring meds beforehand.
I didn't encounter any squating bathrooms, I did encounter a bathroom with no toilet paper but the toilet paper was near the sink, you just grab what you need and go in (was toilet paper not paper towel). The Hyundai Department store has THE NICEST BATHROOM but I was a little confused because there was a choice of squating or western lol obviously I chose the western one, and when I had to flush there was like 3 buttons and I had no idea what to choose lol, One of them was a perfume spray so if you make a stink it'll cover it, the other flushes and I have no idea what the last one does...
At one point I had run out of money and needed some and I didn't want to use my visa card so I went to the "international" ATM at Coex mall and IT DID NOT WORK FOR MEEEE, I ended up using my visa card but I was pretty pissed off lol. Next time bring more cash!! (and an empty suitcase LOL) or open an account with citibank lol.
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