NUS Gang in Korea Day 6 (2 April 2015)

Day 6 was definitely the highlight of our entire Korea trip. Jinhae Cherry Festival (Jinhae Gunhangje Festival) was the sole reason why we timed our visit to coincide with cherry blossom season. In order to avoid the crowd, we chose to visit Jinhae on a weekday.

To get to Jinhae from Busan, take the subway to Sasang Station, walk towards Exit 5 and you will see Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal as soon as you get out.  Well, McDonald's was the huge clue for bus terminal since the terminal sign was in Korean.

Buses depart to Jinhae from Busan every 15-20 minutes and run from 6am to 9pm daily. If you don't speak Korean, no worries as some staff speak basic English. Although buses depart at scheduled times normally, today they departed as soon as there were enough people due to the high demand for bus tickets to Jinhae.

Tickets for this one-hour journey cost 5,100 Won per pax. Upon our arrival around 10am, we were greeted with breathtaking sight full of cherry blossoms.

Right outside the bus terminal! Welcome to Jinhae!

NUS Gang in Korea Day 5 (1 April 2015)

Wake up call was set at  7am.  Wanting to set aside at least 1 hour of travel time to get to Seoul Station during morning peak hour, we planned to leave our place at  8am, to catch our  9am train to Busan.  However, we left our place later than planned and reached to train platform just in the nick of time, 5 minutes before departure!!! Even then, Mister and Kyaw Kyaw still rushed to convenience store on the platform to buy breakfast.  Apparently, simple breakfast we had today wasn’t fulfilling enough for them haha :D Well, if you plan to have breakfast during train ride, buy before reaching the platform as the items at convenience stores there are quite over-priced. Supply and Demand I guess. 

Our Simple Breakfast 

Anyway, we really did enjoy our KTX ride.  The seats were comfortable and the leg space was quite roomy.  Charging points were available at every row and there was free WIFI on-board as well (although we could only connect during the first 30 minutes of the trip).  There was a space dedicated for large luggages in every cabin while there is also overhead racks to store your smaller bags. The cabins were really clean and the journey overall was a smooth one. The trains were very punctual since they depart and arrive exactly at the times printed on our tickets. So yes, please don’t be late as trains will not wait for you.

 On board KTX

NUS Gang in Korea Day 4 (31 March 2015)

A ha! Finally the day that we 2  girls were looking forward to!  DMZ tour was the perfect distraction for the guys, which allowed us to enjoy the whole day of shopping! mwahahaha 

After dating me for a couple of years, Mister knew me well enough (at least about my tendency to go a bit overboard while on shopping spree) that he lent me his cabin luggage to bring on our shopping day!  My friends were shocked and surprised but we both utilized it so well! I was thinking we couldn't fill it up and yet, we did! 

Ewha Women University (Edae)

A busy day for us started with shopping at Edae.  Being located in the university area means clothes here are trendy and in style for the youth and are relatively cheaper. Trust me, clothes on offer here are more fashionable than those found in other shopping zones (which could be tacky sometimes).  Except for Dongdaemun, I guess.  Clothes in Dongdaemun are chic and stylish but they are on the pricey side.  Remember to explore the narrow side alleys of Edae which are littered with pretty boutiques!

Hongdae, Sinchon & Edae are 3 neighboring university towns, bustling with youthful energy of college crowd.  Hongdae is known for busking, bars, clubs and nightlife in general while Edae is famous for shopping and beauty treatment at hair saloons and nail spas.  Ewha is a university for women afterall ^_~ I might be slightly biased but to me, Sinchon has the best food among these 3 university areas.

Best to shop for: 
1) Cute, customized, handmade items
2) Shoes for ladies
3) Accessories
3) Fashionable, feminine clothing at affordable prices

Must-try snacks:
1) Egg muffins (not the ones with egg on top of the bread, try the ones with egg inside the bread)
2) Spicy fried chicken with rice cake & hash brown (Cup Dak)

How to get there: Ewha Women University Station, Line 2, Exit 2 or 3

At beautiful Ewha Campus

( I'm being biased but I still think my alma-mater Korea University is still more beautiful :D )

NUS Gang in Korea Day 3 (30 March 2015)

Noryangjin Fish Market

We headed out around 1030 am towards Noryangjin Fish Market.  This vibrant market is connected to Noryangjin Subway Station via an overhead bridge.  It was a bit smelly but it was pretty intriguing to observe the happenings at this traditional fish market. We felt a bit bad having to pick out seafood (they were still alive) for our lunch.  But we figured its just one meal?  

We purchased salmon, one big crab, mini octopus and spoon worm (or more commonly known as 'penis fish') for 65, 000 Won. Bargain okay?  Its perfectly fine to check the prices at various stores first before finally negotiating with the sellers. There were usually ushers from restaurants who would lead you to their restaurants. These restaurants in the market can prepare your purchases into fresh seafood sashimi or stew or fried dishes.  Again, check prices first before following the ushers.

One of the restaurants helped us prepare our food into salmon sashimi and crab stew.  The octopus and spoon worms were cut into tiny pieces to be eaten raw with salt and sesame oil.  Lunch service including rice, makgeolli and side dishes for 6 of us set us back another 45,000 Won.  While it was definitely one of the most expensive meals we had in Korea (around 18,500 Won per pax), we thought it was pretty good deal considering fresh seafood would cost us at least 3 times more in Singapore.

How to get there: Noryangjin Station, Line 1, Exit 1 
                      (cross the overhead bridge & follow that fishy smell!)

Opening Hours: 01:30 am - 10:00 pm

The largest selection of fresh seafood in Korea - be prepared to face a full-on assault of your senses (smell, sight, taste, and touch if you are particularly feeling brave)

Our spread of fresh salmon sashimi, spoon worm and baby octopus (which were still squirming even after they were chopped up!)

The highlight of our meal: Korean-styled fresh crab stew

NUS Gang in Korea Day 2 (29 March 2015)

Day 2 was spent exploring the Gapyeong area. It is located outside Seoul city area and is most known for Nami Island, filming location of the drama Winter Sonata which started South Korea's soft power - Hallyu Wave. Both I and Mister had been there (3 times for me) and our companions didn't feel like there is much to see at Nami Island, so we visited Petite France and Garden of the Morning Calm instead. 

Petite France

What is it: a French cultural village set in the Korean countryside, which is dedicated to the Little Prince story. The village consists of 16 French-style buildings where visitors can lodge and enjoy French food, try on clothing and experience household culture (Credit: Visit Korea Website)

Why is it famous: Its picturesque surrounding paves way for it to be featured in numerous Korean variety shows and drama.  Most famous were Running Man (with guests from 2PM  - Nichkhun & Teacyeon), Beethoven Virus, Secret Garden & My Love from Another Star (where Do Min Jon & Cheon Song Yi shared a kiss).

How to get there:  
From Seoul: Take subway to Gapyeong Station or Cheongpyeong Station then take Gapyeong Circular Tour Bus (5,000 Won for one-day unlimited ride) or taxi.

Opening Hours: 9am - 6pm