Things I didn't know (but wish I did) before coming to Seoul

Okay, I know I'm still in the midst of telling all about my Seoul trip,

but I feel like I better post this entry before continuing with whatever day I last posted.

Things YOU should know before traveling to Seoul

so that you don't make the same mistakes I did:

#1: Free Size

This isn't a mistake, it's more of a precaution to those whose bodies are not "Free Size" sized. 

Num sayin'?

I'm not only talking about oversized bodies, even girls and dudes who are on the taller side would have a little trouble finding clothes in Seoul. Most clothes sold here are free sized, and most shops won't let you try their clothes on. Especially in the Summer, one sales assistant told me, because people tend to sweat (a lot, in my case) and they didn't want to ruin the clothes with BO.

So for those who aren't in the range of UK8 and below, it's best for you to either bring clothes for all the days you'll be in Korea, or bring extra cash. Since most shops sell only free sized clothing, the shops that do sell clothes in different sizes would mark their prices up.

#2: Edae > Hongdae

I know, I know. 

Some of you might think, "but Tania, didn't you just say Hongdae was your favorite place on Earth?!"

It is, it really is. What I'm talking about is the prices of clothes at Edae & Hongdae. Edae is an abbreviation (Koreans are big on them) of Ehwa Daehakgyo, which means Ehwa University.

These two are only two subway stops apart, but prices of almost (if not, the exact) same thing in Hongdae can go up to twice the price compared to Edae.

However, Hongdae does have more variety. My suggestion is to go to Edae first to browse and believe me when I tell you to just get whatever you like here, because you won't find these prices anywhere else. If what you want isn't in Edae, then chances are they're at Hongdae. A little pricier, but it's a kazillion times cheaper than anywhere else in the World. So why not?

The clothes in Edae isn't cheap because it isn't as good of a quality than everywhere else, it's because the shops at Edae are less than a minute walk from the campus grounds of Ehwa Womans University.

It's catered to the girls from the university, so the prices are university students approved.

And you know how broke we, students, can get..

Prices start from 5,000won (RM15), which was the price of majority of the clothes.

#3: Don't "annyeong" everyone

Here's something funny..

So..

Koreans are very warm people, and they smile and greet you whenever they can.

So when Nadia and I were at Deoksugung Palace, which was one of the stops on the Seoul Tour Bus, there was an Ahjussi (uncle) near the gates of the palace, so he greeted us with an "Annyeong!" and a smile.

Duh of course lah I said "Oh! Annyeong!" back, kan?

Yeah.. don't.

When Nadia heard that, she looked back at me and gave me this what the f are you doing look.

So I gave her what's your problem! look back.

Appppppparently.. "Annyeong" is something you say you to lil' kids. Or at least someone younger.

You say "Annyeong haseyo" to older people, or everyone else you don't know that well.

Whoops.

I just thought it was a shorter version of Annyeong-haseyo, who knew it would be extremely rude to miss out a three syllable word..

Thank God that ahjussi just looked at me and smiled, he probably knew I was a dumb know-nothing tourist and brushed it off. Some of them would actually go up to you and even scold you for saying that. How embarrassing would that be if that happened..

#4: Bring cash, but have money in your card

If you plan to shop (let's be honest, who goes to Seoul to not shop?), this is my suggestion to you.

Always carry cash, and pay for your food at restaurants with your card.

Reason being because most shops give extra discounts if you pay with cash, some even give discounts up to 5,000won (RM15)! Also, cards can sometimes act up and not work (like what happened to Nadia & I) at some shops.

What I did was bring all money in cash and had so little in my card. 

So I paid everything in cash, which was okay.. Until I ran out of money. And had to shamelessly ask mama to bank in some in the middle of the night..

Shops like SUM gift shop in SM Town and when you buy k-pop CDs in Myeongdong accept cards, so it's also advisable to pay by card there. Major stores like SPAO and H&M, too.

Also, whatever it is pun, you can still withdraw cash from international ATM machines around Seoul, that can be found especially at touristy areas.

#5: Food...

Oh boy, food.. Where do I start..

Like I had mentioned before, you can find more people coming out of plastic surgery clinics than you can find Halal restaurants in Seoul. And I am dead serious.

For the past 5 years, never have I stepped into Burger King or KFC, but because I was desperate for anything but pork, these were sometimes our only choice in Seoul.

Street food tu jangan cakap lah, we didn't eat a single thing.

But even restaurants in Myeongdong, Hongdae, Edae, Gangnam all had either pork or alcohol.

A place with an abundance of Halal restaurants would be around the Itaewon area, which is where the Seoul Mosque is located. 

We had lunch there one afternoon at this restaurant called Eid.

There were tons of Halal restaurants selling kebab and whatnot, standard overseas Halal food.

But we wanted to eat Halal Korean BBQ so bad, so we googled and found one here.

It is fully operated by this Korean Muslim family, owned by the father and managed by the son, cooked by the mother. Too cute!

The moment we walked in the restaurant, which was conveniently located a few doors down from the Mosque, we were greeted by the son with an "Assalamualaikum!"

........ Uh, SOLD?! Dah lah handsome. Dah lah Korean.

DAH. LAH. MUSLIM.

Ok back to the restaurant.

It was so, so, so sedap! I don't know if it was because of the environment (a.k.a the son) or it was memang legit sedap, don't ask me I was biased the second I stepped foot in the restaurant. LOL.

We had the Korean bulgogi set, which is Korean barbecued beef that came with rice and the side dishes were kimchi, salad and this sweet, honey-ish anchovies.

It was honestly the best dish I had throughout the trip. We would have gone back to Eid everyday if only it wasn't out of the way, since we had to make a couple of subway transfers to Itaewon.

I am begging everyone that plans to go to Seoul to try this restaurant out, not only is the food good, you really feel at home here. They are so warm and welcoming, I would definitely come back the next time I am in Seoul.

If you're extremely particular about your meals, it being Halal and everything, I recommend you to stay at Itaewon, or areas along Line 6 of the subway. That would make going there during lunch or dinner much, much more convenient.

There are several guesthouses, I assume Muslim ones, around Itaewon. Even the family running Eid Restaurant has a Muslim-only guesthouse not far from the restaurant.

For more information on the restaurant and the guesthouse, here you go:

https://www.facebook.com/eid.muslim.friendly.guesthouse

Other than Itaewon, we also discovered an extremely amazing Indian restaurant at Sinchon,

which was only one subway stop (without transfer, woo hoo!) away from Hongik University Station.

I am a huge fan of Indian food, we get good ones here in KL even. But this one.. This one was one of my favorites.. ever! Like, can bertanding with Khan's in London kind of good, you know?

It's called Jyoti, please don't ask me to describe where exactly it is 'cause I am horrible with directions, but it you google "Jyoti Sinchon Seoul", you'll get it.

It's Halal, too!

#6: Buy as many K-Pop CDs there

My biggest regret was not doing just that.

It's true, there is no place on Earth you can get a large variety of cheap K-Pop albums from zaman I want nobody nobody but chu! up to the latest albums just released the day before other than Seoul.

To compare the prices, we found EXO's latest album "Love Me Right" for only 12,000won (RM36) at Myeongdong, and we found the same album at Rock Corner here in KL for RM130.

We couldn't even find the outdated nor the latest albums here. It was so frustrating!

If you're a big k-pop fan, just borong ok. Believe me, you'll miss your chance if you don't.

#7: Learn (at least a little of) the Korean language

I know, who got time fo' dat..

But really, this is for your own good. And your survival in Seoul.

Unless you booked with a traveling agent and have everything planned out, your best friend for the next couple of days in Seoul will be your google translate app on your phone.

Koreans are extremely proud of their language, to the extent where they feel that they don't need to know any other languages, which is hell for any tourist.

Even in touristy areas like cosmetic stores at Myeongdong, they are going to speak to you in full Korean, whether you look like the total opposite of how a typical Korean would look like or not.

Sign languages and broken English will get you somewhere, but girl.. It ain't getting you far.

Thank goodness Nadia knows a lot of Korean (thanks, KShowOnline.com!), so she was basically my translator throughout the trip. Even then, there were several occasions where she would look at me with the exact same clueless expression I had on.

But I did realize that the closer you are to university areas, like Hongdae & Edae, the easier it is to communicate in English.

Why? Because in Korean universities, it's compulsory to take English as a subject, so majority of the stores in Hongdae & Edae would be filled with university students working part-time.

Cafés, too! The Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks near our place had no problem speaking to me in full English, without me having to break my sentence into:

Coffee...... Hana (one)..... Hot..........How much?

*points to cash*

How many....*points to 1,000 won notes* ????

It is extremely exhausting.

Learn things like:

1) ... eodi-eyo? = Where is... ?

2) ... isseoyo? = Do you have... ?

3) Eolma-eyo? = How much is this?

Or just study this whole thing before you leave for Seoul: 

http://www.rocketlanguages.com/korean/learn/shopping-words-in-korean/

Thank me later.

#8: Skip the Seoul City Tour Bus

Unless you reeeeally want to.. It's not the best I've been on.

Of course, it is the most convenient way to get around and see the tourist spots in the city all in one day, saving you the hassle of getting lost and wasting more time finding places.

But they didn't have an audio tour guide (the ones where you put on the headphones and listen to a pre-recorded historical background of every stop),

and they only had a Korean live tour guide.. who only spoke in Korean.. to Korean tourists..

-__-

So we had to just sit still at the back of the bus with the other clueless foreign tourists until the bus driver announces the next stop, in a very thick Korean accent.. so you have to listen very carefully..

Of course, once we hopped off at whatever stop we wanted to get off, there were English translations.

Like for the palaces, there would be boards explaining the history behind every building, in English.

Some stops were a bit out of the way and pretty difficult to get to if we were to go by ourselves, so it was good that the bus took us there. But if you're feeling extra adventurous and willing to get lost and find these places by yourself without having to pay the extra buck on the entrance ticket, just google "Seoul City Tour Bus" and check the map route. Then do your own research on the places you're really interested in going and how to get there, and go by yourself.

To sum up the entire city tour bus experience:

-_____-

Skip it.

#9: Browse first, buy later

This is especially important for all you solo travelers still under the care of your parents, 

traveling without them.. but with their money..

If you're earning and plan to splurge in Seoul, go ahead! Go crazy, even.

Or if you're one of those kids your parents just hand their credit card to.

Not judging!

But if your parents gave you a certain amount of money to spend there for the whole trip, you probably would be better off allocating a whole day of extreme patience and just looking around without buying anything first. Especially if you're going to shopping hotspots like Myeongdong.

Of course, it can be pretty tough, but chances are when you first go to places like these, you'll get all rambang mata-ed and buy everything you see. Apa lagi when you see them handing out face masks endorsed by your favorite k-pop group.. you even feel obliged to get something.

No. Stop it.

Put it down, smile, take the free mask they handed you (penting), say Dashi olgeyo (I'll come back),

and leave the store.

Why? Because chances are you'll find something even better (or prettier, cosmetic packaging in Korea are outta this World!) 5 minutes down the street.

This is me speaking from experience, although I don't regret a single thing I bought in Seoul, 

I could live without those 3 bottles of face moisturizers I bought on impulse.

You would probably be like,

 "Ala nothing lah RM30, I'll just buy in case I finish my other two bottles"

Yeah until you run out of cash on the 4th day.

Don't be like me, ok everyone.

Have some self-control, woman!

#10: Save yourself from the vicious Seoul heat/cold

From the end of June to late August, or from November to February..

Don't. Go. To. Seoul.

Use the most of these months, instead, to kumpul all dat ca$h for your trip in March-May or from September to November. These are the ideal months to visit Seoul, even according to the locals.

We were a month too early from experiencing the beautiful autumn leaves falling down along the streets of Garosu-gil, and bumping into some handsome Korean boy coming out of a café.. Like the ones you see in a Korean drama..

JK, but you get the drift.

When we went, which was from the 30th of July to the 7th of August, is was a scorching 30 degrees.

And when I first checked before I left for Seoul, 

I was like hek eleh Malaysia 32 degrees! This is nothing!

... ...

Tapi Malaysia hujan, bengong.

I was so oblivious to the other words on the google weather page, 

'cause duh.. Who pays attention to them anyways, right? What do they even mean? Pfsch!

Yeah no, pay attention to them.

Like the humidity %. And the fact that the wind was going below 5 mph. AND no rain.

Stupid, Tania!

So what did I do when I saw that Seoul was three degrees below Malaysia?

Pack jackets!

Yeah, I kid you not. I packed a varsity, a blazer, and a parka.

See, people. This is why you educate yourself. So that you don't be stupid and pack an extra 3kgs.

I've never felt so stupid or angry with myself.

#11: Make breakfast

Okay, so this might not apply to some people, but if you:

_

1) Are staying in Hongdae or Edae,

2) Actually wake up in the morning to have breakfast,

you might want to make your own food for breakfast, which means you'd need to go grocery shopping before going anywhere else.

This half-applied for me because my sister doesn't wake up until noon, but I'm up by 8am and get hungry 30 minutes later. So if I were to get groceries and only cook for myself, it wasn't worth the 30 minute trip to the nearest grocery store. There were plenty of convenient stores, but they didn't even sell bread! The closest thing to it were cream-filled buns.

They had very limited stock of groceries like eggs and whatnot, but they were much pricier and only came in twos for some reason. So to buy for our entire stay of 9 nights and 8 days wasn't worth it.

They did sell pre-packed sandwiches and kimbab, though, but I don't eat rice and the sandwich fillings were usually bacon.

So for the entire stay, I had to live off banana milk, overpriced egg sandwiches at Starbucks down the road and croissants. If you're a morning person, you'd understand how depressed I felt every morning,

to the point where I was honestly considering asking my mum to poslaju bread and eggs to me.

I say "if you are staying in Hongdae or Edae" because these areas are exactly like my sister.

It's only awake from noon onwards.

Nothing is open there besides the convenient stores, so don't bother.

Also, if you think Korean ramyeon is an option, refer to #6.

I had to take my phone out and search the meaning of every damn thing on those ramyeon packaging.

Everything was in Hangul! They were all packed in red packets, so okay lah they're all pedas.. 

But what else are they saying?!

WHY IS THAT GUY IN THE CORNER SCREAMING HIS BRAIN OFF?

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???

The struggle was real.

Besides all this, I had an incredible time in Seoul,

and I can't wait to continue blogging about the remaining days soon.

'Til then!

xoxo

Tania