As a typical Southeast-Asian girl who has never gotten a chance to live in a temperate country, the thought of winter strikes absolute excitement with me! I do enjoy waking up to chilling breezes and frosty glass since I've lived in a tropical climate thus far (Perth has been my only exception thus far - where it hails not snows).
However, I would caution those who are older, or not as strong; actually everyone, to be careful in such weather. You may be enjoying the cold but you have no idea how your body may be taking it. The effects may only hit you at night when you return to the warmth of your hotel but getting sick would really ruin a happy holiday, so just a note out there for you travellers: HEALTH is more important than your fun!
We were awakened (unhappily) I might add from the thundering knocks of the cleaning ahjumma on a day that we thought we could finally sleep in. Have I mentioned how much I hate this woman's attitude? Yes I do get the fact that ahjummas rule the world in Korea and I respect them a lot. Even if they are loud and a little bossy, but they often say what is right (like an ahjumma telling this lady to give up her seat to a boy in need that we met on the train). This one is just a sulky grouchy lady who acts as though everyone owes her a million bucks.
GOSH what a way to start the morning.
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So we got dressed and such, and left for Hangang Park 한강공원.
The park offers exciting events year-round: the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival in the spring, the World Fireworks Festival in the fall, as well as concerts, and marathons. Well-preserved natural areas such as Bamseom and Yeouido Saetgang Tributary provide visitors with an opportunity to learn about nature and ecology. In addition, thanks to the Hangang Renaissance Project, the park is full of new attractions: the Water Light Square, Waterside Fountains, the Waterside Stage, Festival Land, the Piano Waterway, Waterfalls of Light, the Yacht Marina, and more.
With our schedules however, we could only head there in December, so winter, and no festival it was.
Hangang Park is along the iconic Hangang River which may seem like "ehhhhhh... so what?" to some of you but I found it really awesome. Do let me explain. This river runs through the middle of Korea so imagine this long stretch of water of which you can't quite see the ends off. Then there's MANY bridges built over it so one can get from one side to the other. It is quite an amazing sight to see. Among all this city skyscrapers and slightly polluted air, this quiet and extensively long park is kind of like your favourite bathroom cubicle in the office or school toilet. It is your little quiet spot among all the bustling of life.
HOW TO GET HERE: Alight at Yeoinaru Station (Seoul Subway Line 5) and take either Exit 2 or 3, both will take you to Hangang Park.
Now let some of my pictures do the talking. Stroll through simplicity and nature in the middle of rapid modernity.
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| Cute vegetables planted all over Hangang Park. |
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| Not much of a sight in Winter but still really peaceful. |
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| Reliving our childhood in Hangang Park! |
Yeouido Hangang Park (여의도 한강공원)
330, Yeouidong-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul | 서울특별시 영등포구 여의동로 330 (여의도동)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We stumbled across some terrible rain and as it happens, Lotteria. YAY. I love Lotteria. Yes and some of you golden arches fans, I can see you rolling your eyes. What's so special about Lotteria? Well dudes, it actually fits the Asian's tastebuds. Instead of the standard burger patty, they have a large variety of different kinds of patties made with different meats and cooked in different styles (breaded, grilled, fried).
I can't remember what Jess ordered, but I ordered the Shrimp burger. Having had bad experiences of uncooked Ebi Rice Burgers in Mos Burger in Singapore, i needed some other burger to trump that terrifying experience. This clearly takes the win. Breaded and fried to a crispy golden brown, COMPLETELY COOKED ON THE INSIDE, with visible bits of shrimp in it (which means you are actually getting good quality actual shrimp). Soft buns (no pun intended) and crispy fries, that checks too! I'm actually not a fries person, but their fries were really not too bad.
My verdict? YES LOTTERIA is a must try when you head to Korea! How can you head there and not try their homebrand fast-food?! I have a Korean friend who thinks that Burger King is better than Lotteria. O.o WHAT?! No way, another Korean friend backed me up agreeing that Lotteria is way better.
Lotteria Hangang Park
I don't have an exact location (can't seem to find it again my apologies) but it is where the E-Land Cruise is.
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While we ate our burgers the rain continued to pour. Even when we had finished our burgers, the rain was relentless. So we headed upstairs to Angel-in-us Coffee. We were practically the only customers there. Guess nobody visits a park on a rainy day.
Angel-In-Us’s name implies that coffee is God’s gift delivered by angels. Only the best-quality arabica beans are roasted using the pure roasting system (a method of suspending coffee beans in the air to roast them evenly). A fresh, smooth coffee taste is guaranteed at Angel-In-Us coffeehouse. A range of desserts are also available so you may enjoy a light meal with your coffee: sweet and moist maple bread, Belgium-style premium waffles, bagels, muffins, sandwiches, and more. The interior of the Angel-In-Us stores are characterized by antique tables and chairs under soft lighting, providing a cozy ambience.
They have countless outlets all over Korea, so it isn't necessary that you visit this branch. If you are already in Hangang Park however, you should stop by for some coffee.
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| The pitter-patter of rain drops on the window. We were "rained-in" and had to sit here for a good 2 hours. |
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| You can get some angel wings from sitting on these chairs. The beautiful soft interior of the place. |
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| Jess wanted an emo, look-out-of-the-window-while-it-rains shot. |
My verdict? Pretty fragrant coffee paired with rather calming interior design. Not too bad, but then again, most of the coffee-houses in Korea are about the same standard.
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| THE RAIN FINALLY STOPPED! One quick photo with the place and off we go! (before it rains again). By the way, this is where the Lotteria and Angel-in-Us Coffee is, together with the E-Land Cruise. |
We were headed to COEX this time - a really huge mall? Exhibition Centre? Gosh I don't really know how to describe it but it has everything in it. So I did my research, and this is what it says about COEX mall.
"COEX Mall is the largest underground shopping center in Asia. It is located in the basement of the Korea World Trade Center, located in Samseong-dong in the Gangnam-gu area of Seoul. The colossal shopping center stretches from Samseong station (subway line 2) in the south all the way to Bongeunsa temple in the north, and is considered to be the best shopping and entertainment complex in the area.
Along the main route, visitors will find the Lake food court with 16 restaurants (Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Western-style), the event court (where concerts and performances are staged), the Bandi & Luni’s bookstore (where you can find English books on Korean culture and history), and plenty of brand name stores. Visitors can find major international brands of leisure and sports clothing in a section of COEX mall that is operated by Hyundai Department Store.
There are also plenty of attractions for those visitors looking for a break from shopping. The Game Champ video arcade has 100 of the latest game devices, while the Megabox Cineplex has 16 theaters screening a wide selection of movies. Other popular attractions include the COEX Aquarium, with its water tunnel, and the Kimchi Museum, where visitors can learn everything they need to know about Korea’s favorite food, and even try some of it."
I've read however that the mall is currently under renovation till December 2014, so only the COEX Aquarium and Megabox COEX are currently open.
HOW TO GET HERE: Alight at Samseong Station (Seoul Subway Line 2) and take either Exit 5 or 6. COEX Mall is linked to the Subway station.
COEX Mall (코엑스몰)
58 Teheran-ro 87-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul | 서을시 강남구 테헤란로87길 58 (삼성동)
Operating Hours: 10.30am-10pm (varies between shops)
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| The entrance to COEX mall via the subway station. |
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| The pathways in COEX Mall scattered with various shops. |
Let's head over to the aquarium!
Let me begin by saying I don't know why they call themselves just an aquarium when they have many many other land animals in this aquarium. Nevertheless, this was a really fun experience (ANIMAL LOVERS UNITE) and it was pretty amazing that they fit everything under the shopping mall.
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| An interesting way to store your fish! Hehe. |
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| I can't remember the names of these cute furry things but look at them all snuggled together.. awww |
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| Batman's second cousins twice removed |
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| "Where did i put my clothes again?" |
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| Baby seahorses and their daddy. Daddy seahorses defy all supposed mother-carer laws of nature. RESPECT! |
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| This turtle was really angry with me. Maybe because I had a camera against my face the whole time. |
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| Look at this too cool for school penguin. He owns this place. |
My verdict? This shouldn't particularly be on your agenda if you're a cultural person more than a mall person. However, I do think that this will be a great place to bring the kids. There are many more animals than this but due to lighting reasons I couldn't capture them all. Jess and I had a lot of fun, and if you're an animal lover, I do think this will be a pretty awesome place to come, that would not be affected by any bad weather, especially if you are visiting Korea in winter where rain and snow are rather unpredictable.
513, Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul | 서울특별시 강남구 영동대로 513 (삼성동)
Opening Hours: 10am-8pm (last admission is 1 hour before closing time)
Admission Fees: 22 000W (adults), 19 000W (youths), 16 000W (children), 16 500 (seniors)
For discount information, visit this website: www.coexaqua.co.kr/discount
| # The Ocean Kingdom The Ocean Kingdom contains a huge tank filled with 2,000 tons of seawater, in which a large number of sharks, stingrays, turtles, and a shoal of silver-colored fish live in almost exactly the same conditions as the ocean. # Doctor Fish Exhibition Learn about the Doctor Fish experience by putting your fingers in the water and having the fish nibble on them. It's a tingly, unique feeling and it gets rid of your dead skin. # Kid’s Aquarium Here, children can come face to face with their favorite sea creatures. They can see and even touch frogs, yellow tailed anemone fish, blowfish, and gecko lizards, and have fun learning about life under the sea. # Fish in Wonderland This amusing exhibition takes fish out of the sea and straight into visitors’ daily lives. Here visitors can see fish living in a traffic light, postbox, refrigerator, computer, washing machine, television set, sink, toilet bowl, bed, and telephone booth. # The Penguins’ imaginary playground In the COEX Aquarium, visitors can meet the Humboldt penguins that normally are only found in Peru and Chile in South America. # Seal Tanks Here, visitors can see two seals named Daeyangi and Haeyangi. A special naming event was held to choose the names for these sibling seals. |
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Back to Myeongdong! (Yes we were there almost every night)
The minute we exited from the train station.......
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| IT WAS SNOWING! Sorry that I sound so terribly excited. It was my first experience of snow! Thanks Jess for the photo! |
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| Look at the tteokbokki! I mean at the street stall, it would have been bigger and have more stuff in it! |
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| 냉면 Naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) were okay but nothing to shout about. |
Stay tuned to the next post where we check out Hongdae cafes and the Trick Eye Museum!
Thanks for reading my posts and I do appreciate your support! Let me know if you have any feedback or questions by commenting below!
Till the next post,
Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V
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