South Korea Day 4 - Dongdaemun / N-Tower / Namdaemun / Ewha University

Assalamualaikum. 안녕!

Wah lama gila kau rehat cuti² CNY kan Bie. Lama gila ndak update cerita Winter Trip. Suddenly one of the friend threw a bomb. 

"I'm going to Seoul soon ok! Finish ur entries asap lah" 

Ngek, baru ingat aku stop kejap haritu. Sambil seru roh rajin, aku gagahkan lah diri. Next time sila bertangguh lagi. Pfft!

On our third day in Seoul, we purposely woke up a bit late. Itinerary harini hanya untuk round area Dongdaemun untuk cari boots & sport shoes, pastu mau naik N-Tower (again) because the cousin wrote Teddy Bear Museum in the to-go-list & later to Namdaemun Market for souvenir hunting. Initially I planned to go to Herbs Island later that evening. Kekunun we will depart to Soyosan from Seoul at 3p. But we cancelled the plan because according to the cousin...

"Alaaaa jauh. From the bus stop we have to walk some more to get to the place. Pastu, mau tengok the same light festival macam di Morning Calm kan. Ndak payahlah, kaki orang masih lenguh. Terlampau sejuk last night, banyak lagi berjalan"

Fine, next time jaklah aku jejak Herbs Island nampak gaya. Insha Allah. Memang tujuan untuk tengok light festival jak pun. For sure semua pokok & tanam²an togel. Next visit harus jejak during spring season, baru bunga semua kembang semangkuk.

Underground cafe. U will never starve in Seoul. Dalam subway station, hatta berapa tingkat ke bawah sekalipun...memang wujud cafe gini. Waffle pun waffle lah, janji perut terisi for breakfast. 

First destination, alley yang jual so many designs & fashions of boots. Boleh pakai for spring & fall sekali. Dari entrance, memang berpinar mata aku menengok boots sepanjang jalan. Yet, sampailah mau melintas jalan...nan hado hasil rembatan. 

Twice datang Doota were during midnight...so ni first time aku tengok Doota during the day & dari luar some more. 

Spotted Best Western Hotel (far right). The very first hotel I stayed at in Seoul. That is Dongdaemun Gate; it was still under renovation when I came to Seoul for the first time in 2012.

Headed to Myeongdong after Dongdaemun. Misi adalah untuk jejak Namsan Tower. First time menjejak di siang hari juga ni. Before ni menapak bukit & naik cable car...this time I opted to take the shuttle bus. Pusing² sikit area Myeongdong before ascending to Namsan during the day. Boleh cuci² mata.

More info about this bus (here).

Niat untuk naik bas bukan semata untuk cuci mata. Tapi juga sebab mau try naik the newly launched electric bus. Memang sangat menjaga environment lah transportation macam ni. The bus is recharged once it reaches its last stop.

Annyeong N-Tower. Before berjumpa, izinkan daku menapak bukit itu terlebih dahulu. Sob.

Dia jak lah yang sakan bergambar area Love Lock Trees ni. Barulah aku nampak jelas area N-Tower ni. Memang berbeza feeling siang & malam.

Anyways, angan² untuk masuk Teddy Bear Museum adalah ke laut as the museum is no longer there. It will be replaced by Trick Art Museum (the third one in Seoul after Hongik & Insadong). Nasiblah aku faham sikit Oppa Counter Ticket tu cakap with this one Chinese tourist. Else, harus buang masa queue panjang² & ended up dapat berita "Muzium sudah nggak ada". 

Fountain ni kalau malam memang cantik. Berwarna warni siap menari air yang mengalir.

Puas ronda² atas bukit Namsan, we boarded the shuttle bus & hop off at Namdaemun Market. Pencarian boots & sport shoes bermula lagi sekali. Also aku mau cari trench coat yang murah²; boleh guna untuk bergaya for any upcoming trip(s). 

As usual, market ni memang ndak pernah lenggang ngan manusia. Local ka tourist, sama ramai memeriahkan kawasan ni.

Pastu disapa Candy Booth Oppa ni. Banyak kali sudah aku tengok diorang demo macamana dari seketul honey yang super keras, lepas di putar² akan jadi candy ala-suun. Gitu kan aku describe candy ni.

I've tried the candy few times. Tapi aku stop juga, kasi chance cousin aku tu tengok the demo. Done with the demo, cousin aku pun termakan racun Candy Oppa ni. Memang ndak plan untuk bawa balik so aku belilah sekotak. With almond as inti. Dalam 10 ketul tu, aku cuma dapat sumbat seketul. The rest selamat dalam perut cousin aku before I even realized it. Sweet tooth melampau².

I stopped at this gerai & looked at my cousin "Ni, dia ndak mau rasa?". And she gave me this jelingan tajam while saying "Not funny enough. Try next time". 

Singgah beli kebab Abang Iraq at the market. Pastu kami zoom balik hostel. Mau rest kaki & minda since niat membeli terbelah tidak kesampaian. Asyiklah mata melilau ternampak benda lain; tersasar jauh pula tu dari barang aku aku aimed. 

Late that evening, tiba² idea untuk terjah area E-Dae timbul. At first, aku ingat mau lepak area Yeouido. Cuci² mata tengok orang dating dekat Han River tu. But the cousin rejected my idea straight away..."Sejuk beku gini mau lepak tepi river?" Aigooo aku pun sedapkan hati lah, next time jak aku lepak. Sob.

Gambar Ewha Uni aku dapat this time is slightly better than last time. Suppose datanglah awal sikit kan Bie baru boleh dapat different view. 

We decided to walked further up. 

Just untuk merasa turun tangga nan mencabar luas ni. Memang view lain kalau berdiri the opposite way.

Kalaulah ada cafe gini di uni aku dulu...hmm, memang aku paling rajin buat partime sini. Jalan kaki jak dari kolej as this is located inside the campus area. Dulu kala, terpaksa naik bas. Baris panjang pula tu. Alkisah, si Bibie dulu buat partime di Mid Valley. Motif mau gebang pasal tu tiba²?

While waiting for the train. Huh, terkedu lama bila Top Oppa seakan berbisik something sama aku. Too handsome lah renungan mata mu, tajam menikam jantung.

Itaewon Street

Alkisah, aku bawa instant pasta from Malaysia. Didn't even bother to read the 'how to make' section. Ingatkan boleh buat macam masak maggi. Turned out, I need to used butter & susu cair. So kami pun pegilah Itaewon that night. Demi perut yang ndak tau erti kenyang, gagahkan diri walau sejuk mengigit tulang. Tapi harga sebiji butter 250gm pun sudah cecah RM30+. Padahal kami cuma mau guna dalam 30gram jak. Butter kecil² macam style jenama Anchor tu pula ndak da. Timbang balik decision berulang kali sebab butter mahal tu jak. We decided to cancel beli butter & susu cair. Kami cuma beli maggi. 

I told my cousin I will improvised another recipe that night. Nasiblah kan, demi penjimatan maksima. Harga makanan di Seoul bukan alang². Boleh buat aku sawan.

And so improvisation berjalan lancar. Or adakah sebab lapar, semua kami bedal. 

Tu kuah hasil instant pasta yang aku boil with water & tambah Secukup Rasa. Import khas from Malaysia. Memang berbaloi bawa perencah tu. Tiba² iklan ndak berbayar. And the pasta, aku buat ala maggi-goreng. Campur telur; harus. Ahjussi di kedai runcit depan hostel hafal muka aku, each time masuk mesti cari dalgyal a.k.a telur. Siap dapat free 2 biji gitu. 

Malam tu lepas melantak, kami spent time menonton We Got Married. Poyo gila ketawa padahal subtitle nan ado. Kunun² faham sikitlah apa yang dikarutkan. Gitu. Tidur lewat juga sebab esoknya plan kami pi Apgujeong jak. Ndak dapat jumpa orang, building tempat diorang practice pun jadilah. Haru.

eryantierdabdulkarim

CutiCuti: South Korea Day 1 - Hello Kitty Cafe / Hongdae / Ewha Womans University

Assalamualaikum. 안녕!

Previous:

Arrival & Namsan Guesthouse 2

Namsangol Hanok Village

Itaewon Mosque

Lately liat sikit update blog. Although hati ndak sabar mau habiskan entri Summer Holiday with The Ladies. Fuh, canggih sangat nama tema cuti² kau ni Bie. Motif gila.

Back from my trip to South Korea last year, I was a bit devastated for I found out about the existence of Hello Kitty Cafe in Hongik a bit late. Akibat berjalan tapi ndak buat research awal, serves me right. 

UPDATE as of 2017: This Hello Kitty Cafe is NO LONGER operating at this building. 

And so when drafting the itinerary for my second time trip to South Korea, haruslah cafe ini masuk terus dalam jadual. Dalam wishlist kot!

To get to Hello Kitty Cafe, Hongdae.

1. Take the subway to Hongik University station Line 2 (Exit 9). Walk straight until u arrived at a big intersection.

2. Turn left. Walk straight.

3. Keep walking until u see Tony Moly store across the road (ur right side); located in between 2 forks.

4. Cross the road & take the left fork. Walk straight until u see the Watsons pharmacy on ur left. Turn left at the junction just after the pharmarcy & tadaaaa....Hello Kitty Cafe before ur eyes!

Pink building from ground to the top...really makes my day lah benda begini.

Imaginary cottage it is. Ms Z siap request mau jejak kaki pi sana...kunun 2.3km isn't too far. 

Door knob at the entrance. Comelnya Miss Kitty. Was never a fan of Hello Kitty; never will be BUT I have to admit the color is just too irresistible.

Because it was Saturday...and we arrived a bit late, most of the menu were sold out. Kempunan merasa waffle bentuk kepala Miss Kitty. Adakah perlu second time visit?

I must say...this is creative. Best gila kalau dapat run cafe begini. Sila teruskan verangan Bie.

Hello Kitty's merchandises for sale. Those peminat tegar memang melompat riang di sini.

Space upstairs. Where we had our tea time.

Elegant decoration.

Even the restroom pun ndak ketinggalan...decorated the Kitty style.

The outfit blend well with the background. Yours Truly is one happy lass.

This buzzer will vibrate once ur order is ready. Ni kalau ada di KK, memang ndak bertahan lama punya. Confirm.

I purposely ordered the hot drink just to get that Kitty's face. 

Done with my verangan part at the cafe...we moved to the market held every evening at Hongik. We started at the very alley in front of the cafe. Masa ni orang baru start datang membanjir kawasan. Totally happening. One can find all kinds of fashion here. Designed by young independent designers. Fresh & some can be found no where but here. 

If only area uni aku dulu macam ni...memang tiap minggu habis duit membeli jak.

Entrance to Hongik University.

The closest I could get to Hongik University a.k.a Hongdae's entrance. I planned to go to the flea market held at the famous playground in front of the uni but we got it cancelled due to time constraint. The market ended at 5p & we reached Hongik around that time. Insha Allah, next visit mesti bergambar depan entrance. And wander around the playground to see by myself the must-see graffiti walls. 

I said it's a famous playground sebab few Kdramas were filmed there. Marry Me, Mary and A Gentleman's Dignity; to name a few. Ngeks ndak habis lagi sama Kdrama.

The nightlife begins as early as dusk in Hongik. 

Ndak banyak buang duit on our first day as we did cuci mata more. Despite saying so, I managed to grabbed this one very cool Lego inspired t-shirt. Bertambah koleksi t-shirt kuning ku. These days ntah napa apart from pink I am attracted to yellow as well. 

We proceeded to Ewha Womans University after Hongik. It is just a station away. Still on Line 2. 

I-Dae stands for I - Ihwa (Ewha) & Dae - Daehaggyo (University). Not just Indonesian loves abbreviation, I found Korean loves it as well.

Another wish came true. It's been my dream to visit this university in the evening only to witness this view. Mainly attracted by the unique design of the building above; the Campus Complex.

It is an underground structure consisting of a total of 6 levels below the ground. The 2 lower grounds are as used as an underground parking lots.

Alang² sampai...biarlah mensibuk sekali. Masuk lif kampus orang dengan rasa kagum sekali. 

Yes, this cinema is located inside the building!!! 

Apart from the super canggih study hall, the university provides this for their student. I couldn't enter the study hall as it only allows student with access card. Super canggih sebab before masuk ada board near the door that shows how many vacant seats available. Kalau penuh, boleh buat booking. 

Cafeteria just opposite the cinema. Tahap gaban 'mewah' hidup student di uni ni. Kalau ndak study dengan jayanya, ndak tau lah kan. Facilities super lengkap.

Last shot at the campus before we called the day off. 

Didn't get to study here therefore a picture in front of the complex will do then. Who knows aku buang tabiat mau enrol for short course sini; enhancing my Korean language kunun. Ok that cita² boleh masuk balang & reconsider later.

Sambil cuci mata while on our way to the subway station. Skru kaki sudah longgar. We defo need to recharge. 

Communal area at Namsan Guesthouse; accessible twentyfour hours. But laundry can only be done after 7p. While tunggu laundry siap...harus jamu perut dulu. Yes, first day kami sudah poyo buat laundry bagai. 

Week before the trip we decided to do laundry there hence akan bawa baju sikit as to avoid heavy backpack. Free service, kenalah guna sehabisnya.

Our first day ended blissfully. After dinner-cum-supper we had a little chit chat before hitting the sack. And I guess I was feeling extra excited I woke up super early the next day! Bloody 3a! Talk about time is gold when u travel? No!

eryantierdabdulkarim