My Trip to Korea (Part 1)

As I mentioned in my JYP Auditions, Anyone? post, I visited Korea last month. I stayed in the general Seoul area for about a week, and then I went down south to visit some relatives and do some soul searching (just kidding my parents dragged me down and we climbed up mountains =_=). I gained a thigh gap from so much climbing, but then I came back to america and- I'm not even kidding- after 3 days, I lost my thigh gap. And one of those days was when I was on the airplane. *sigh* It was nice while it lasted. Anyway, we departed from America in late May and came back near the end of June. I'm going to have to be blunt about the airplane rides: they were so uncomfortable and if someone opened their window shade, I can guarantee you that half of the plane was blinded immediately. But don't like the 14-ish hour plane ride stop you, Korea is amazing. The transportation is cheap, there are so many places to go, and there are so many beautiful sights to see. It's typically better to come during the spring or fall, because that's when the leaves change color and the when the cherry blossoms bloom. However, Korea is still nice in the summer and winter.
Once you get out of the airport, you will either have to arrange a pick up (if you have relatives) or ride on a bus. I went back with my family and grandma, so we rode a bus because she didn't own a car. Here's one of the maps that they had on metal stands so you could see what bus you needed.

We arrived at her apartment sometime in the mid afternoon. She lived pretty close to a subway, which was nice. She also lived close to a market, so we could just go out and buy random food. It was so funny because there are food stalls and stuff and older men go eat korean bbq/drink soju just like in the dramas.
I'm not going to lie. If you're a foreigner, with no experience in the language, and you're alone, Korea is going to be super tough. You want a buddy with you if you aren't fluent in Korean.
However, being in Korea has a lot of advantages. If you go to Dongdaemun or Namdaemun (and you can barter), you can get lots of cheap things. My grandma got 10 pairs of undergarments for a relatively low price that I can't remember. All I remember was that my mom was super happy about saving money lol. At Dongdaemun, there's a large market for DIY things. You buy the parts for necklaces, bracelets, headbands, hair clips, and make your own, customized accessories. I got to make a necklace, and I'll probably post about that later. They have tons of people selling things on the streets too. I know this sounds sketchy, but it's not drugs or anything. They sell things from food to kitchen appliances to bed covers. You can get a lot from the streets.

Moving on to subways. You would think that the maps are helpful, the subway can't be that confusing.
You are dead wrong. They are so confusing, and if you aren't careful, you can end up on the other side of Seoul without realizing it.

Cheonggyecheon was fun. For those that don't know, Cheonggyecheon is a river that is a pretty popular couple spot. At the start of the river, there is a colorful unicorn-horn like thing and once you walk a little, you'll run into a well.

The well is kind of weird looking, but it's the thing above. 

They have the cutest cafes in Korea. Not even joking. We visited one called Coffee Panda and I couldn't stop taking pictures of it's logo.

We also have a family friend that own one of the many Cafe Benes in Seoul. Cafe Bene seems to be a pretty popular cafe, and they have really good stuff. You should visit (no I'm not just doing this for the family friend, they have legitimately good stuff). Inside, they also have a smoking room, which is a large, glass enclosed room.

I am going to caution you guys, though. If you have not been to Korea before, it might not be the best to get their bubble tea or some other cold drinks because the last time I visited Korea was 10 years ago, and so I got sick off of the bubble tea. It wasn't severe, nor did it last long (only a couple hours), but I thought I should let you guys know. 

This post is getting long so I'll write the rest (and the best parts) in part 2.