Of course, not everything about the trip BYJ related. We went and explore our very own sights and sounds.
Last year, I spent all my $$$ on magazines. Because of his movie premiere, all the magazines were covering him. There were not very cheap and very heavy!!!
This time round, I did not buy any magazines but I did buy lots of cosmetics as well as cds.
Cosmetics
It’s no wonder that the Korean ladies all look so good and beautifully made up. The Korean cosmetics are really affordable and good. There are several well-known chains and they can all be found in Myeondong. If you fancy Kwon Sang Woo, you can try The Face Shop as he is endorsing it (I must admit he looks really cute in this CF). We found their facemasks quite good (at S$1.50 per pack, I’m not complaining). I especially like their eye shadows. If you buy above 20,0000 won, you can get his poster. Some of us went back so often that the sales girls all recognize us by the time we left.
Won Bin, on the other hand, is the spokesperson for Missha. Equally good, though I find it slightly pricier than The Face Shop, but it is still affordable.
There is also the Dodo Shop (the nail polish is quite great and is priced at 1,000 won). Their range skin care is pretty good too. Cosa Todd, on the other is a big shop carrying a wide range of brands, so if it’s variety you want, check out this store. It’s near O&N in Myeon Dong. Hehehe! Can kill 2 birds with one stone.
Late Night Shopping
But for serious all day/ night shopping, it’s hard to beat Doota, A/P M and Milgore, which are all opposite Dongdaemun. The 3 buildings are next to each other, all three building have at least 6 to 8 floors each. You can shop till you drop or ran out of money, whichever comes earlier. Mine was the latter. Made up of little shops inside, each level specializes in different things- children’s wear, shoes, bags and accessories, men’s clothes etc. Opened late (or early) till early morning hours.
And if you are tired after the late night shopping, there are lots of small snack shops right outside along the main street. You have to try the tteokbokki. It’s one of Koren’s national snack and it’s actually stir fried rice cake. The taste is in the sauce, which of course is spicy lah. In WLS, Joon Sang asked Yu Jin what she did the previous Christmas and she replied that Sang Hyuk made tteokbokki especially for her especially and although it was way too spicy, she still enjoyed it. Price ranged between 2,000 to 3,000 won.
Dongdaemun
Dongdaemun has a flea market on Sunday. Quite interesting though not quite my cup of tea. However, I did find the salesman there selling the scrub for the pots and pans fascinating! His sales pitch was done in sing-song way as he scrubbed away at the blackened pot, showing the miracle of the scrub as the pot becomes all sparkling clean again. And no, I did not buy it although some of the others did. Wonder if it was really as miraculous as he made it out to be, but going to Korea to buy a pot scrub is not quite on my shopping list. Hahaha!
Namdaemun
Another late night shopping place- Namdaemum. This place comes alive at about 11pm although shops are opened in the day time too. Small shops and carts lined the lanes. Much like the Ladies Street in HK. Most of us bought our seaweed here. Again, each lane specializes in different things. Don’t forget to check out the small carts along the main road.
BYJ related- One of the cart selling dogs apparels actually had one that has BYJ’s face on it. I wonder how BYJ would feel to see his picture on a little dog…????
Kypbo Bookstore
Kyobo bookstore. The main store is in Chongno 1-ga, Chongno -gu, Seoul. Take the subway and alight and Jonggak Station.
This bookstore is at least twice the size of Kinokuniya here and has an extensive range of books and cds. For those studying Korea, you may want to make a trip there as there are lots of dictionary, text books to choose from. There is also a video section but the range is only so-so although the prices are ok (meaning it wasn’t a rip-off!) The cd section is quite good though, with a wide range of choices. Price is average.
CT Record shop
Talking about cds, we discovered this little shop in the basement of the Myeongdong station basement shopping area. It’s like the shopping link at Suntec link or Raffle Place. It’s a small shop and he doesn’t have much stock but he can get them for you by the next day if you ask. His prices were better than most of the shops we went to. Of course, the fact that there were about 10 women cramming into his store and buying up a storm helped. The average price is about 11,000 won (after discount) compared to 13,000 won in other stores. Let me see, what did I buy???…. Paris Lover OST, Love, So Divine OST, Full House OST etc. I was totally broke by now but it was difficult to resist such temptations. It’s difficult to get Korean cds in Singapore. And they are often released late as well. Paris Lover OST is not even available here yet! Maybe if you memtion Joon’s Fanily or that you are from BYJ’s fan club, S’pore, he may remember us and give you a discount too. Or otherwise, just use your charms on him lah.
Name of CD shop: CT Record Shop. The guy’s name is Sung Yong Hak (송영학), T: 772 9178)
BYJ related- we discovered that all the optical shop seems to think that BYJ is good for business- they all have a poster of him on their shops.
Daehangno
During this trip, we discovered a pretty little place called Daehangno (대학로). It’s actually a university but it’s so unlike any university that I’ve seen. Just take a look at the photos. Definitely a place to go if you want to have a romantic outing. Just imagine having a cup of tea with BYJ in one of the charming little cafes. Sigh……But they say dreams can come true, so ….. : ) Actually it is BYJ related. If you read through Fumi’s posting, this is actually near BYJ’s old home before they moved. Subway: Hyehwa.
Daehangno 1
Daehangno 2
Daehangno 3
Oh btw, KNTO HQ has free internet access. They have about 10 to 12 computers so you don’t normally have to queue. Besides you can also take a look at the Korean Wave Hall there and take photos with CJW, BYJ, KSW, LBH etc. Well, if you can’t have the real thing, bluff one also good right? Address: 40, Cheongyecheonno, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-180. Take the subway Jonggak Station and cross the road.
Food...food and more food
Food…. Very important to Singaporeans. Tigger brought us to this fabulous BBQ restaurant. Ok, before I even continue, if you intend to go, please remember to wear your dirtiest clothes. Why? Because the smell stays on…and on… and on… your clothes, your bag, your socks, your hair, your everything except shoes, and that is only because you have to take off your shoes and sit Korean style. (this is for upstairs seating, for downstairs seating, it is the “normal” position, ie, you get to keep your shoes on and sit on chairs).
But the smell is worth it as the food is delicious and cheap! You basically only pay for the meat and alcoholic drinks. The soup- free! The side dishes- free! The soft drink (first bottle) – free! Service- free! Laundry- not free! Hahaha! Very worth it especially if you are going as a group. Make a reservation first as it is very popular with the locals. It doesn’t mean you will have a table waiting for you but it does mean that you will get the first available table instead of waiting in line.
Name: 석기시대Address: 서울시 종로구 관철동12-11 (T: 02 737 3692) Sorry, don’t know how to get them except via taxi.
BBQ restaurant 1
BBQ restaurant 2
BBQ restaurant 3
You might also want to try one of those very tempting stalls selling an array of bbq stuff. We tried one such store at Namdaemun. Yummy! They have something like yong tou foo. The soup was heavenly….or maybe I was hungry then. Hahahaha!
Ok, anyone who knows what the food or this kind of food stall is called, please let me know
BBQ stall 1
BBQ stall 2
My only regret was that I did not have a chance to have a soju at one those tents that we see so often in the Korean dramas. I heard that the food is actually not that cheap. If anybody try, tell me how it is like ok?
One of the best way of getting around in Seoul on your own is to take the city tour. You get to see most of the main sites. Check out more infor from http://english.tour2korea.com/
Myungdong Motel
Many Singapore BYJ fans stay at this little motel called Myung Dong Motel when they are in Korea. We stayed there too. Nothing great or fancy, and some of the rooms can be rather small, it is after a motel. But the place is clean, it’s cheap and it’s just opposite Myeondong, which makes shopping very easy (though I think a little too easy). There is a 7-11 just down the lane and it’s near enough Seoul Tower to take a walk in the evening should you choose to do so. Mr Park and his wife are wonderful people and will go out of the way to help. You feel safe staying there. Best of all, Mr Park speaks English!!!!!
Warning: This is a motel, not a hotel. Please do not expect things like bathtubs, mini fridge or room service. But it is clean and safe.
Myung Dong Motel - #17, Namsan-Dong 3-Ga, Jung-Gu, Seoul, Korea
(Don't have Mr Park's contact details at the moment. Esther, help!)
I still have the KNTO trip to write, will try and do that ASAP. Thanks to all the other CMs for their help in filling up the gaps in my report.
