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Seoul - Business Trip and Leisure
Aaaaand! Here I am, back from my business trip to Seoul. This time the flights were more pleasant. For economy class, it was nice.
Obviously I can't show anything work-related, but yeah, here's a rough run-down of the trip.
It was a 9am flight so I had to leave home around 6ish (company car, thanks). Once landed in Seoul, I had booked a full-day car for the team, so we had a quick trip to our first stop and meeting. After meeting, it was time for dinner!
Korean BBQ!
Since our hotel was in Myeongdong area, we went for a gander around the Myeongdong Night Market. I sort of had some memory of it, but then also I don't really remember it from my last trip.
Cute sketch-portrait shops and pet stores!
Actually what happened was, we had dinner as a team and walked around Myeongdong together. Then we all went back to the hotel. I had a short rest (10 minutes?) and then I went right back out because we were all too polite to actually do anything in the night market, LOL
And so, I did a more thorough walk-around.
Seared Marshmallow ice cream? Check.
There were a few of this HBAF or peanut/almond snack shop.
There's this weird Line Friends Square thing, but you had to register for the "queue" and then wait for your turn.
Anyway, short walk over then I went back to hotel to sleep.
Next morning, I started with a nice run!
This day's assignment was to look at a few office units for rental.
All in all, we visited 6 units. We have units that we like, and units that we don't like. Didn't have a proper lunch but we did stop for coffee two times, and we had a short break around lunch hour and took a quick look at the DDP. NOT recommended on a hot summer's day.
There were some interesting AI stuff in the DDP as well. A photo-booth thing where you stand in front and then it'll give you suggestions on what clothes to buy.
The second coffee/snack stop we made was in Gangnam area, Nudake. Very cute croissants (croissants?) shaped like an onigiri or some other such thing. Even the sofa had croissent legs!
The croissants were actually pretty good.
We wanted to go to the Starfield Library, but it was getting late and the team wanted their own "me" time, so we decided to head off to the Hyundai Seoul, the newest shopping mall, and disperse there. I did a quick walk around to see what it's like.
Then I made my way by the subway to... the Starfield Library. The photos on the web made it look huge, but when I was there it was just pretty... small.
After this, I braved the bus network. Which, I would like to recommend an app, called Moovit. It tells you the transportation directions (like bus, train, subway, etc). Since it was just too much sun during lunch, I made my way back to the DDP. The streets surrounding the DDP turned into a night market when I went there, full of stalls. So I did the requisite gander around too.
Eventually made my way to this secret bar, Jean Frigo. It must be some French brand as the menu was showing the price in Euros as well. The facade just looks like a fake vegetable or fruit shop, but if you brave it and open one of the freezer doors, you get into the bar.
It's mainly fruit juice based cocktail. But I wanted the cinammon apple punch and it was exactly that that was sold out.
I had planned to eat at the bar but their dishes looked a bit heavy (everything was attractively cheese, cheese, and cheese) so I decided to skip it. Went back again to Myeongdong and had a croissant Taiyaki for dinner.
Next day, after my morning run, and going into my Boss' room to wake him up and send him off, I went out for more walk around. I wanted to go to the cathedral, but I missed a road and instead walked around the block.
Might as well look what's around.
This "Maldong" place is soooooo weird. I will come back later as this was open (8:00am) but it was empty and products not ready yet.
Went back to the hotel to send off my remaining 2 colleagues (I decided to stay an extra day), and after that, went for lunch. FINALLY! My favorite pork knuckle restaurant in Seoul! Myth Jokbal! But, I was one lonely person so I was only allowed to order from the set meal menu... so there were a bunch of other kimchi appetiser items that I don't eat.
I decided to go to the National Palace Museum of Seoul, they had some interesting exhibits. Pity I was like 3 days too early as they had an interesting Notre Dame exhibit going on show 2-July.
Really interesting stuff.
Then to the Gyeongbokgung. I wasn't sure at first but mid-way I realized I was here before already.
These kids were either part of a youth tour group or something, anyway, they were doing free guided tours. It was interesting to see their command of the English Language, they had pretty good pronunciation (American) when they were reciting the spiel, but when they had to speak freely, they couldn't. At the end of the tour they wanted me to say something about the tour so I just said it was nice to have brief guide and intro to different parts of the palace.
Random palace pictures.
On the way back I finally managed to find the Cathedral entrance and went in there. I wanted to go light a candle for my Uncle as I missed his wake and funeral, but I guess candle lighting isn't a thing in Korea? They didn't even have a candle rack.
I went back to that weird pink Maldong place for a donut.
The peanut store, I got a bunch of nuts to bring home. Oh yeah I also stopped at a Olive Young for a bunch of facial face masks.
I did walk over a few more places such as the Lotte Department Store but I didn't really have much to buy in those luxury chains where we had a store back home as well, so, not much shopping on that front.
It then started to rain, and rained through the following day, so I just spent the morning having a nice breakfast and then hiding indoors until it was time to take the bus to the airport again.
Obviously I can't show anything work-related, but yeah, here's a rough run-down of the trip.
It was a 9am flight so I had to leave home around 6ish (company car, thanks). Once landed in Seoul, I had booked a full-day car for the team, so we had a quick trip to our first stop and meeting. After meeting, it was time for dinner!
Korean BBQ!
Since our hotel was in Myeongdong area, we went for a gander around the Myeongdong Night Market. I sort of had some memory of it, but then also I don't really remember it from my last trip.
Cute sketch-portrait shops and pet stores!
Actually what happened was, we had dinner as a team and walked around Myeongdong together. Then we all went back to the hotel. I had a short rest (10 minutes?) and then I went right back out because we were all too polite to actually do anything in the night market, LOL
And so, I did a more thorough walk-around.
Seared Marshmallow ice cream? Check.
There were a few of this HBAF or peanut/almond snack shop.
There's this weird Line Friends Square thing, but you had to register for the "queue" and then wait for your turn.
Anyway, short walk over then I went back to hotel to sleep.
Next morning, I started with a nice run!
This day's assignment was to look at a few office units for rental.
All in all, we visited 6 units. We have units that we like, and units that we don't like. Didn't have a proper lunch but we did stop for coffee two times, and we had a short break around lunch hour and took a quick look at the DDP. NOT recommended on a hot summer's day.
There were some interesting AI stuff in the DDP as well. A photo-booth thing where you stand in front and then it'll give you suggestions on what clothes to buy.
The second coffee/snack stop we made was in Gangnam area, Nudake. Very cute croissants (croissants?) shaped like an onigiri or some other such thing. Even the sofa had croissent legs!
The croissants were actually pretty good.
We wanted to go to the Starfield Library, but it was getting late and the team wanted their own "me" time, so we decided to head off to the Hyundai Seoul, the newest shopping mall, and disperse there. I did a quick walk around to see what it's like.
Then I made my way by the subway to... the Starfield Library. The photos on the web made it look huge, but when I was there it was just pretty... small.
After this, I braved the bus network. Which, I would like to recommend an app, called Moovit. It tells you the transportation directions (like bus, train, subway, etc). Since it was just too much sun during lunch, I made my way back to the DDP. The streets surrounding the DDP turned into a night market when I went there, full of stalls. So I did the requisite gander around too.
Eventually made my way to this secret bar, Jean Frigo. It must be some French brand as the menu was showing the price in Euros as well. The facade just looks like a fake vegetable or fruit shop, but if you brave it and open one of the freezer doors, you get into the bar.
It's mainly fruit juice based cocktail. But I wanted the cinammon apple punch and it was exactly that that was sold out.
I had planned to eat at the bar but their dishes looked a bit heavy (everything was attractively cheese, cheese, and cheese) so I decided to skip it. Went back again to Myeongdong and had a croissant Taiyaki for dinner.
Next day, after my morning run, and going into my Boss' room to wake him up and send him off, I went out for more walk around. I wanted to go to the cathedral, but I missed a road and instead walked around the block.
Might as well look what's around.
This "Maldong" place is soooooo weird. I will come back later as this was open (8:00am) but it was empty and products not ready yet.
Went back to the hotel to send off my remaining 2 colleagues (I decided to stay an extra day), and after that, went for lunch. FINALLY! My favorite pork knuckle restaurant in Seoul! Myth Jokbal! But, I was one lonely person so I was only allowed to order from the set meal menu... so there were a bunch of other kimchi appetiser items that I don't eat.
I decided to go to the National Palace Museum of Seoul, they had some interesting exhibits. Pity I was like 3 days too early as they had an interesting Notre Dame exhibit going on show 2-July.
Really interesting stuff.
Then to the Gyeongbokgung. I wasn't sure at first but mid-way I realized I was here before already.
These kids were either part of a youth tour group or something, anyway, they were doing free guided tours. It was interesting to see their command of the English Language, they had pretty good pronunciation (American) when they were reciting the spiel, but when they had to speak freely, they couldn't. At the end of the tour they wanted me to say something about the tour so I just said it was nice to have brief guide and intro to different parts of the palace.
Random palace pictures.
On the way back I finally managed to find the Cathedral entrance and went in there. I wanted to go light a candle for my Uncle as I missed his wake and funeral, but I guess candle lighting isn't a thing in Korea? They didn't even have a candle rack.
I went back to that weird pink Maldong place for a donut.
The peanut store, I got a bunch of nuts to bring home. Oh yeah I also stopped at a Olive Young for a bunch of facial face masks.
I did walk over a few more places such as the Lotte Department Store but I didn't really have much to buy in those luxury chains where we had a store back home as well, so, not much shopping on that front.
It then started to rain, and rained through the following day, so I just spent the morning having a nice breakfast and then hiding indoors until it was time to take the bus to the airport again.