Seoul: Hyehwa / Dongdaemun / CUBNB

Hello all!! I'm finally back to update on my Korea trip!! ;)We took an overnight Airasia flight to Seoul! We flew back to Sg via Scoot btw if you're curious~ Roundtrip was about $530!

Comfy wear to sleep on the plane zzz

Stef, Jas and I departed Singapore first to transit in KL, where we met up with Kareena who flew in from Australia. We then finally met up with Vanida in Incheon Airport itself. Lol it was like a grand reunion every time we touch down! Hahaha



Gimbap right after touching down cuz we were fhungryyyyy! And I'm freaking happy too cuz I can finally drink my favourite banana milk every single day!!!!



We took the Airport Bus Limousine (about sgd$10) to Hyehwa where we stayed for the next 16 days.
I stayed at Hyehwa too 2 years back when I was here and I pretty much like it here! It has everything you possibly need. It is near to town and major shopping areas, yet it is still very unique on its own! Lots of arts & culture stuff over here.. like you'll see performances every now and then. We also chanced upon 2 Korean idols (but no chance to take pics sobs) cuz there's some arts theatre nearby us too!



Headed out once we touched down! #whatisrest?

I really love the area around Hyehwa and wished I had more time to explore the area just abit more.I guess I took it for granted because since I stayed in this area.. I always had the thinking that "I can explore tomorrow" and that tomorrow never came. I kept travelling out to other parts of Seoul :(
I also regretted not snapping more pictures of this pretty area cuz well, I thought I would have plenty of time to do so too. I mean... 16 days what right!!! Hai sooooo, here are some of the very few pictures I have of Hyehwa!

♢ ♢ ♢{ HYEHWA }


Previously when I stayed at Hyehwa, it was near Exit 4 (SKKU Uni) where there are more of those Ahjumma restaurants.This time round I stayed near Exit 2 and surprisingly, this area is TOTALLY DIFFERENT. I wondered why I didn't explore this area 2 years back?? Lol. Exit 2 has lots of cafes!! Brunch, coffee, cakes are everywhere!


We had brunch here immediately on Day 2!




Yummy! It costed about 13000won ($15++) per plate?




Brunch all day everyday :D






Korean fried chicken!! We had it almost like once every 2 to 3 days. ITS SO FATTENING BUT OHSOYUMMY!!




This was on a day when all 5 of us were feeling so LAZZZZYYY altogether and decided to spend the entire day exploring Hyehwa. Sadly..... IT RAINED 3/4 of the time so we didn't get to explore as much as we wanted to :((

Dress down comfy day!Got both the cap and top from Seoul~






JAPPYYYY LUNCH


The entire time when we were together, it felt like we were some about-to-debut-but-haven't-do-plastic girl group LOL


It started pouring right after lunch and we decided to seek shelter at the neoprint shop!!This is at Exit 4 of Hyehwa station.


Lighting inside the machines were toooooo good, hence the excessive camwhoring:







Zilian maximum lol



Even after spending 30mins inside the neoprint shop, the rain was still kinda heavy so we ran to the nearest cafe to chill! There used to be a hellokitty cafe in Hyehwa which we wanted to go... but IT CLOSED DOWN ALREADY LA :( Sobs.




After nuaing at the cafe for quite some time, we went for korean bbq!!

This is back at Exit 2 of Hyehwa but... to me Korean bbqs are EVERYWHERE. and honestly, they taste pretty much the same. The only difference is probably the price? Lol




SOJUBOMB! Hai i miss drinking this with the girls esp with Van!!You gotta try this when you're there ;)
It's one shot of soju + fill the rest of the cup with beer! Its quite nice actually, and SUPER DEATHLY unknowingly.I died drinking this a couple of times hahahahahah


1am supper with Vanida at a random 24hour Jjajangmyun stall!


We also had a rather homely cooked Korean food at this Ahjumma place.Its at exit 2, super near where we stayed :) The ahjummas were super friendly too and probably happy to see us tourists :)



Pardon my lipstick stain on my teeth :((((((((((((((why no one tell me lehhhh :(((((((


Spicy fish stew!


No idea what this is.... there was no menu and we told the ahjummas to just serve whatever that's nice!




YUMMYLICIOUS MILKCOW I LOVE!But pretty ex! I think its like 3500won for this small little cup?


♢ ♢ ♢{ DONGDAEMUN }Dongdaemun is another place every tourist would visit! IT'S A SHOPPING HEAVEN, even at ungodly hours like 3am. There's always places to shop at Dongdaemun, no matter what time! It is a place that never sleeps.

We headed to Dongdaemun the day we landed! Finally met the boyfriend up :)

And feasted like a pig at yet another random Korean BBQ Restaurant!







#selfiestick lol


Bulgogi lovin!


Over at Dongdaemun, be sure to visit these 3 main shopping malls:HELLO APMMIGLIOREGOOD MORNING CITY
And yes you can bargain over here! 

Weird looking shaped ice cream cone. LOL


My friends very obscene know.......................................


There's also this ROADSIDE NIGHT MARKET at Dongdaemun which is only active between 12am-3am ish. Zac and I had our first 'roadside tent food' over here! It's like what we always see on Korean dramas lol

Super happy Ahjumma lol







The food was pretty good, especially the Bulgogi (points below).. we had to come back a second time to have it again!!! It's probably one of the best Bulgogi EVER. Yumz

This time round, I brought the girls along with me to try the roadside tent food!!


And also did some shopping ;) You can easily spot the Roadside Night Market. Just look out for the yellow tents, they are right opposite HelloAPM/Good Morning City!






IF YOU'RE STILL NOT FEELING TIRED... then continue shopping at Dongdaemun's WHOLESALE MALLS!!I can't really describe the way here but you kinda have to walk past a stadium?? The one with alot of flags~ And you should start seeing lots of bright lights once you pass the stadium!

That's my crazy Gemini Jas & Van btw! Lol


Wholesale malls are alot more cheaper but some of the sellers might be rather picky - they won't sell it to you unless you buy in bulk. They would not even sell you a single piece even if you're willing to pay the original price.

So it'll be good to visit this place with your bunch of friends! So yall can buy in a bulk together!
There's also another Wholesale market just for SHOES. Didn't get the chance to visit there because we were all dead tired.. It is near the river canal I think. Happy hunting!!


There's also a YOOGANE outlet in Dongdaemun! I've tried the one in Singapore and was so excited to try the original one in Seoul!



and OMG IT IS LIKE 1/3 THE PRICE OF SINGAPORE. lol so cheap over here!I super love the ramyun noodles together with the chicken!! Super QQ I LOVE!!




And Zac said the Seafood pancake here was one of the best he has eaten so far in Seoul! ;) Only 8000won I think?


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And back to WHERE I STAYED at Hyehwa.Sharing it with you guys cuz I really think it's a really awesome place + cheap + convenient + you get to stay in a group with ur friends and the owners were so damn nice to us! 
{ CUBNB }
http://www.cubnb.com/
I found this place via Airbnb! But i guess you could book it directly through their own website too :)
Its a 2 storey house. Super cosy and homely :) #donteverwannaleave
I miss sitting down in the living room, eating our daily ramyun with the girls, and just basically chatting~I miss sleeping in my tiny corner in the room too! And our daily gossip with the girls till we fall asleep. Snatching for the toilet/mirror in the morning.... pulling one another out of bed. Gosh I want back korea :(
Btw, soap shampoo towels are all provided too! There's also a washer & dryer (which I use so frequently so I don't have to wash any when i'm back in sg hehe).

And well, see what we turned a neat & tidy room into:
NIGHTMARE SIALLLLL.I think if I'm the owner, I see this I also stress. Lol
Btw Van sleeps in a room on the 1st floor since one room accomodates only 4. But she'll join us in our rooms on some nights. We had the entire level 2 to ourselves :D

If you're wondering, I paid approx SGD$275 per person for my 15 nights here.I bargained for the price though lol. It was originally $400/person. Hahaha my friends all gotta thank me hehe *.*
(ps: But also don't go around bargaining just cuz I did. Mine was kinda valid cuz 1. There's 5 of us and 2. We stayed for 15 nights, considered quite long compared to a usual 1 week stay)

I super love the location of Hyehwa too! Convenient and accessible to everywhere!You can even cab to Dongdaemun from Hyehwa without the meter jumping LOL. 
It has everything you need, even a movie theatre but I liked the fact that it is much quieter and less busy than Dongdaemun/MyeongDong.


The hosts of CUBNB were also super sweet to us :)

J (the female host) made us sandwich a couple of times :) So sweet of her!!


And Gimbap too!! Yummmz :)


Hosok and J, the cute & friendly hosts to CUBNB!
Truly felt that it was a great and comfortable stay so I'm recommending to you guys if you guys are going to Seoul!Save on your accommodation and go spend more on shopping/food! 
Website: http://www.cubnb.com/

And finally, the end of this long entry!Hope it helps for those who are heading to Seoul soon! Update again and as always, thank you for reading!Xx