After trying to catch the sunrise at Haeundae Beach (which was a failure because it was too cloudy/misty that morning), I had breakfast at the hostel and then left Busan to take off for Seoul.
From Haeundae Station, I took the subway to Busan Station. Now that I think about it, it probably would have been better if I took a bus instead because I was carrying a huge backpack! Then again, I was trying to catch a train schedule to Seoul and I had no idea how long the bus ride would be. On the other hand, the subway was more reliable time-wise.
Eventually, I learned that Busan Station (where the KTX trains are) is different from the Busan subway station and I had to exit from the subway station first. The signs were very clear so I didn't lose my way. I bought my KTX ticket at Busan Station and then off to Seoul! The 2.5-hour train ride was quite expensive at KRW54,400 but I really like trains and I wanted to experience Korea's high-speed rail so I still opted for it.
I arrived at a very crowded Seoul Station and took the subway to my hostel. After resting a bit, I went to N Seoul Tower.
I took the subway to Myeongdong. From there, I walked very steep streets towards the cable car station. I found myself cursing because the streets are seriously impossibly steep that I was scared of losing balance and rolling down. Anyway, I got a bit lost going to the cable car station and was already in Namsan Park until a lady (who, thankfully, spoke a little English) asked me to take her photo so I took the chance and asked her where the cable car station was. Thankfully, I didn't get too far lol.
I found the station easily after that and then bought my round-trip ticket for KRW8,500. Fortunately, the line wasn't very long.
I arrived at the base of tower, explored the grounds and then bought my admission ticket. Originally it's KRW9,000 but I had a coupon from my T-Money card so I got it instead for KRW8,100.
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| Ah, my first autumn experience! |
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| Beacons from the Joseon dynasty |
There was a shop that sold souvenirs (including postcards) and stamps plus a postbox at the top of N Seoul Tower so I bought some postcards and mailed them to some friends. Unlike, say, Tokyo Tower, I didn't appreciate N Seoul Tower very much. In Tokyo, I was quite familiar with the surroundings so I can easily identify the places from above. Meanwhile, it was my first day in Seoul so I had minimal appreciation of the view. There wasn't much to do in N Seoul Tower but I decided to stay until dusk just to see how it's like at night.
Finally, when it was dark, I headed back to the cable car. When I arrived at the cable car station in Myeongdong, it was dark and I couldn't identify where I was. I had no idea how to get back to Myeongdong subway station! In the end, I did the most logical thing to do-- I followed the crowd. Eventually, I found my way back to Myeongdong Station. I guess that way was better because I don't think I could have handled going down the same slope I passed by that afternoon lol.
I was able to stroll around Myeongdong, a famous shopping area. The street food looked delicious so I sampled some and got too full to eat proper dinner.
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| See that KitchenAid Artisan electric mixer?? Quite fancy for street food, right? Lol. |
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| An egg pastry for KRW2,000 |
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| Sausages for KRW3,000 a stick |
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| I had a peach shake for KRW5,000. Quite expensive, no? |
I also got myself a nice knitted pullover (KRW15,000) from a boutique and a cute little backpack (KRW15,000) from a street vendor and some nail polish. However, when the Friday night crowd started to get to me, I finally decided to go back to my hostel.
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