Luggage nightmare

I realised I forgot to mention that when my other friend left to travel home, she took half of everything I bought from Japan with her. At the time, it wasn’t the most satisfying negotiation, but after some persuasion and logical thinking, we swapped cases. She took the things I didn’t need, along with my bigger case, since weight wasn’t an issue for her—fitting everything in was. Let me tell you, the sheer amount of things we both bought was absolutely ridiculous.

Am I mad? No. Were they pointless items? Probably. Do I regret it? Absolutely not.

I even had to buy an extra carry-on for her to take!

If you’re a sucker for cute clothing or souvenirs like my friend and I… and I could give one piece of advice, it would be: bring an empty case. Like many have warned, there are so many places to buy wonderful things for yourself and your loved ones, and that’s just Japan! Not to mention all the other places I still have yet to explore…

If anyone is curious about all the useless things I bought, maybe I’ll share in a future blog. But for now—on with the adventures!

New location

After three weeks in the wonderful land of Japan, the girls and I set off for a new destination. Where, you ask? Of course, it was South Korea!

With an early start and a painful 2-HOUR train journey to Narita Airport (I strongly recommend flying in and out of Haneda unless you enjoy slow train rides), we arrived at the airport with our bags—mine included—well over the weight limit.

Naturally, I worried about the bag limit, especially being in a foreign country, so I paid the excess fee… I think it was only about £25, but still, you’ll want to avoid unnecessary expenses like I did. I probably could have re-adjusted the wight, but honestly I just wanted to board my bag and get a coffee… not exactly cost effective!

The flight was pretty decent, lasting only about an hour and a half, and we landed in Seoul. After an Uber ride and a brief navigation adventure, we showered, changed, and went to explore.

Seoul

Unlike Japan, Korea was a much more relaxed part of the journey for me. I was super grateful to be there, but I let my friends take the reins on deciding where to go. It was nice to not have to be the planner, navigator, or decision-maker for once…

Day one simply consisted of me following the girls wherever they wanted to go. Since we weren’t based in the city centre, we would take a taxi or the train into the city. Our first stop was a mall to get a few things done. Now, I have to tell you, this mall had probably never or very rarely seen many foreigners—if any—especially ones who couldn’t speak the language…

After wandering aimlessly for a while, we stumbled upon a massage place. Despite our poor attempts to communicate with the employee, a kind local woman came to our rescue. She was a lovely lady in her 30s, a teacher who taught English to young students. She helped us out by translating and booking my friends a massage. I wasn’t interested, so I sat that one out. She also gave us some great recommendations for places to get our nails, hair, or clothes done. In the end we exchanged numbers and made our first friend!

My friends were determined to explore Korea’s famous fashion styles, skincare, and food. The only thing that caught my attention was getting my hair done.

I was looking to change things up from my usual colour and length, so I went for balayage and layers. Did I get what I wanted? Nope. Was I happy with the result? It grew on me. Between the language barrier and my tendency to avoid confrontation, I ended up with what could be considered a classic cut in Korea. It wasn’t exactly what I imagined, but I didn’t mind and much cheaper than getting it done in the UK. The rest of the day was spent with the others getting their hair and nails done. Since we hadn’t even begun to explore Seoul yet, I was itching to get going. we ventured into the city and checked out some street markets. Realising I hadn’t had fresh fruit in days, I treated myself to a kiwi smoothie. It was fresh and sweet, and we spent the rest of the day wandering through alleys and streets, ending the day feeling pretty tired. That’s the best part of exploring. I could tell you about all the streets and places we wandered in/through, but that takes away the fun for you! – Just mindlessly walking through enjoying the vibrancy and spontaneity.

Safe to say, day one ended with self-care, some food with our new friend, and a realisation that we were in Seoul!

The next day, we headed back to the small mall, grabbed some food, and set out again for more shopping. Myeongdong, like many areas in Seoul, has a lot to offer, especially when it comes to beauty and skincare products. There’s also a great variety of delicious treats like tteokbokki and hotteok. I tried tteokbokki and immediately fell in love—it had a rich mix of flavours, with the spice really standing out. Since I’m not great with spicy food, I could only manage a small portion!

I made a mental note of all the products my friends recommended, planning to come back later to pick some up. While I enjoy a good shopping spree, I was eager to check out some of the famous landmarks in Gangnam and other areas.

Walking through the streets of Seoul felt oddly familiar, yet still new. As a city girl, I’m used to the hustle and bustle, which Seoul definitely has. But this city also has its own unique culture, rhythm, and way of life! Two of the girls had some business to take care of, so my other friend and I decided to explore more of Seoul on our own. Finishing up in Myeongdong I decided to invest in some Boba tea. From what I can remember, the flavour was tasty, but I’m not sure if I am the best person to critique Boba since… unpopular opinion, but I don’t particularly enjoy it. I know probably pointless to mention, but I wanted to note that I did try!

Paparazzi Cafe

This trendy cafe is a fun and unique spot to enjoy delicious treats, sip coffee, and most importantly… have a blast! Located in Hongdae, it has an entrance fee of around £7. I couldn’t find a specific website, but you can find plenty of photos on Instagram or TikTok.

The cafe features several different areas to explore, each perfect for photo ops with fun props and sets. From eerie horror rooms to a vibrant 90s/2000s style bedroom, there are plenty of cool and quirky rooms to check out. My favourite was definitely the 90s room with its bold, colourful vibe. (Not that I was a true 90s kid, but it was still fun to experience the nostalgia and aesthetic of that time.)

The food and coffee were decent, but honestly, the main attraction here is the experience. It’s a great spot to make TikToks or do a fake photoshoot with friends. While you’ll find plenty of cute and aesthetically pleasing coffee shops in Seoul, this place brings a unique blend of authenticity and originality to your lunch experience, complete with great photo opportunities. Since we visited on a weekday, it wasn’t crowded at all, allowing us to enjoy each room as much as we wanted (as long as no one else was waiting).

A new day

With the days rolling by, our next spot was heading to the famous Gyeongbokgung Palace. Built in 1395, this palace is known as the Palace of Shining Happiness. With its pavilion, main hall, and museum, it’s a fantastic place to dive into Korea’s rich history. On the day of our visit, we also decided to rent and try on some Hanboks.

Hanboks

Now there are plenty of places to do this and you can book in advance. But the place we decided to do this was Daehan Hanbok.This establishment has an excellent reputation, with efficient service and friendly staff, ensuring you get the full experience of wearing a Hanbok, complete with the accessories. You can choose your preferred design, and similar to trying on kimonos, the staff will dress you in it.

One thing to keep in mind: You may be asked to remove your top or jumper and wear one of their tops, but you’ll most likely keep your own bottoms. So, if you choose to do this, make sure your bottoms are comfortable, or else you might get a bit too warm like I did!

Once dressed, you’ll head upstairs to pick out some hair accessories and a little bag to carry with you. Don’t worry, your valuables will be safely locked away, and you’ll take the key with you. Depending on the package you choose, you can have your hair done or even get photos taken, but we opted for a more affordable package.

Then, off we went to explore the palace and take some photos!

I took some adorable Polaroids of my friends, which I gave them as mementos to treasure from that lovely day. The palace grounds are quite expansive, so you can easily spend a long time roaming around. Since it was a very hot day, we didn’t linger too long in the Hanboks and soon headed back to return them and gather our things to continue exploring.

Ugly bakery

One of the great things about Seoul is that you’ll never go hungry, thanks to its famous bakeries, restaurants, and cafes. Ugly Bakery (another TikTok find)offers a variety of delicious treats. Unfortunately, when we visited later in the afternoon, nearly everything was sold out—seriously, EVERYTHING.

Clearly, it’s a popular spot! I wasn’t in luck with the options left, so I opted for a matcha-flavoured pastry. While it wasn’t my favourite, I would still recommend trying this place out as it’s highly praised for its food.

If you plan to go, make sure to arrive early!

Initial Thoughts on Korea

Korea is a very popular destination for Westerners to explore, with so much to offer, from idols to food. There’s a lot about this place I still don’t know. So far, I’ve been enjoying my time here and seeing what the city has to offer, but there’s still so much more to see.

In my next blog, I’ll wrap up my final adventures in this busy city and share my reflections on my journey so far.Thank you for reading my post—I hope you enjoyed.

Until my next blog of intrepid tales on my trails…!