Seoul.
It all started when I decided to watch a k-drama (a Korean Drama for the newbs). My parents had gotten into them and I decided to give it a shot. Soon, I was addicted, not only that, I always craved Korean food (b/c they make it look so good on the shows). Then I started listening to BTS and in California, I experienced my first Korean spa… it was getting out of hand. I donʻt really know when I became obsessed, but I did. I saw there was an international volleyball tournament in Seoul and knew I needed to go. It did not disappoint :)
The first step.
The first step was qualifying. For the first time in a while, a futures event was not full. In fact, there were only two teams who needed to play to get into the main draw: us and a Japanese team. They were so nice and kind. Fortunately, we made our trip worth it and won our qualifier game. I was so relieved.
Seoul has a lot of non-korean food. This place was a vibe for sure and the tacos were actually pretty solid. We got carnitas, carne asadas and lengua.
The venue was so nice by the Han River and it was a popular area. The evening games had such a beautiful backdrop. Our favorite game was our night match!
The streets of Gangnam (where our hotel was) were aaallllwwaayyys busy. There was constant traffic here, but the city was so nice at sunset.
At most restaurants, I had to use google translate to figure out what the item was and then I pointed to the item and took a picture to show them what we wanted.
Spoiler alert: we won the tournament!
Everyone was so so friendly and nice. We shuttled back with the other teams who medaled and even though we couldnʻt really talk to each other, we had a fun time. This shuttle driver in particular was OUR GUY! He always let us use his phone to play music and we thanked him by scaring the absolute crap out of him after a game. It was hilarious and he was such a good sport. I hadnʻt scared anyone like that in a really long time lol.
Post gold medal match, we finally got our hands on some delicious bbq and bingsu (itʻs not a cake!). I learned Lexy and I have a similar sweet tooth as we always wanted dessert after dinner. I was very happy to learn this fact.
to see everything in Seoul. Of course on the one day we had to explore, it was raining :( but we made the most of it. Honestly, I think we did a lot in our eight hour time frame. Here was our itinerary:
1) Gyeongbokgung Palace
Itʻs so crazy that thereʻs this massive palace in the middle of a city of skyscrapers. It was so interesting. But the architecture was so cool and the landscapes were amazing.
2) Bukchon Hanok Village
We took a peaceful walk through the traditional neighborhood as people still live there. We found this super cute shop with ceramic pieces and other cool goods.
3) Insadong Street
There were lots of shops on this street with souvenirs, snacks and other goods!
4) Myeongdong Shopping
This was a big shopping area with more apparel, skin care and other goods. I got so many face masks from innisfree and Iʻm excited to try them at home :)
We only had one day…
My faves :)
We only had a couple hours on our last day as we were flying out that evening, but the two places I wanted to go were Gwangjang Market and a Korean Spa or Jimjilbang. Gwangjang Market was full of food stalls and there were so many vendors. I was sort of expecting there to be more variety, but it felt like there was just multiple vendors selling the same foods in the same area. I knew I wanted to try the Kalguksu (Knife-cut noodles). It was hard to pick a spot, but this one looked really good and it didnʻt disappoint. The noodles were so chewy and she cut them fresh right in front of us. Wow. My mouthʻs watering right now just thinking about it and the crazy thing was this bowl was only like $5. We were so full.
In a hurry, I forced Lexy (does she look scared in the photo? lol) to go to a Korean Spa that was in the area. It was a small local spot that didnʻt have a lot, but it still had what I was looking for… a scrub. If you know anything about Korean Spaʻs you know that the scrub is where itʻs at. And I had saved my scrub experience for Korea specifically. We were both nervous, but it was not as bad or painful as it seemed. I have never felt so clean in my entire life. My skin felt like a slippery dolphin. I wish we had a little more time for a massage but we had to book it outta there to catch our train to the airport.
The only regret I have about this trip is not having enough time. I absolutely loved Seoul and I will definitely be back for more. My obsession with this place is not nearly satisfied. So grateful Lexy took a chance on this futures event with me and excited to get more international experience under our belt!