We flew to Seoul without a definite plan and having nil expectation of the city, minus the cold weather. While I somewhat felt like we wasted a reasonable amount of time that could have been spent seeing other parts of it, I quite abnormally delighted at times in not knowing the precise direction from point A to point B or what we were supposed to do after we’ve maxed out what had to be done in point B. Of course, it induced a certain level of stress plus a bonus dead toe nail that resulted from all the incessant strutting in my boots that I only broke into on our first day in Korea. But I’m a fan of mini surprises, and I was reminded that the trail to point B presented endless versions of those. Don’t get me wrong. The spots we intended to go to still stand to be the highlights of our trip. I would tell every South-Korea-vacationing friend to spend a whole day in Nami Island for its scenic spots (no matter what season, I can imagine) and fun activities that suit pretty much any type of traveling group. The Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung Palaces are also worth a visit for viewing of intricate Korean architecture. On a side note, I regret not having been able to proceed to the Secret Garden due to schedule constraints.

Surely, Bukchon offers a mix of rich history that would make one appreciate the limitless stories of Seoul.

And even if the love locks in the N Seoul Tower were a tad bit too cheesy for my liking, Dij and I got a lock anyway and fastened it in a spot I still vividly remember.

Dij wanted to check out a particular restaurant called Brooklyn: The Burger Joint and maaaaan was it a haven of all things unbelievably glorious. My Cheese Skirt Burger and glass of Burnt Marshmallow Nutella Milkshake pictured below should be enough proof of a disastrous party in my mouth.

To cap it off, a last-minute stop at Gangnam to trace the roots of the infamous song’s mocking nature was not bad either. An area within it called Garosu-gil somewhat reminded me of Oxford Street in London, although I’d still go for Myeongdong for shopping.

But in between these marvelous sightings, unexpected things arose and they possibly more than made up for my dismay of not having been able to have my first shot at skiing. A first case in point would be chancing upon a Hello Kitty Cafe and a Trick Eye Museum in our attempt to find this other burger joint that turned out to be under renovation. We spent a considerable period of time in both, bemusing ourselves with the overwhelming number of things where a famous cat’s face could be plastered and committing to certain poses for a picture in the museum, no matter how idiotic we looked in front of a crowd lined up to get a similar-looking photograph as ours.

Also, imagine my delight in seeing a little corner on top of Ssamziegil in Insadong, populated with hanging tags with random notes, most of which I did not understand. And my excitement in chancing upon random restaurants that served really good samgyeopsal. I wish I knew how to read or at least imitate how they would pronounce the restaurants’ names so I could give them due credit. But all I got to bring home with me were lamely taken photos of the places’ names to be seen in the facade.

Notable scenes were likewise sighted at random times when we didn’t really expect it. Picture my enthralment in spontaneously dining on a level of N Seoul Tower, facing a vast view of city lights while feasting on good Italian food and wine as a treat for my approaching birthday.

While it really would have been nice if we had seen Samcheong Park before dusk, seeing it in a mixture of a dark blue and purple backdrop was stunning in its own right (and color).

And again, while we tried to figure out which bus we should ride going to the tower, we got to take a seat on a pavement by the Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong and watch the day end as the sun dramatically crept down. It was the moment I thought to myself that Seoul just might be the most captivating city I’ve gone to thus far in Asia. And that’s why I say getting lost and begrudgingly trying to find our way around it was not so bad after all.

It is the in-betweens that ultimately fill my story with much rhythm. Seoul is a melting pot of interesting finds, amiable locals and rich heritage with thousands of historic years behind it. I did not get to see most parts of the city but the little surprises here and there essentially exceeded my expectations of it. It made me realize that it’s a place worth coming back to and I won’t really mind finding my way out of an almost empty alley if it would mean stumbling upon an awesome chicken and beer place, or a cool basement bookstore, or maybe even Psy… Okay, the last one may be pushing it a bit too far but you get my point. 😀

*Most photos by Dijo Songco