Posts
I feel a tad behind, so here's a highlight of the past few days.
Thursdaynight
Spontaneous shopping adventure to Dongdaemun where 24 hour shopping is at its best. We started at 10pm and called it a night by 1am as some of us had class the next day, or else I believe we could've kept going. Questionable, but it was way better than my first experience here during the day on a holiday where mobs of people were driving me nuts and all the clothes were overwhelming me. To my surprise, there was more people than I thought their be, especially tourists (great place to be if your jet lag), and turns out, overnight shopping is more fun than during the day time. Gave Doota (tax free mall if you purchase over $30) a second shot as the last time I came here, the first floor of prices scared me away. Ladies & Gents, head to floor under the first, 'Young Designer,' its definitely cheaper than the first. However, the prices won't compare to street shopping,but you definitely won't regret about the quality.
Fridaynight
COOKIN' N A N T A! What is Nanta you may ask? Its simply the most popular non-verbal broadway performance ever in Korea. It has been watched by over 7million people and performed in 41
countries. My description of it won't pay Nanta justice, but its a story about four cooks who rush to make a meal. This is not your typical cooking show, the three male and one female leads make music with what ever kitchen utensils they have in their hands, be it knives, pots, pans, water bottles, or cutting boards. It was so AMAZING and I was so entertained throughout the whole show. Despite minimal talking, literally 'jibberish,' the story was told very well and I was blown away by the amount of talent these actors and actress had-dance, act, some singing, gestures, wow. It was so fun to watch, if your ever in Korea, watch this show, you don't want to miss out! More information can be found at www.nanta.co.kr; to our luck, it so happens to be the Hongdae theater location's first anniversary, thus until the end of May, tickets are 30% off, hence we only paid $35 instead of $50!
We had actually got lost finding this theatre as the map directions on their pamphlet sucked. So if you do plan on going, make sure to ask locals (warning: they may direct you towards the wrong way), call the theater for better directions (they do speak English), or go ahead of time to hunt down this place. Despite the frustration at first, it was worth every won we paid and getting lost actually led to new discoveries in Hongdae, such as uniquely themed restaurants, luxurious norabangs, and more cafes.
Saturdaymidday
Started our day at Seoul station to find out if their were discounts for KTX (Korean Train Express, bullet train to other provinces in South Korea) to Busan as we plan on going there later this month. After some miss communication and picking up bits and pieces of Korean while the person working was picking up bits and pieces of English from us, we found out that there are discounts if you buy tickets online (receive an E-ticket and redeem it for an actual ticket the day you travel). There are two types of discounts, KR pass and Happy Rail pass. The latter was out of the question as it was for foreigners who have stayed in Seoul for more than 6 months, the former however was for those who have stayed less than 6 months. The discount was less than for those who have stayed for at least half a year, but it was still better than getting a ticket at regular price.
This weekend is the cherry blossom festival at Yeuido (ėŽėë). I had wanted to be at on
e since studying Japan in grade two having seen photos of the breathe taking sight. I had thought it be just a bunch of cherry blossom trees lined up in rows, but there was more going on than I had expected-and without a doubt masses of people everywhere. There were also many tents advertising and promoting their organizations or companies, handing out pamphlets, freebies, as well as lots of street food stalls set up. Many families, couples, and groups of friends with their cameras were there to capture the scene. It was quite a scene, just not a blooming one. Lots of the trees were still bare and naked, with only a handful that had bloomed. Thus, we plan on making another trip in the near future to snap some pretty photos before its too late.
Afterwards, our Korean friend brought us to a fairly new mall (opened last year) called D-cube in Sindorim. Its apparently shaped like a three dimensional cube (we were underground), and its interior was aesthetically designed. If you crave some western shopping, this was the place to go as there was H&M, North Face and other popular brands. There was also a mini Pororo themed indoor park here as well.
That is all for now. I need to withdraw from blogging for a short while as midterms are right around the corner. Its quite difficult though when your an exchange student and there is just so much going on around you and so many things to do in Seoul.
Wish me luck, send me a prayer, and hope that I do well!
Thursdaynight
Spontaneous shopping adventure to Dongdaemun where 24 hour shopping is at its best. We started at 10pm and called it a night by 1am as some of us had class the next day, or else I believe we could've kept going. Questionable, but it was way better than my first experience here during the day on a holiday where mobs of people were driving me nuts and all the clothes were overwhelming me. To my surprise, there was more people than I thought their be, especially tourists (great place to be if your jet lag), and turns out, overnight shopping is more fun than during the day time. Gave Doota (tax free mall if you purchase over $30) a second shot as the last time I came here, the first floor of prices scared me away. Ladies & Gents, head to floor under the first, 'Young Designer,' its definitely cheaper than the first. However, the prices won't compare to street shopping,but you definitely won't regret about the quality.
Fridaynight
COOKIN' N A N T A! What is Nanta you may ask? Its simply the most popular non-verbal broadway performance ever in Korea. It has been watched by over 7million people and performed in 41
countries. My description of it won't pay Nanta justice, but its a story about four cooks who rush to make a meal. This is not your typical cooking show, the three male and one female leads make music with what ever kitchen utensils they have in their hands, be it knives, pots, pans, water bottles, or cutting boards. It was so AMAZING and I was so entertained throughout the whole show. Despite minimal talking, literally 'jibberish,' the story was told very well and I was blown away by the amount of talent these actors and actress had-dance, act, some singing, gestures, wow. It was so fun to watch, if your ever in Korea, watch this show, you don't want to miss out! More information can be found at www.nanta.co.kr; to our luck, it so happens to be the Hongdae theater location's first anniversary, thus until the end of May, tickets are 30% off, hence we only paid $35 instead of $50!We had actually got lost finding this theatre as the map directions on their pamphlet sucked. So if you do plan on going, make sure to ask locals (warning: they may direct you towards the wrong way), call the theater for better directions (they do speak English), or go ahead of time to hunt down this place. Despite the frustration at first, it was worth every won we paid and getting lost actually led to new discoveries in Hongdae, such as uniquely themed restaurants, luxurious norabangs, and more cafes.
Saturdaymidday
Started our day at Seoul station to find out if their were discounts for KTX (Korean Train Express, bullet train to other provinces in South Korea) to Busan as we plan on going there later this month. After some miss communication and picking up bits and pieces of Korean while the person working was picking up bits and pieces of English from us, we found out that there are discounts if you buy tickets online (receive an E-ticket and redeem it for an actual ticket the day you travel). There are two types of discounts, KR pass and Happy Rail pass. The latter was out of the question as it was for foreigners who have stayed in Seoul for more than 6 months, the former however was for those who have stayed less than 6 months. The discount was less than for those who have stayed for at least half a year, but it was still better than getting a ticket at regular price.
This weekend is the cherry blossom festival at Yeuido (ėŽėë). I had wanted to be at on
e since studying Japan in grade two having seen photos of the breathe taking sight. I had thought it be just a bunch of cherry blossom trees lined up in rows, but there was more going on than I had expected-and without a doubt masses of people everywhere. There were also many tents advertising and promoting their organizations or companies, handing out pamphlets, freebies, as well as lots of street food stalls set up. Many families, couples, and groups of friends with their cameras were there to capture the scene. It was quite a scene, just not a blooming one. Lots of the trees were still bare and naked, with only a handful that had bloomed. Thus, we plan on making another trip in the near future to snap some pretty photos before its too late.Afterwards, our Korean friend brought us to a fairly new mall (opened last year) called D-cube in Sindorim. Its apparently shaped like a three dimensional cube (we were underground), and its interior was aesthetically designed. If you crave some western shopping, this was the place to go as there was H&M, North Face and other popular brands. There was also a mini Pororo themed indoor park here as well.
That is all for now. I need to withdraw from blogging for a short while as midterms are right around the corner. Its quite difficult though when your an exchange student and there is just so much going on around you and so many things to do in Seoul.
Wish me luck, send me a prayer, and hope that I do well!
Labels: Cherry Blossoms, Korea, Nanta, Seoul
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