#i get still get offered free food at the one noodle place off of sixth street lol

[mistergreatbones]

I refuse to believe Tim only snuck out at night to go to Gotham. He definitely fucked around in the city on weekends and summertime. A bunch of people from Crime Alley to Robinson Park who know him as “the one weird kid” + friends he used to hang out on various playgrounds with as kid.

No kid adventurous enough to decide to sneak out at night in the first place, let alone do any of the shit Tim has done, is gonna be satisfied staying cooped up in a lonely manor.

Also, Tim must love Gotham. He must. Sure, maybe Tim’s obsession with Batman and Robin started with him just wanting to see some cool gymnastics and fights, but Tim absolutely believed Bruce and Dick and Jason were heroes. Else, why would he care about Bruce self destructing? It’s sad to see anyone suffering, especially someone you look up to, but Tim must have been genuinely upset at how Bruce was treating people to try that hard to get Bruce to stop. Tim knew he could get hurt, and he knew he would have to stop Bruce from going too far, but he became Robin anyways. And he kept fighting every day even though he was put through the ringer over and over and over again. Robin can’t just be a job for him. There’s no way he doesn’t love his city…

Sorry I got distracted. What I’m really trying to say is that I think Jason and Tim should keep accidentally having mutual friends from before they were Robins/Waynes.

#Tim: oh hey Greg from the conviene store says he misses you and that you had trouble pronouncing the ‘ch’ sound as a kid #Jason: Greg from the coveince store…? you don’t mean where my dad worked at for like a month when I wa four? #Tim: yeah everyone knows we ‘would have been’ brothers if you hadn’t died so they just randomly talk about how fondly they remember you #i get still get offered free food at the one noodle place off of sixth street lol #Jason: *stops having a mini-breakdown to call his brother a bitch* #leo says shit #tim drake #jason todd #please like this i looked up a map of Gotham to pick a location far was from crime alley

[viceprints]

Noodle King

Summary: Vice finds an unexpected clue at a noodle restaurant. 

Genre: Mystery, drama Pairing: OT7 / OT6 Word Count: 1.0k Warnings: Swearing, missing persons. 

After stopping at a thrift store to pick up some average-looking clothes and hearing Kane whine and complain about his bladder feeling like it was going to explode, the group suggested stopping for an early lunch at a local restaurant. The restaurant was recommended to them by the woman running the thrift store, as it was locally famous for their spicy fire noodles.

Once the boys were given a seat at the restaurant, Kane bolted to the mens room. Once he relieved himself he let out a satisfied sigh, closing his eyes. He didn’t realize how tired he was until that moment. Not just physically, but emotionally too. The maknae hadn’t given himself time to think about Seokyu’s disappearance, but now that he was completely alone for the first time in three days, the reality of the situation was starting to hit him.

As he washed his hands, he looked at himself in the mirror. Why would Seokyu just leave them? Was there something that Kane could have done to make him stay? His throat closed up at the thought of his missing friend, but he swallowed hard. He wasn’t about to have a mental breakdown in this family-owned restaurant. These people didn’t get paid enough to deal with coaxing him out of the restroom. He shook his head and reached for a paper towel, patting his hands dry. Exiting the bathroom, he took a look around.

On the wall opposite to the bathroom was full of photographs of people holding up a large empty noodle bowl. He hadn’t noticed it when he was running past in a crisis, but now that the anxiety of possibly peeing himself was gone, he took a closer look at the pictures.

Most of the contestants had tear-stained faces with orangey-red sauce rimming their lips. The pictures were pretty comical, actually, but there was one face that stood out from the rest.

“No fucking way.” Kane said under his breath. Right in front of him, smiling with closed lips, was Seokyu. The owner of the restaurant had his arm around Seokyu’s shoulders like a proud father would, but Seokyu’s expression made it look like the challenge was easy. Kane took the picture off the wall, dashing back to the dining area.

“Guys! Look who’s on the wall!” Kane said excitedly, dropping the photograph in the middle of the table.

“Seokyu? He was here?” Woodam asked, his eyes wide.

The waitress came back over with their drinks, furrowing her eyebrows at the photograph. “Oh yeah, I remember him. He was in two nights ago. He wanted to try our Hell’s Bells Noodle Challenge.”

“Hell’s Bells? Like AC/DC?” Minho asked as the waitress placed their drinks down on the table.

The waitress chuckled. “You wish. If someone can get through our spicy noodle dish in under 5 minutes, they eat free. A lot of people try, but your friend here was real impressive.” She shared. “Finished in less than two minutes. He didn’t even accept the eat free coupon.”

The boy group exchanged bewildered looks with each other. Seokyu never had a huge appetite, at least not compared to the rest of them. Seokyu didn’t even like spicy food. Why would he try this challenge if he had money on him to afford food? What was he doing in Cheongju when he told Eunjoo he’d be heading to Yuso? “And you said he was here two days ago?” Cyth asked.

The waitress nodded, looking around the table curiously. “Why? Has he been ghosting you guys?”

“Something like that, yeah.” Geonwu said bitterly, taking a sip of his water.

“Ma’am, did he say anything about visiting Yuso while he was here?” Kane asked anxiously. The waitress clicked her tongue, trying to recall the night Seokyu visited the restaurant.

“You know, he had a travel guide that he left behind. I think we chucked it behind the hostess desk if you would like me to grab it?” She offered.

Kane sighed with relief. “Yes please, that would be appreciated.”

The waitress hurried off, leaving the boys alone.

“What if he’s not going to Yuso anymore?” Ji wondered aloud. “If he’s not heading there, we’re fucked. Yuso is our only lead.”

“Let’s wait and see that travel guide. Maybe we’ll get a new lead.” Minho suggested, using the tone he only uses when he wants everyone to calm down, even though he himself is freaking out.

The waitress returned with a notebook full of travel guides poking out from the pages. The boys recognized the notebook immediately. Minho had given the notebook to Seokyu after his first year anniversary with Vice. It was meant for lyric writing or choreography formation, but now it was being doubled as a folder for travel brochures.

Luckily, most of the travel guides still focused on Yuso and there were a few pamphlets on sailing. But something else caught the member’s eyes. On the page were all the brochures were still poking out were a bunch of names that weren’t familiar to Vice.

“Wait, that says Oh Eunjoo.” Kane pointed, recognizing the name of the crazed psychic they met yesterday.

“That’s my name.” The waitress frowned. She had returned with their meals, but her attention was now on the book in front of them. “I’m Lee Seunghee. Sixth name from the bottom. And below that… Kim Taewoo, that’s the owner.” “Why is he keeping a list of names?” Woodie asked aloud. No one had an answer.

“Well… Enjoy you meals!” Seunghee gave a weak smile. She dashed away, clearly put off by the fact that a random man had written her name down in a book.

“Seokyu… what the fuck is going on inside that head.” Ji shook his head, a dry chuckle escaping his lips.

Kane observed the notes one more time. “Well, at least we know we’re on the right track with Yuso, right?” “Yeah. I hope so.” Minho nodded, although he seemed a little unsure. The leader picked up his chopsticks, gesturing to everyone around him. “Eat up, you don’t want your food to get cold.”

#kocsociety #kumokocnet #mochikocnet #koc #kpop oc #kpop au #idol oc #kpop idol oc #oc kpop idol #m.h.dev #geonwu.dev #woodie.dev #cyth.dev #seokyu.dev #ji.dev #kane.dev #vice.dev

[tellcardtowrite]

Sam/Dean snowed in, please? c:

Day one was fat, flat snowflakes drifting in lazy swirls across the broken pavement of the motel sidewalk.  The Impala was groaning in relief at the end of another long drive followed a series of humiliating beatings at the hands of a couple of ghouls that shouldn’t have gotten the drop on them.  Dean was clutching the wound on his side with a stupid smile on his face and a fifth of whiskey tucked into the corner of his arm.  His face was pallid from cold and blood loss but his lips were pinked-up in the cold as he smiled, “it’s snowing,” like it was a lost wonder of the fucking world.

“Yeah,” Sam said.  “That’s great.”  He ducked into the backseat to grab the bags, the food and the medical kit before motioning toward the door.  “I think you’ve lost too much blood.”

“Listen,” Dean said like he was a philosopher, a real-live deep thinker, “it’s quiet, Sammy.  It’s always quiet when it snows.”

Sam got the door open with the rusty key the disinterested desk girl gave them and dropped everything on the old folding card table by the door.  The interior of the room smelled like corn chips and the dusty white stuff they put in carpets to vacuum the stench out.  When his hands were free he leaned back out the door to grab Dean by the jacket and drag him in.  “You hate the snow, Dean,” he said like it even needed saying.

“I never said that,” was Dean’s retort but he fell over almost instantly when Sam pushed him on the bed and mumbled to himself as his blood-slick fingers clutched at the wound in his side.  “I like the snow,” he said.  “I always have.”

–

Day two was a quick run to the nearest grocery store, standing in lines feeling conspicuously tall and memorable while he scanned newspaper headlines looking for any signs of a recent massacre at a graveyard.  The whole damn place was full of people with sour faces buying bread and milk and beer like they would never get the chance again.  

He smiled at the check-out woman as she rolled her eyes at him and the snow fell in sheets just beyond the storefront.

–

Day three, Dean woke up from his liquor-and-blood-loss stupor with a groan of disagreement about the bed he’d been sleeping on for two days.  The smell of the leftover food in the trash was making Sam nauseated but Dean said, “I’m starving.”  

“Well,” Sam said because he was bored without internet or TV and the radio coming in half-static.  He was bored of white beyond the windows as the snow fell (undaunted) trapping them in the town they’d just killed half a dozen human-looking ghouls in.  “That’s all we’ve got until this story quits so don’t eat it all at once.”

Dean was squinting out through the shitty curtains at the piles of snow that blanketed everything in a great, indecipherable white heap.  The Impala was there in that nondescript landscape, taking up space but offering no clear escape routes.  “How long has it been snowing?” Dean asked.  “How long have I been out?” like it was the question he meant to ask, head turned and eyes wide as he waited for Sam to look back at him.

“Days,” was Sam’s answer.  

–

Night Three was a spread of gun parts left sitting on the counter, the restless sound of Dad’s journal being leafed through and a solitary game of solitaire that Sam didn’t have the time or patience to bother with.  It was there anyway, taking up space on the card table by the front window.  

Dean was sipping his fifth of whiskey while he read every stupid word their father left for them.  His lips were mouth words while his forehead rolled up in wrinkles.  

Sam was bored-out-of-his-mind; stone-cold sober and tired.  “I don’t know what you think you’re going to find in there,” he said (again, for the sixth or seventh or eight-hundredth time).

Dean was the oldest, infinite and patient, saying, “Maybe I just like reading it, Sammy.  Plan your–cards.”

–

Day four dawned white and cold, the snow an unrelenting reality beyond the window.  It wasn’t a blizzard but a drizzle of snowflakes.  The radio was reminding citizens to exercise caution and urging people to stay inside and warm.  The list of closings rattled on-and-on, announcing churches and bus stations and city offices.  The malls and the stores and the schools were all closed.  The longer the announcer spoke, the more-and-more certain it seemed that the whole world had reached a stand still.

Everything but Dean, sitting in the old chair at the card table, putting his guns back together.

–

The fourth night was unbearable.  The food was nothing but leftovers reheated with new condiments, an extra dash of pepper on the congealed cake that had been ramen noodles (maybe) earlier in the day.  Dean was restless without his liquor and Sam was picking at the table-top for lack of anything better to do.

“Why’d you get us stuck here?” Dean demanded (again).  “If we’d just driven out of her that night.”

“You’d be dead,” Sam finished, “but hey, I wouldn’t have to listen to you whine.”

–

It was near-midnight, long after dark and they pretense of going to sleep, Dean was humming to himself and Sam was thinking uncharitable thoughts about how he’d like to strangle his brother.  The (stilled, stunted, unbearable) quiet was interrupted only by the mattress whining as Dean shifted. 

–

“We could make it to the interstate,” Dean said from the open doorway of the motel room.  He was wearing every coat he owned (both of them) and neither of them were enough to fight against the biting chill.  

“The interstate is closed,” Sam said.  “Face it, man.  We’re not going anywhere.”

“This is ridiculous!” Dean shouted at the snow, “we can kill fricking ghouls and werewolves and fight ghosts and exorcise demons but we get taken down by snow?”  He shouted a wordless scream into the white void and then slammed the door.  “Well what about food?  There’s got to be something open we can get to.”

–

On the afternoon of day five, they spent their last five dollars on a harvest of snack-cakes and a single soda.  Their dinner was a sugary, gross mess divided evenly between them.  The hunger gnawing at Sam’s gut wouldn’t budge for Little Debbies or the steady stream of water he’d been drinking to fill up the space.  Dean was disgruntled with chocolate cake on his teeth and water in his glass.

–

Dean kissed him between the bathroom and the bed, catching him after he brushed his teeth and before he took off his belt to sleep.  The motion was as abrupt as getting punched in the face, but Sam’s hands were fisted up in Dean’s closed with the same violence.  It was easy (so, so, terribly) easy to coil his arm around Dean’s shoulders, to tuck him tight in against his body and kiss him with no regard for propriety or their dead-father’s-journal eyeing them from the table by the window.  

“I thought we weren’t doing this,” Sam said when they were gasping for air.  

Dean was hot-everywhere, shrugging up with indecision, pink-faced with lust or shame (or both) as his hands dropped to Sam’s belt.  “Well, what else are we going to do?” he asked.  Like it was inevitable, like the snow had forced them to do it.  Sam could have argued the point for six-and-a-half more months and never gotten Dean to admit he wanted it but there was no liquor on Dean’s breath and nothing to blame but the weather.  

It was as close as they’d ever come to touching the truth.  “Right,” he agreed when he kissed Dean again.  What else were they going to do.

[seashelbytravel]

Bangkok Reflections: our first stop, and starting place.

Date of post: July 14, 2019

Current location: Sa Pa, Vietnam

Date of venture post is about: Wow I’m so behind. May 30- June 2, 2019

Location of venture: Bangkok, Thailand

Back to basics. Basics meaning, back to our first city. The beautiful cultural madhouse monster that is Bangkok, Thailand.

We were only here for three days (May 30- June 2nd). We will end our excursion in Bangkok so we will be seeing the city through new eyes. I’m already changed, so I honestly can’t wait to dive deeper into that crazy place.

Night One

We arrived in BK around 12am (12pm Texas time), and yes, we were whooped after 30 hours of travel, but I was wired. Feeling incredibly alive and excited. Perhaps a tad delusional but that’s neither here or there now. We went on the hunt for beer. I think I mentioned we stumbled upon a bar named SOS. The owner was Johns age and opened the bar after he and his wife split. His bar was closed but he offered us craft beer (craft beer is a new thing in Thailand, he definitely took a risk opening SOS) anyway. We drank and chatted for a while, met some other locals our age. We are all friends on social media now and have been chatting throughout our travels. We finally decided to go try and get some sleep.

Day One

The next morning we had breakfast at the top of our hotel and then off to the Royal Palace 👑

I wore shorts and a tastefully sleeveless top. We boarded the water bus (a ferry that travels by way of the main canal through BK). Before stepping off, a tour guide told me I would need to cover my knees and shoulders, or I wouldn’t be allowed through the palace gates. Okay! Easy. I was a tad embarrassed and definitely felt like a newbie tourist. I don’t like feeling like a “tourist”... even when I’m touring 😜.

Here’s a good rule for traveling. Don’t purchase from the first place/shop/stand you see. I ended up buying two sarong’s (one for my waist, one as a shawl for my shoulders) UPON the suggestion of the seller, whom I internally deemed as a “sweet older lady”. For 200 baht each. I now know how overpriced those items were. On top of it, once we bought our tickets and began to walk through the gates, I was stopped by a guard and told my “shawl” wouldn’t suffice. That I needed a legitimate sleeved shirt. This “sweet older lady” totally knew I wouldn’t get past the guards with the sarong “shawl” she sold me but, ya know, enjoy your 200 extra baht. I’ve been using the heck out of that sarong. Luckily Johnny was (for some insane reason, because it was SO hot) wearing two shirts. So he quite literally gave me the shirt off of his back. Into the palace we go!

But first, coffee. So, we read about this special golden coffee you could only purchase in the royal palace, but neither of us remembered it when we stopped in for coffee at a shop right outside the palace gates. I ordered two “Golden Cofee’s” assuming it was black coffee, named golden for the theme of Thailand. Gold is their color. Y’all. This coffee was the best coffee I’ve ever had. I’m still not sure what made it so divine, but it caused me to snap a picture of Johnny having his first sip because I myself, physically reacted to how delicious it was.

We toured the palace for free with an English speaking guide, who was just adorable. We met other tourists and chatted about what brought us to the golden land. So many gorgeous Wat’s and temples. Words seem so insufficient and I honestly don’t know how to describe 90% of what I’ve witnessed on this trip. Thankfully, pictures will do what my mind and writing cannot. For the most part. Seeing it with the naked eye is the only way to understand the majesty. Experiencing it for yourself.

After touring the palace, we accidentally got off the ferry one stop after our hotel. We decided to walk back and see Bangkok for what it truly was. The everyday local life. We found an outdoor exercise park. For free. Why don’t we have these in America? Perhaps we like our “super size’s” too much. Why is it more expensive to be healthy than not? Oye vey. Found some cute kitties. They came straight over. Walked further and made it to our hotel after passing through the hustle and bustle of “real life”. The people who beg in Thailand just bow their heads. They won’t even look at you. We gave where we could.

No. Jet lag. None. I was pretty concerned about jet lag because it really messed with me when I studied for a summer in the UK. I’m now realizing there were many contributing factors as to why that experience didn’t and couldn’t touch the divinity of this one. We decided to chill at the hotel pool and take a nap. I set an alarm and made sure we got up because if we had slept longer, we would’ve fallen into the nap trap.

Got up, showered, then? Chinatown. Oh yes. Chinatown is buzzing with street food vendors, neon lights, grand hotels, fruit, massage parlors, bugs on a stick (no thanks), everything. If you wanted it, you could probably find it here. We found a small stand to have a local beer. “Chang”. This is my new favorite beer. “Chang” means “Elephant” in Thai. I mentioned that Johnny bought me a flower, of which I later gave to a beggar woman. She was happy, and so were John and I.

We found the little fishies that eat the dead skin off of your feet. I convinced John to do it with me. I laughed for the first ten minutes and loved every second of it. I’d like to have these guys in a pond infront of my non-existent home.

Ate some street food. Noodles with pork in pork broth and chilies. Yum. Soooo yum. We also tried a Mangosteen. A “what” you say? Mangosteen. It’s my new favorite fruit (and I’ve tried many in the short month and a half I’ve been in SE Asia). Imagine if a nectarine had a baby with a plum apple. Weird right? But it’s the best example I can think of. John buys them for me when we see them in the market (wherever we are). The mangosteen is pictured below.

Day Two

The next morning, we were up with the sun. I’ve never been a morning person. Like, at all. But here I want my days to feel as long as possible, so up at sunrise it is. Gorgeous sunrises in practically every place we’ve stopped. Then, another great breakfast, and on to tour a popular Wat nearby. A Wat? You say? Okay I’ll stop. We stopped for coffee and I was able to reconnect with some old coworkers and friends. I have so much support and love for what I’ve chosen to do with this period of my life. Grateful.

This next Wat was also, spectacular. Pictured below. We saw one of the largest “Reclining Buddha’s” in Thailand. Then, we chose to find a famous chef, featured on Netflix, and Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown”. Her name is Jay Fai. We walked forever and finally found her. With a day long waitlist. Thanks Netflix? But we got to watch her cook. She’s an artist. We ate next door. Then we took a taxi back to the hotel and got out at a market. It was just opening so we witnessed vendors setting up. Still very cool. Made it back to the hotel to freshen up for our night on Koh San Road.

Koh San Road is historically known as “The Backpackers Road”. Lined with vendors offering backpackers anything they may need before embarking on their journey. Now? It’s like Sixth Street and Bourbon Street on speed. Insane T-Shirts. Example: We saw a shirt titled “Nirvana” (like the band) with a picture of “Hanson” below. Hysterical. We decided to stop at an empty street bar named “Lucky Bar”. Tons of adorable waitresses who, were not born female. The Thai Ladyboy is their own gender here and honestly, think and feel what you will, but I just love seeing people living happily. If we aren’t happy, then what the heck are we doing? We met friends from South Korea, Indonesia, South America, and Thailand. Before the night was through, we were all dining together and communicating via google translate. We both smile looking back on that night.

Day Three- Travel Day

The next day, we hit the 9 story mall to buy what we needed and didn’t bring. I purchased some light t shirts and a long skirt. John, a handy belt that held money, and a water proof bag for his camera. Then, on the mini bus to our next stop. Petchburi. I posted about this with photos, right before my inevitable “Good Morning, Vietnam” post.

Thank you again for reading! I hope this paints a clear picture of our short time in Bangkok. I’m very excited to experience the city on a deeper level in a few short weeks. I love you guys ♥️

Photo descriptions

1) First sunrise

2) First breakfast

3&4) Golden Coffee reactions

5) Palace selfie

6) Thai kitties

7) Chinatown

8) Mangosteen

9) Reclining Buddha

10) Jay Fai

[vegetaraine-blog]

PART 3 of Solo SEOUL Searching: Itinerary and What Really Happened

To be honest, in my actual itinerary, I included timeslots, subway stations, exit numbers, routes, and whole bunch of other notes. I am that type of person who’s into planners and details. Some perfectionist, OC stuff.  But I don’t want to show you that funny itinerary unless you want to see it. 

My planned itinerary wasn’t too much because I wanted my trip to be slow-paced and not overwhelming. I was rather into finding my self in the process.

Actual Travel

Day 1 - Edae, Sinchon, Hongdae

I arrived at Incheon Int’l Airport around 6:30 am. From immigration to getting my luggage to buying my T-money card to riding the subway to my hostel, it all went smoothly.  I got to my hostel around 8 am so the hostel staff allowed me to leave my baggage and come back at 2 pm for my check-in since it was early.

Shops were still closed early in the morning at Edae

It was a bit of a cold morning so I opted to walk around the Edae, Sinchon and Hongdae area. Some stores were still closed when I roamed around but it was such a beautiful morning. Familiarized myself with the area and neighborhood.

Ewha Woman’s University campus

Sinchon-Hongdae Area

I stayed for quite a while in this little park in the middle of the Edae shopping street. It was very cozy and quiet. I knew it was the start of my soul searching break. I bought a quaint little grapefruit juice to drink while chilling in the park.

Edae Park near Yes Apm mall

Finally, I checked-in at the hostel. Rested a bit in the bed. At around 5:30 pm, I took the subway to Hongdae for the Saturday night flea market! 

Hongdae was jampacked with people, especially the youth. I didn’t expect that this place would have all sorts of entertainment like dancing, singing, performing magic tricks and whole lot more. 

Restaurants, malls, and drinking places can also be found in Hongdae. The stores at the night market offer cheap clothing and other pasalubong finds. 

Hongdae at around 7 pm

Day 2 - Yeouido Park, Kyobo Bookstore, Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon Stream

It was a rainy Sunday morning, which is why I went out at 10 am. I still pushed through with my plan to go to Yeouido Park. 

Yeouido Park

It was windy and drizzling when I got there so there weren’t so many people. I was supposed to rent and ride a bike but it was closed. I sat down on one of those chairs under the trees to relax a bit. Then, I headed to see the KBS Building. 

Around lunch time, I went straight to Kyobo Bookstore. It was a big bookstore with stationary and some educational gadgets being sold there as well. I stayed there for about 2 hours to read a book. Few books are open for reading and there are available to chairs and tables for people.

After that, I accidentally walked into Gwanghwamun Plaza while looking for a convenience store. 

Gwanghwamun Plaza

I had my late afternoon lunch along the Chenggyecheon Stream. There was a Thai Festival when I was there so it was a bit loud and crowded. It was still rainy so I wasn’t able to stay until the evening to see its night beauty.

Chenggyecheon Stream

Bad weather but I capped off the day by going around Edae. I believe this is the most beautiful night ever. Even though it was raining hard, the peace and tranquility within the university was very relaxing. 

Night at Edae

Day 3 - Gyeongbokgung Palace, National Folk Museum, National Palace Museum, Insadong, Dongdaemun

I needed to be at Gyeongbokgung Palace at around 9 am to see the guarding ceremony. But guess what, I woke up late. I only got to see a glimpse of the exiting guards right when I set foot in the palace. Not to be sad, I bought my ticket to see the palace.

Suddenly, my friend messaged me to eat lunch with them so I have around 2 hours to see the whole palace and the museums.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

I really got into the Korean history when I watched Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart (shoutout to my kdrama fans friends) so when I was walking around, It felt like I was in Joseon Dynasty.  Knowing that these hallowed grounds were once the main royal palace, I felt the respect and amazement, at the same time. 

The National Folk Museum was beside one of the palaces so I went there, as well. It was a greatly curated museum about the people of Korea. It was also interactive to visitors. I also checked out the National Palace Museum before heading out for lunch with my friends.

We walked from Gyeongbokgung to Insadong to have our lunch. Little did I know, we were going to eat at Season’s Table, a Korean buffet. Good thing my digestive system was prepared for humungous servings of food. 

Season’s Table

There was a lot of vegan options, so don’t worry my vegan friends, this buffet got our backs! You can make your own bibimbap bowls, noodles, and tteokbokki. I guess there was a time limit for this but we didn’t care, we finished around 4:30 pm.

We checked out Ssamzigiel along Insadong. As my friend said, “Every foreigner should go here”. At the top floor, I bought this chain thing that you can place with other chains. I wrote in the chain as a reminder that I went there with my friends. 

Ssamzigiel, Insadong

We then went to Dongdaemun because it was the nearest touristy destination since the rain was accumulating and might pour anytime soon. It did rain! My newly-brought umbrella was ruined by the strong wind.

Duty Free Store, top of Dongdaemun

I had to say my goodbyes to my friends. It was a great catch-up time with them at a different location than our school.

Day 4 - Bukchon Hanok Village, Changdeokgung Palace, Insadong, Gangnam, Express Bus Terminal, Banpo Bridge

Fourth day of the travel and my body was still keeping up with me. The weather was very hot and humid like the Philippines, actually. Despite the heat, I headed to Bukchon Hanok Village in the morning.

Bukchon Hanok Village

It was kind of a climb around the village but I was beyond amazed with the peacefulness hovering around that tickled my soul. I went straight to Changdeokgung Palace, it was about a 15 minute walk from the village.

Changdeokgung Palace

I cannot describe the feeling that I felt when I was in this palace. It was pure calmness. In contrast, I prefer the Gyeongbokgung Palace than this one, but I didn’t get to see the garden, which probably could have been beautiful to see.

For lunch, I went back to Insadong again. I searched for a vegan restaurant in Happy Cow and I stumbled upon Osegaehyang. It’s a completely vegan traditional Korean dining and cuisine. Everything was delicious.

Soft Tofu Bibimbap - Osegaehyang

In the afternoon, I decided to go to the very famous, Gangnam. It was mostly a shopping and nightlife area, so I didn’t do much there besides drinking a cheap iced americano at the subway station.

Gangnam and Express Bus Terminal stations

Late afternoon, I headed to Express Bus Terminal station to see the Banpo Bridge. I didn’t know that the station has a huge underground shopping center. A lot of inexpensive clothing, pasalubong, food, skincare and other whatnots can be found there. 

Around 7 pm, I decided to walk to Banpo Bridge to see the rainbow fountain show. I got to view the sky changed its colors. Unfortunately, I waited for 2.5 hours but no show for that night. It was still lovely and beautiful night at Han River. 

Tip: A lot of couples are there so go grab a drink and eat ramyun even when you’re alone.

Banpo Bridge, Han River

Day 5 - Lotte Dept. Store, Myeongdong

For this day, nothing much happened. I was starting to feel tired but then I still went to Myeongdong. First things first, I entered the Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral before doing some shopping galore.

Myeondong

I was supposed to go to Namsan Park to see a nearer view of the N Seoul Tower but my energy won’t permit. I was already halfway there but my feet were seriously dead tired. I couldn’t walk anymore. Hashtag weakling. 

Day 6 - Edae, Yongsan Station, Hyehwa-dong

Last day. I couldn’t believe that I made it to the sixth day all on my own. I woke up early to hit more sacks. I wanted to check off more on my plans. I walked around Edae one last time. Then, I decided to go to Yongsan station to look for electronic shops.

Yongsan (top), Hyehwa (bottom)

The last place I went to in Seoul was Hyehwa-dong. Not much reviews about this place but it was in my plan to visit a unique neighborhood. You’ll get to see children from schools in the vicinity and oppas from Sungkyunkwan ;) Hehe just kidding. You’ll get a glimpse of what’s a typical day of Koreans.

And that concludes my solo soul searching trip to Seoul, South Korea. Six days were not enough to see various famous destinations and truly marvel the whole Seoul. However, I believe it went really great and fulfilled my intentions.

It was a life-changing experience alone in a different country.

Check out my thoughts and lessons I learned from the whole trip.

#vegetaRAINE #lorrainerae #Seoul #South Korea #Vegan in Korea #Vegan in Seoul #solo travel #soul searching #soloSeoulSearching #travel #Vegan Travel #Korean Travel #Tourist