South Korea 2016 - Day 1

Only got 5 hours of sleep last night. CC fam kept giving me feels and big hugs while I was dealing with some personal shit, and then ninjas came out with their onions again, so I had to fight them off. Went gliding and almost lost my things when I lagged and died. Almost.

Airport isn't far from home; it's a 10 minute ride. But since it's an international flight, we have to be there 3 hours early. If you're abroad at least twice a year, you're aware of this; the check-in can be excruciatingly long, especially if your flight leans on in the afternoon/evening. And at the world-renowned worst airport ever no less (hey, it's been renovated at least).

Flight took us 4 hours, and I made the most of my time with my inks (should have been sleeping instead .__.). Back home everyone was expected to prepare for -2º C/26.6º F C weather, but going outside feels like I have my air conditioner at 16º C/60.8º F everywhere. Felt just like the last time I went, which was two years ago in the spring. You disappoint me, cold.

Our tour guide is a fun one this time. What's more, he has been to the Philippines and handles tourists like us as well, picking up a few Filipino words and a couple of slang in the process. The driver knows some English too.

So before our lovely guide Bruce Lee and driver Jackie Chan (these are what they wanted us to call them, no lie) took us to our hotel, he proceeded to lead us to this wonderful place for dinner:

Yo owl mom, you should be thankful I ate these bean sprouts for you since I know you can't eat them lel /gets slapped

The place is basically a Korean yakiniku (grilled beef) restaurant. Except the only differences are that 1. they're serving pork instead of beef; and, 2. it's an unlimited buffet of unlimited pork/soda/veggies/rice. I'm usually not one to say no to unlimited food, but I guess my appetite just isn't as capable as it used to be (/orz).

On our way to the hotel our guide told us a little story about why there are so many Koreans living in my country. English is a required language to learn for them to do business, but over 50% of the population can barely speak the language. Many Koreans go abroad for the sake of learning English, and turns out the Philippines just happened to be the closest, cheapest, and most (capable to become) fluent in speaking the language. Second reason, our beautiful beaches, and I can't blame them, yo.

No surprise why they would live here instead. (Taken in Bohol last March 2016.)

We're staying smack-dab in the middle of Myeongdong, a shopping district and night market here in Seoul. Expect the smoky smell of street food, displays of skin-whitening cosmetics, and branded clothing when you take a left down the street:

 Because a man in a teddy bear outfit isn't creepy. Nope.

Innisfree is everywhere. So is Etude House… And the Face Shop. .__. 

Haven't tried the food yet. It was late, and we just had dinner. And, in spite of what my pictures show, the stalls were closing up for the night too. I'll be going back tomorrow though. Wanna see what the hype really is about with swirly potatoes on a stick.

Also, I got ripped off by $40, because I didn't convert it right:

Each one costs 10,000 Korean Won. That's roughly $10 a pop. Now if only I knew before I bought them impulsively.

Was it worth it? Nope. But I'll try to ignore the fact it was.

Tomorrow on AFK: Le Petit France, and Nami Island. I'll have more pictures too, promise. Stay tuned!