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Great for: Freebies, K-Pop and animals
How to get there: All of these places are walkable from Seoul station or you can take the subway
Best experience: Playing with kittens at the Cat Cafe!
Accommodation: Hostel near Seoul Station
Hello!
안녕하세요!
Travelling on a budget and wanting to see the city meant me and my travel buddy Jem walked pretty much everywhere (seriously I grew leg muscles in bits of my thigh I didn’t know existed) so of course we needed a few treats. First stop was arguably the most famous street in Seoul.
Side alley, super early hence the lack of people!
This is Myeongdong Shopping Street, its the famous (or infamous?) cosmetics headquarters of South Korea, a country famed for their innovative beauty products, the street was busy and hectic but something I’m glad I saw. People even give out freebies like face masks to entice you into their shops! Imagine being bribed into shopping!
My loot! All the face masks were free
The products were amazing and the sales assistants really helpful, I didn’t spend a great deal of money but everything I bought I’m still using now! (Tony Moly blackheads octopus, Cat highlight from and R&B hair moisturiser from my favourite store Lush, and a disco nail varnish… Perhaps the last one isn’t as practical). As a self proclaimed fashion addict on a budget it was wonderful to see the headquarters of all my favourite brands. A tip for getting the most free things: Carry a bag of things you’ve bought! I found once I was carrying my Lush bag I got given a lot more things and approached more (I guess then they think you’re more likely to spend) also look around for deals! I love Tony Moly and going in a few of their stores meant extra freebies and looking for the best deals!
Cute floral display!
Both me and my travel buddy Jem are huge fans of K-pop music so we knew we’d have to hit the clubs one night! Partying in Seoul is crazy, the music, the dancing, the queues… You have to queue for ages but inside everyone is happy, all singing all dancing and friendly. The clubs can get very hot and extremely overcrowded so take some water! South Koreans party hard and normally with club entry you get a ticket to an after-party, these can go on for as long as 8am (we didn’t last nearly that long). Clubbing in Seoul is unique and definitely something everyone should try, hit up the student-y areas near Myeongdong for a cheap and varied night out.
Testing out our new makeup!
Shopping is exhausting! After testing about a hundred different nail varnishes and being tempted into countless cute shops we were both ready for some relaxation. What’s better to relax with than kittens? This cat cafe nearby was absolutely perfect we spent hours cuddling and taking photos and the drinks were actually really nice too (I’m a coffee lover and the perfect vanilla iced latte was served here), I’m really passionate about animal rights and so it’s extremely important to me that animals are treated well. This cafe looked after its pets providing them with down time and areas away from visitors, the cats were well looked after, happy and had huge areas, in fact I felt like I was the pet in the cats home!
Another animal cafe we visited was the raccoon cafe Blind Alley also in Seoul, despite loving raccoons I had never seen them in real life! it turns out they’re just as mischievous as portrayed in the movies, they’re such scavengers that you’re not even allowed tissues in your pockets in case the raccoons pinch and eat them. We fed the raccoons small treats as they scampered around the walls, ceilings and toys.
Blind Alley
Although raccoons love it the darkness it didn’t make for great photos!
The trick-eye museum WHERE, a place full of photo opportunities and just generally cool illusions, this museum was definitely something I’m glad I saw. Its a little small and so can be slightly cramped but it’s such a unique experience and great for any photo lovers. Here you can watch amazing illusions through your smart phone and get some really unique travel snaps.
Jem being a ballerina
It also featured a small Ice Museum, which was predictably freezing! Although tiny (maybe 2 rooms) it was worth a quick and cold look simply to be amazed by the detail on the sculptures and to wear a lovely poncho that did nothing to block the cold.
Elsa who?
Well post three of South Korea and there’s still loads more I could say! I can’t wait to go back one day!
-Emmy