Spring Break in Korea Day 9 (5 April 2015)

Sunday = Lazy Day (yes, it applies even when you are on holiday :D)

Our simple yet yummy breakfast at noon

All 3 of us slept in and had late breakfast around noon! Then we set out around 2pm for Hongdae.  God, it was extremely crowded in Hongdae. I couldn’t remember Hongdae streets being this packed, except while I was chasing Jang Geun Seok during the filming of drama "Marry Me Mary" and Yoon Shi Yoon  (from drama "Baker King Kim Tak Gu") during the filming of Guerrilla Date, back in 2010, as a exchange student at Korea University.  Hahaha I did spot quite a few of Korean celebrities then.  I was such a cray cray girl for K-Pop & K-Drama back in 2010 but I'm much calmer now :D

2 of us outside Seoul Station Exit 4, nearest to AREX line

Spring Break in Korea Day 8 (4 April 2015)

After non-stop touring for the whole week, it was time to sit back and relax.  Our friends left for airport quite early around 8am. As we were waving bye to them and wishing them safe flight, we felt like we were sending off our house guests!  Haha :D

After they left, we packed our bags, cleaned up our cozy AirBnB apartment, made sure nothing is left behind then called our landlord to let him know we were ready to leave and to thank him.  He called taxi for us so that we could move to a smaller apartment right behind Seoul Station.  There was not much traffic around 11 am and we spent just 10,000 Won on taxi fare. 

Food for Thought 4 [Greatest Pop Music from My Pre-Teen Years]

The other day, I was browsing through our old stash of CDs as my car only had built-in 30-pin Apple cable and CD player.  It totally made me feel like I had traveled back in time. 

(Credit: Britney Spears Official Vevo)

Way before the popularity of iPod and iPhone, we didn't enjoy the convenience that iTunes offers - an avenue to download your favorite songs for 99 cents each.  Instead, we had to physically bring our lazy asses to the music store  in those days!  

NUS Gang in Korea Day 7 (3 April 2015) - Part II

After a satisfying lunch, we continued onto Samcheon-dong neighborhood from Tosokchon (the place marked with a red pin at the bottom left corner of the above map).

In my previous trip 2 years ago, we walked the other way round, from Samcheon-dong towards Tosokchon.  Either way is fine, depending on your schedule.

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.com/2014/01/mr-missy-in-korea-day-13-28-may-2013.html

Samcheon-dong

We took a stroll from Tosokchon, back to the main gate of Gyeongbokgung, and along the palace walls on the Eastern side. Then cross the road into Samcheon-ro street, marked in the above map with a red line.

Alternatively, you could take subway for 1 station from Gyeongbokgung to Anguk and begin the exploration of the area from Anguk Station, Exit 3. That was our starting point of the Bukchon+Samcheondong stroll during Mister exchange student days. 

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.com/2014/01/mr-missy-in-korea-day-13-28-may-2013.html

Samcheon-dong is a quaint area dotted with many unique museums (Owl museum, anyone?), cozy cafes, organic beauty shops and pretty boutique stores. 

Spring was admittedly more beautiful. This was taken 2 years ago in May 2013.

NUS Gang in Korea Day 7 (3 April 2015) - Part I

After a couple of days of simplified breakfast at our Airbnb accommodation,we went back to the small eatery located inside the Yeongdeungpo station for breakfast around 9am. Their menu is limited to stews, udon and kimbab but food is pretty tasty!  

Gyeongbokgung Palace

We reached our first sightseeing spot slightly after 10 as we did enjoyed our leisurely breakfast. Construction of the Gyeongbokgung Palace was completed in 1395, 3 years after the Joseon Dynasty was founded by King Taejo. The Palace as the heart of the capital city of Seoul flourished as a small city, with over 500 buildings covering 64 hectares at the height of its glorious past. Sadly, it was destroyed by the Japanese invasion not just once, but twice in 1592-98 and 1915. Since 1990, there has been an ongoing enormous effort (a 40-year project) to restore this once-stunning palace grounds to its former glory. 

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