A Little Past Christmas… South Korea
My friends and I decided to book our flight to South Korea in February of last year. Yes, we booked our flight almost a year before our travel period. We picked December in the hopes of experiencing a white Christmas – well, almost. Flights in December from Hong Kong were expensive during that time. Since I’m heading home for the holidays, I decided to fly back to Manila first to drop some stuff off. I then fly to Incheon with my friends.
Travel Period: December 19 to December 24 Hotel: G Mini Hotel, Dongdaemun Reason for Travel: Winter snow (kidding, kind of)
The blog turned out longer than planned. You may click on the following links to jump to the part you’re interested in.
- Arrival
- Day 1 : Everland
- Day 2: Nami Island and Vivaldi Ski Resort
- Days 3: The Seoul Searching Began
- Day 4: Gangnam Style
Arrival
Our flight to South Korea was supposed to be 5:00 PM. The plane, however, took off past 6:00 PM already (we were not surprised). We landed close to 11 pm and there was a long queue in the immigration. This was even if it was already close to midnight.
First stops after immigration and luggages – Pocket wifi, Discovery Seoul Pass and ATM. We spent ~40,000.00 won on this trip including shopping to give you an idea.
We met up with the driver in the parking lot for our pick-up service to the hotel. The drive took about 45 mins. We chose to stay in the G Mini Hotel in Dongdaemun for the price point and the location. If you’re not picky, the hotel is in a nice location and with a very helpful owner/manager. Don’t expect too much though because you get what you pay for. Also, bring your own towel should you decide to stay here, they don’t offer long towels.
Day 1: Everland
We had an early schedule the following morning. We took the bus going to Everland at the Jongno 3(sam)-ga station stop. The bus leaves exactly as scheduled so it’s important to be in time. We booked ours from Klook, but some people just paid on the spot. The bus ride takes about an hour to the parking lot. After this, you will have to take the free shuttle to the park proper, this takes ~15mins. You will not miss the line for the shuttle as it is just opposite the parking lot.
The Park – Everland gives you the same vibe as any local theme park. It occupies a massive land offering cable cars and lifts as means of transportations inside the park.
Upon entering the park, we were greeted by the beautiful Christmas decorations and trees. I’m not sure how it looks like during regular days but the view at Christmas time was nice.
Everland has two forms of cable cars to get you around. First is the Sky Cruise which is like a gondola ride and the SkyWay which consists of hanging chairs. The SkyWay is more like the ski resort lifts.
We weren’t there much for the rides so we spent most of our time just walking. We also took a lot of pictures around the park. There were 2 particular sections in the park that we enjoyed the most. The first was Snow Park where you can go sledding (this was really enjoyable btw). The attraction is called Snow Buster where you sit in lifebuoys and slide down the snow. There’s also this section that’s like a Christmas village with Christmas trees in different forms and sizes. There’s a train that circles around so you can see the entire view.
Further in the back, there’s a light show of sorts featuring a mini castle.
The light atop the tree was the moon BTW
Day 2: Nami Island and Vivaldi Ski Resort
Booked the following morning was a tour to Nami Island, plus a half-day in Vivaldi Ski Resort. This package was booked in Klook also. Included were bus transfers, Nami Island ferry tickets, rentals of Ski equipment, 1-hour basic ski lessons. We did not include the lift on our package because we saw it’s cheaper if bought in the resort directly. We ended up not needing it at all. lol
Nami Island: We left Myeongdong around 8 am. It took us about an hour and a half to get to Nami Island, including the ~15min ferry ride. Nami Island is best known for being the setting of the famous Korean drama, Winter Sonata. It has a map showing where the iconic scenes of the drama were shot. There’s also a statue of the lead characters near one of the tree-paths.
My personal goal was to see the tree path featured in most of the Nami Island Instagram posts. We didn’t know where exactly it was at first so every tree path was a photo-spot for us (lol). Unfortunately, our trip schedule was in the autumn to winter transition. We were a little too late for the “instagrammable” fall and a little too early for the winter snow. Nonetheless, the view was still breathtaking.
This was the one I was looking for … 
Another popular spot in the area is the place of the “first kiss” in the drama. It’s on the backside near the lake. This is also a great spot to take pictures. The dried leaves in contrast to the water give a warm, vintage tone to the photos.
Vivaldi Ski Resort: We left Nami Island at around noon and stopped by a rental shop en route to Vivaldi Ski Resort for our ski clothes. The tour provided for everything we needed for skiing. From waterproof jackets and pants, goggles, gloves, as well as the skiing equipment per se. If you want to avail of this tour, make sure you eat something while walking around Nami Island or bring snacks. The schedule may not allow you to have a decent lunch.
I must say though, if you’re a little sensitive about sharing clothes, you may want to re-think about the rentals. The clothes are not very clean. You also have little say on what jacket and pants you get. The pants that I got were a tad bit long for my height. It didn’t hinder my movements though since they can be rolled up.
The ski began with an hour of basic lessons, which I must say I enjoyed. After this, we were given free time to ski. There are different slopes in the resort depending on your skill level. We only went there for pictures, plus we had enough from the ski lessons, so we just stayed at foot of the professional’s slope and took pictures. We did some skiing as well (a few feet) and it was enjoyable. Just a little precaution for first-timers like we were, the shoes, the skis, and the ski poles are very heavy. It’s like you’re walking on outer-space and the shoes can really strain the muscles (if not bones lol).
I took two falls on these, it was fun though 
To give you an idea of how ridiculous it looked on me :p
Street Food Dinner: We got off the tour bus at the Dongdaemun stop and stumbled upon a tent where a few dinner options can be found. From skewers, ramen, fried rice, it’s pretty much complete with the street food staples and more. The place also has this local Korean vibe.
Days 3: The Seoul Searching Began
Our last 2 days were allotted for the Seoul proper. We wanted to make use of our 48-hour Discover Seoul Pass (still not knowing it wouldn’t be of much use).
Myeongdong Street: While searching for a good place to go, we found a cafe online that’s around the Myeongdong area so we decided to go there first. Unfortunately, the shop opens at 11 am so we ate breakfast in one of the food stalls. We also ended up having coffee at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf instead. The street we ended up in was busy even in the morning. We got to see a Korean movie/drama being shot as well.
Stylenanda Pink Cafe: Still in Myeongdong, nothing much in here, just a pink building in a crowded block. Their drink looks amazing though and it’s Instagram worthy. There are also shops on all the floors leading to the roof deck.
Namsangol Hanok Village: Next we went to the Namsangol Hanok Village, Discovery Seoul pass states the pass gives us free entrance. Lo and behold, there was no entrance fee – for everyone!! We probably just didn’t research enough but the pass was not a help at all. We felt like we wasted our money on something with no return of investment.
The place is serene with a period-drama vibe to it that is set during the Joseon Dynasty. While we were in there, we witnessed a traditional wedding ritual of sorts. They were dancing, throwing seeds and gently (not really :P) hitting spectators – really nice to witness.
Namsan Seoul Tower: From the Namsangol Hanok Village, we took the yellow bus 02 that goes around the area and stops at the Namsan Seoul Tower. We opted to take the bus because, well – we didn’t know there was a cable car (lol). For reference, the boarding place for the cable car is a ~15min walk from the Myeongdong station exit 3.
Aside from the 360-view of the city, the tower is also famous for its love locks. The locks were piled up and the older ones are already rusting beneath the new ones. It’s still very Instagram-worthy. There were even love locks formed into Christmas trees when we were there.
From my Instagram 
Close-up view of the locks
Gyeongbokgung Palace: Next stop was the Northern palace. It’s a huge palace with lots of tourists but we did not feel crowded out at all.
Most of the tourists roaming around were in beautiful Hanbok costumes for the full traditional South Korean experience. Will we say no to the challenge? Of course not! We had to try ourselves. Unfortunately, the palace grounds were already closing by the time we got there. That did not stop us from the experience though – the palace has beautiful gates. (lol)
“Hanbok: is a traditional South Korean dress for semi-formal or formal attire during traditional occasions such as festivals, celebrations, and ceremonies.”
There are a few shops just outside the palace offering Hanbok rentals. Our Discovery Seoul Pass states we have a free one hour rental in who-knows-where, we’ve already given up on the pass at this point :). We paid 7,000.00 won for an hour rental and braved the cold weather for the love of pictures and experience. Priorities, right?
Day 4: Gangnam Style
Myeongdong Cathedral: The first stop was a Sunday mass. We left the hotel early for an English mass in the Myeongdong Cathedral. This is the Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception. Google maps had us go to different alleys and streets but we just had to go straight from the street we were in the day before. It’s close to exit 9 of the Myeongdong station.
Samgyeopsal Lunch: With no breakfast, we decided to have an early lunch at a nearby restaurant in the alley leading back to where we came from. We were the first customers that day. The pork was really good but the winner for us was the sides, the unlimited sides.
After lunch we walked around a bit. We were trying to find the bus stop to Gangnam but might as well enjoy the view. The streets were not as crowded in the morning but will be filled with street food stalls, shoppers, and tourists by nightfall.
Starfield Library: We took the blue bus 143 just right outside the Lotte Department store going to Gangnam. It’s close to an hour ride, if not more, from Myeongdong. Gangnam is boujee through and though with high-end shops and luxury cars left and right. We went to the Coex mall to see the super hyped about Starfield library. It’s an open library inside the mall where books are artistically stacked. It is a big and nice library but I will not dare go here to study. It’s crowded with tourists coming in to take pictures (like us).
Coex Aquarium: Nothing much to see here in my opinion but it’s free using our Discovery Seoul pass so we gave it a go. We were in a hurry to get out though but if you have kids, they’ll probably enjoy it.
SM Town Museum: Up until this point, I did not realize how big the Korean pop had grown and for them to have a museum for the artists under the management company is great of a deal. And people are lining up to buy some merchandise and collect pictures taken inside.
The place also has the biggest hologram theater in Korea where we saw an EXO concert. I didn’t know them but they’re good, the sound system in the theater was really loud though so we didn’t finish the concert.
We went back to Myeongdong after Gangnam to do some last-minute shopping, then we head back to the hotel to get our luggage. The owner was nice enough to guide us to the bus stop bound to the airport. Our flight was not until ~2 am so we had to wait it out in the airport which was very inconvenient, by the way, since there weren’t any open shops for food and coffee. The airport is open 24hours so it’s only fair to say that there should also be some, I’m not saying all, shops open.