The entire flight from Seoul-Sydney was really comfortable. 1) It wasn't a full flight. I have requested the frontmost aisle seat for my comfort and convenience, but there wasn't anyone beside me. SO I had the entire row to myself. 2) The service on board of Korean Air was fantastic! Friendly stewardess who praised my Korean so much that she even gave me an incoming passenger card that I have to fill up in Korean (to which I told her that I'll prefer the English version since it's more convenient for me!) 3) Full service including change of slippers, prawn crackers for refreshments (I love 'em!) and toothbrush + toothpaste etc... 4) Good choice of movies, and I caught like 4 movies back to back. So basically I didn't sleep during the entire flight cuz I was watching movies. Caught "Tangled" (loved it cuz it was so funny!), "Black Swan" (loved it too cuz it was really an intriguing thriller!), "Ghost - In your arms again" (Japanese film - a remake of the 1990 version of "Ghost" starring Song Seung Heun and Nanako Matsushima) and "Hello Ghost" (a really funny comedy starring Cha Tae Hyun). I love watching movies! Though eventually when I was watching the 4th movie I felt really sleepy, I still went on.
It was sad to leave Korea... It's not as if I have never expressed the way I feel about leaving, but yeah, I will have to do it again. I am missing Seoul the very minute the airport shuttle left Seoul and entered Incheon. It's going to take me sometime to get over it, and adjust back to my life in Melbourne.
The past few days have been great~ Very relaxed. Simply doing what I want. Well, other than hopping around places to do some very last minute souvenior shopping, I am pretty relaxed. A lot of cafe exploring, and some of them done with another cafe lover Airi. We became really good friends despite our age difference because of our similar interests.
 |
| Cafe Reminis in Bukchon - went into this little cafe before going to the next cafe to meet Airi | . |
|
 |
Picture taken at Cafe Spring near Gyeongbok-gung
Saw this music book by Schubert and got all excited~
I really want to play the piano now! |
 |
| Coffee and strawberry smoothie at Cafe Spring |
 |
| Bulgogi panini at Cafe Spring |
 |
| Airi savouring her drink |
 |
| A very nice cafe Cafe Spring... |
This must be the 10th time I've been to Myeongdong over the past 2 months I was here. However, this time round I was by myself, and I voluntarily voted to go back there. 1) I wanted to try out Cafe Coin since it is pretty famous; 2) I was looking for potential souvenirs and Myeongdong has a lot of different things that I can look at.
Actually I do kinda miss Myeongdong now. So much life in there. So many things to see and do too! It doesn't matter if I have to go there another 20 times~
 |
| Cafe Coin. It has a very classical feel, with their ambiance and the music they were playing |
 |
| Off to Hongdae again to meet up with Airi and Mizuki at Cafe Source |
 |
| Afterwards went to another cafe in Hongdae called 405 Kitchen. Tried their toast. Tastes good! The place feels good too~ The only thing I can't stand about the place is the slight smell of their cutleries. The smell feels as if it has just been washed, clean, but then the detergent and steel sorta give out a funny smell. Spoils the taste of the toast. |
For almost 2 weeks the Guest House Korea was pretty quiet with no big parties. There are little ones like drinking sessions with Jinny and Jan, or talking over dinner with a couple of other friends, but then that's it. So in order to warm up the place a little bit, I made use of the excuse that I am going away, and suggested a party to be held. Therefore a party was held (for me), and the fun began again... Made me even more reluctant to leave the place!
 |
| As usual we had sam gyeop sal. Here, chef number 1 Jin Ho works at the Guest House and he is a very nice guy... We talk quite a bit cuz he has stayed in Sinapore for 5 months, and then Melbourne for 1 year, so he knew these places almost as well as I do. Easy to talk to. |
 |
Chef number 2 Jinny, who made the Korean style pancake/pizza (whichever they call it) for us.
He is my alcohol buddy in Korea. Almost 9 out of 10 times if either of us ask for a drink, we will accept it readily. We can down so many soju and beer~ |
 |
| Awwww... and who wouldn't love Slovenian guy Jan (pronounced 'Young') who has grown so close to me he is starting to call me his 'gf'. LOL it was really funny, and it's all a joke, but we had a lot of fun together. |
 |
| With Victoria. Victoria is from California, and the 3 of us talk a lot cuz all of us are fluent in English. |
 |
Some of the people at the party - sitting Maco (from Italy, speaks fluent Chinese), me, Victoria
Standing from left: I can't remember his name honestly... he's from France; Jinny; Jin Ho and Akio (from Japan, also speaks Chinese fluently) |
Before the BBQ party, I have had my own plans... And then just because we were all going to be leaving Korea, we have decided to do more cafe exploring. Met up at Apgujeong with Airi and walked to where Girls Generation always hang out at (but at night) - MUI MUI. Seems like a higher-end cafe with a doorman! Things weren't as expensive as I've imagined, but they were yummy... The shaved ice was good. The coffee's not that bad (though not the best).
 |
| Red bean shaved ice, and my cuppa @ Mui Mui |
 |
Sun was shining brightly so can't really capture a very good picture of the place.
The sofas were really comfy, though when you sit on it it sort of sinks right down, making you sink to the same height as the table... |
 |
| Blurry pic of me and Airi |
 |
| We took heaps of funny photos on the couch, some of them were really hideous! So I will post this slightly better one of us... erm... sleeping? |
Then it was on to Ceci Cela. Ordered their infamous carrot cake, as well as waffles. Both are equally yummy~ But then I did realize how fats are starting to accumulate within my body with every bite of waffle/cake I swallowed..... I'll need to lose some weight soon!
 |
| Waffles @ Ceci Cela |
 |
| Soft and really yummy carrot cake @ Ceci Cela |
 |
| Took a walk at Dosan Park after that. This park is to commemorate patriot Dosan Ahn Chang Ho who has dedicated his life to Korean independence and modernization |
And then the dreaded last day approaches, I had a big headache trying to pack all my things up into the 2 travel luggages I have. Too many things, not enough space. In the end, after wrecking my brain for the best method, I got everything in. That was A LOT of effort. However, my big luggage weighed 27kg, and I got to pay 2kg excess when I checked in. AHHHH!!!
 |
| After packing up.... my 2 luggages. The bigger one was literally bulging out. So heavy to even pull it along, not to say, to lift it! The bigger luggage was 27kg! |
 |
| After checking out, I left my luggages at the lounge room, and had lunch with Jinny and Sun Yeop (another guy who works there). Jinny made a simple meal of eggs and ham, plus shin ramen. Yummy....! |
 |
After lunch it was cafe exploring again
Cuz I don't have a lot of time, I went to somewhere near the guest house - Gyeongbuk-gung. The cafe I went into was called MK2. The banana muffin I have tried was good~ |
 |
| After that I just have had enough time to explore another cafe, so I got into 1st Floor Cafe near the Gyeongbuk-gung station. They have these chalked drawings everywhere... I love coloured chalks on black board. |
 |
Inside Gyeongbuk-gung station, there is an art gallery. They change the artworks all the time (I came here last time when I went to Korea as well, and twice already this time).
I like this one for no reason. It just depicts how Koreans are like when they travel in the subways - always hooked onto something technological |
And after my last cafe exploration has finished, I went back to the guest house to pick up my luggages. Jinny helped me with them, from the guest house to the airport bus stop. He also left on the day I left. Actually he was supposed to go back to his hometown (at Gangwon-do) at least 2 weeks ago, but then he waited around until it's time for me to leave. I know he likes me as a friend cuz I am "chatty, very polite, fun, and I respect and know Korean customs very well". Plus, I am his friend when it comes to alcohol. He seemed really sad when I left... I feel sad to be leaving everyone as well.... The boss at the guest house took a photo of us and posted it on his Guesthouse blog, WITH my note to him in it. I felt so embarrassed! I mean, look at my squirmy handwriting.... I thought he's just going to pin it up on the notice board in the guest house itself. >.<
 |
My note to the guest house.
It says: "I had a great time during my one-month stay with the guest house. Next time when I come to Korea, I will definitely come back to the guest house! Thank you (for looking after me) during this period of time~ Take care and see you soon!"
|
 |
| A photo taken and posted by the boss - from left: Victoria, me and Jinny |
And then I took this memorable photo too:
 |
From left: the boss of the guest house, me, Sun Yeop and Jinny.
Sun Yeop works there too. He's a really nice guy, though I don't see him much since he only works during the day from 8am to 1pm, and I'm usually either asleep during that time, or haven't come out of my room. But we did have a few lunches together with Jinny and some other friends. |
After saying my goodbyes I went to the airport and checked in by 5.30pm. Flight was at 7.05PM (Seoul time). Reached Sydney at around 6.55AM (Sydney time) and then it was a panicky transfer time cuz I only have a little more than an hour to collect my baggage, go through quarantine, check in again, and going to the domestic flight building. Luckily I made it in time and still had time for a hash brown at the airport. My Qantas flight took off 25 minutes late at 9.25AM, but we reached at around 10.40AM, more or less on schedule. And then the journey back home, unpacking, cleaning up my really dirty/dusty room, did laundry, grocery shopping, fixed myself a simple dinner, and slept. I was literally D.E.A.D. So jet-lagged.
 |
| A very nice view of sunrise from the plane... |
 |
| In-flight bibimbap.... with a can of Cass.... YUMMMMM |
I was just back to work on Saturday night, and I really astonished myself. I have expected to be back at work not knowing what to do and/or being unable to pick up pace. After all, I have been away for 2 months. Previous experience I had was me floating around the restaurant and had no sense of anything. Especially when it was right after I got back from a holiday, I will usually need 2 days to get myself back. However, despite that my soul is still trapped in Korea, and that I am still so tired (I had a massive headache in the afternoon and had to take 2 Panadol tablets), I passed my first day back at work in a breeze. Benise had asked me if I will be OK to do the bar position. Honestly I wasn't even sure myself, but I said I will be OK. Digging my own grave. Fortunately it wasn't that busy, but then take-away orders were. Plus, I got to manage the bookings too. Bar position is always so stressful.... I was glad I didn't stuff up anything. I didn't stuff up my orders. I didn't stuff up my bookings. My drinks went out on time. My till at the end of the night balanced. My boss was pleased, judging from the comment he made: "welcome back, Clarice! You still remembered everything!"
But I was actually shaking badly when I started off. I was so worried I will stuff things up cuz everything felt unreal. I am back at work. I am no longer partying and drinking soju all night in Korea. I am still thinking about Korea, how fun it was, how lively it was. I am still thinking about my friends there, how we hang out and the fun we had together. I am thinking about February in Yonsei university. There are a lot of things in my mind, and deep in my heart. I really wanna go back again! With all these thoughts swimming around in my head, it made me panic when things got busy at work cuz I lose concentration. I am so afraid I will stuff up. So I forced myself to stop and forced myself to concentrate on work. And all those forcing and concentrating makes my head hurts so much, I really have to go to bed soon.
Will post again soon.... Right now, bathe and sleep. My head is screaming HELP.
Comments