After 3 years, Andrew and I traveled back to Korea & Japan in November 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic escalated. We flew straight to South Korea’s second-largest city and largest seaport, Busan. We didn’t take a “Train to Busan” but we did almost miss our connecting flight. Yikes!

Busan was a lot bigger than I expected with tons of great seafood, steep hills, and beautiful coastal walkways. My parents were in Seoul so they drove down to meet us to grab a meal and explore Taejongdae together. We stayed in Busan for about three days, spent the majority of our time in Japan, and returned to Seoul for a few days. One of our objectives was to bring all of Andrew's Mukbang fantasies to life in Busan & Seoul. From eating an entire 7lb king crab at Jagalchi Market, fried chicken at BHC, fresh seafood by the sea, and to all the late-night street food you could possibly eat. After all that eating, our fatasses still wanted to get jajangmyeon delivered to our Airbnb but we can't have everything.

For the last leg of our trip in Seoul, something really unexpected happened on a cold rainy night. To wait out the storm, I decided to get my nails done at a highly reviewed nail salon in Hongdae. As soon as I put one foot in the salon door, I quickly turned around and whispered to Andrew, "is that Lisa from BlackPink?" He didn't hear me so I walked inside and played it cool. There were only two clients, me and this mystery girl who looked quite like the KPOP star. She was only a few feet in front of me so I didn't want to stare like a creep. MAN, I never used my peripheral vision so hard in my entire life! I casually texted Andrew to check if it was her since my hands were too occupied. For 30 minutes in this zen-like environment, I was mentally screaming all sorts of nonsense in my head. "Is it her!? Should I ask!? Should I compliment her jacket because I really do love it?! If I say hi will I get my nail technician in trouble?!" Ultimately, I decided to stay quiet because I didn't want to bother her. Eventually, I knew it was her when a man in a suit came to pick her up in a big black SUV. After she left, I asked the nail technician, and she confirmed it was her. Looking back I think my logic got the best of me because I totally got this vibe that she would've been really cool about it. For once in my life, I wish I didn't do the right thing! LOL. What are the chances that out of the millions of people in Korea that we would be graced with her beauty & presence in a tiny nail salon?! Anywho, this is going to be one of those thoughts that are going to keep me awake at night. Nonetheless, it was a memorable experience that I'm thankful to be able to share with you guys. :P

Even though this was a shorter trip, we made the most out of our time in Korea. Although I am sad we couldn't catch-up with some friends, there will be a next time! We don't know how many more of these big trips we'll be able to take in the future so we feel super blessed to have gone twice! The next post will be based on our trip to Japan so keep an eye out. For details on our previous Korea trip, checkout my blog here! Enjoy and I hope everyone is staying safe & healthy!

BUSAN

SONGDO SKYWALK: A beautiful walk over the ocean.
GAMCHEON CULTURE VILLAGE: The Machu Picchu/Santorini of Korea is a colorful picturesque village.
COFFEE IT HOUSE: Located in Gamcheon Culture Village that has an awesome rooftop view.
TAEJONGDAE: We hiked up to Yeondo Lighthouse and down to where we watched divers catch fresh seafood. You can have a picnic here while watching the ocean waves crash right at your feet. I absolutely loved it for the ambiance but keep in mind there are a lot of steep steps to get there. It was such a unique experience and I highly recommend if you enjoy raw seafood. If you don't want to hike it you can take a shuttle or taxi.
BIFF SQUARE
JAGALCHI MARKET: We ate an entire 7lb king crab here which made us each about 3.5lbs heavier. It is pricey but this market is cheaper than what you would get ordering at a restaurant. You can negotiate prices from different vendors and we picked one from a lady who was super sweet.
CHANGSEON-DONG EAT ALLEY: We didn't eat here because we just ate a king crab but wished we could have. It's an interesting experience and doesn't hurt to support the women cooking the super affordable food.
HAEDONG YOUNGGUNSA: Temple by the beach. No admission fee and it's open from 5am-7pm.
WAVEON COFFEE: Out of the way but worth it if you're a sucker for coffee shops. Beautiful space with beach views.
CHEONGSAPO SUMININE: Grilled scallops over charcoal. Yum!
SAMJIN AMOOK: Delicious fish cakes!
GWANGALLI BEACH: Pretty at night with views of Gwangan Bridge.

SEOUL

ZAPANGI: A literal hole in the wall dessert shop.
ANTHRACITE: Beautiful minimalistic coffee shop.
CAFE YEONNAMDONG: 2D cafe that went viral a few years ago. Cool concept but it's small and overcrowded with tourists.
MYEONGEDONG KYOJA: We ate here again and it was just as good as the first time! It's always busy and extremely touristy but take that as a good sign. We tried the one in the LA location and it did not taste the same.
COMMON GROUND: Cool container shopping center but I don't know if it's worth going out of the way for this place. It has a lot of American brand stores like Adidas, Nike, Vans, etc.
STARFIELD: Library located in Coex Mall in Gangnam
LOCO QUAN 401: Korean BBQ owned by comedian Haha and Kim Jong-guk
ONION: Cute desserts and cool interior space that was recommended by my friend Deborah.
IKSEON-DONG: You don't really hear about this cute shopping village but I highly recommend it! Some people are seen dressed up in vintage clothes that you can rent at Ikseon Boutique.
SEOUL COFFEE: Located at Ikseon-dong inside a traditional house. I hesitated to eat the butter bread because it looked like soap in a loaf. But now I am very curious and wish I had tried it.
FLIPPER'S: Soufflé fluffy pancakes in Ikseon-dong!
R CAFE: Hidden gem in Ikseon-dong. It had to be one of the prettiest coffee shops I've ever been to!
BHC: Fried chicken joint
갈비살 전문점 홍대 도마: Ate delicious Korean BBQ here for Andrew's birthday.

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Busan | Seoul

BUSAN

SEOUL