Korea June 2016 Part 1 | Back In Hongdae

Last June, I went back to Seoul and it was my first time just going abroad with my best friends; definitely kept my promise to myself the last time that I would enjoy this city with friends the next time around. This time we stayed at Hongdae which was the place that struck me the most the last time I was here.

We arrived at around 7AM and everything was pretty much still closed. The weather was slightly cool; nothing that warrants a jacket. I highly recommend just bringing shorts and t-shirts during June. Looking back at it now, I really wish I'd have brought a few pairs of shorts with me instead of jeans. Huhu.

We took this idle time to walk around the area we'd be staying in for almost a week. Hongdae is a main university; short for Hongik Daehak or Hongik University - and it has its own huge shopping district where you can have your pick of shopping and dining and is an incredible adventure in itself. It's more suited for the young-at-heart. My parents weren't big fans of the atmosphere of this place.

With nothing much to do, we decided to explore the University itself. Hongik University is better known as an art university which gave the area its very own artistic identity. At different parts of the day, you can catch people performing on the streets and there are markets where students sell their art. (More on this later in the travel series!)

The campus is incredibly large - to say the least. And the architecture is already quite advanced for a relatively old university.

Quiet artistic sophistication everywhere.

Kinda creepy art greets you as you enter the campus.

Their giant field reminds me of my 2 months in Xiamen, China. I often wonder what it must be like to study in a country that experiences four seasons. It must be so nice!!

They even have their own in-house museum! Unfortunately, there wasn't anything on display at the moment since it was their break as well. Also, you can see my three companions in this photo! You'll be seeing a lot of them subtly photobombing my travel photos in this series. Haha!

You can find art like this literally everywhere in the campus. I didn't take photos of everything, but let's just say the variety of the art ranges from the avant garde to more relatable quirky ones like this Hongwart sculpture.

The only open exhibit was surprisingly in my wheelhouse - architecture!

I'm guessing the works inside were the theses of the graduate students. It was interesting to see how different their approach is with the ones I see in my own university. Unfortunately, most of the information was in Hanggul so I couldn't understand. However, the structures were pretty stunning and their expensive laser-cut models made everything all the more impressive.

To be completely honest, I was a little bit relieved to realize that in terms of architectural design, Filipino students like me aren't that far behind!

Just one of the many models. The level of detail is exhausting, and if anybody knows me, they'd know how horrible I am with making models because I have absolutely no patience when it comes to these things.

Why, yes. Yes, I will, Hongdae!

Lots of random hipster areas like this in the university. I imagine how packed this area must be during autumn and students just hang out.

Quick hipster photo before leaving the university for lunch!

Unfortunately, we got a little lost. The restaurant we had planned to eat at was nowhere to be found. However, we did pass by the famous Sangsangmadang which is this 10-storey modern art museum where you could buy quirky little items such as phone cases that are one-of-a-kind designs by local artists. We didn't go in because we were still looking for the restaurant.

Also, at that time, Sung Koong Ki was all the rage, and believe me when I say: he was literally everywhere.

Unfortunately, we never did find the restaurant so we settled to dine at a random joint which was still pretty good.

Afterwards, we decided to chill at Mangosix until it was time to check into our apartment. Despite it being a cafe, they were actually famous for their 1-Liter non-alcoholic cocktails. I assume this was for couples to share, but we had our own. Haha!

Even from inside the cafe you can hear the street performers and the crowd's cheer. Hongdae is just alive at all hours of the day.

One liter of mojito! Nothing special, to be honest. But you can't get a liter of mojito for yourself in Manila, that's for sure. Haha!

After settling into the apartment, we decided to explore the area more and saw this food cart just right behind our building. Street food is, of course, a must-try in Seoul. However, it's a bit harder to enjoy during the summer. The spicy food kind of makes everything even hotter.

We had Gimbap which was just fine. It had some beef, cucumber, and pickled radish. Not to be mistaken for sushi rolls, Gimbap is a different dish in itself, so don't expect a Japanese flavor!

We also had tteokpokki which are glutinous rice cakes in a spicy-sweet sauce. If you're scared of spicy foods, you may want to steer clear of this. However, they are lifesavers during the winter! Also, instead of usual beverages, they offer you fish soup. Haha! The ladies who own the food cart were so nice and accommodating. As you can see in the wacky pose in the photos before this one. :)

Ending my first post with this group photo at Hongik University! On the left is Mariah, my closest friend from high school, and on the right is Keena, my closest friend from college. (Also had a night out in Tokyo with her. You can read about it here!) The one who took this photo is Mark, Mariah's older brother. You'll be seeing them a lot in this travel series!

'Til next time!