Gyeongbokgung Palace, Lotte World, and Transitioning to Fall
The temperature in the first few weeks of October ranged from the low 70s to mid-60s Fahrenheit. My friends and I felt it was the ideal time to cross some items off our lists because the weather was becoming colder. Gyeongbokgung Palace
On October 1st, I rented a hanbok to dress up at Gyeongbokgung Palace for a fun experience and free admission. The day was perfect because it wasn’t too hot and there were not as many people compared to the Chuseok Holiday. There were many stores to pick from, but my friends and I went to a hanbok store recommended by our friend for 15,000 won (~$11 USD) for four hours. The service includes props (such as a handbag, fan, or sword), and hairstyle. My hanbok touched the ground, so I had to be cautious while walking, but it was still beneficial since my shoes weren’t visible in photos. After taking photos at the palace, we walked to Bukchon Hanok Village for more pictures!
Lotte World
One week after the palace, I went to Lotte World with Sarah, Jessica, Carson, and Ben. For no particular reason, it’s tradition to wear a school uniform, so we decided it’d be nice to get the full experience by renting a uniform! Lotte World opens at 10 am, so I recommend going to the uniform and renting a place by 8-9 am to avoid long lines. While this time was around mid-October, the palace already had Halloween decorations up. I believe we went on five rides because we purchased the fast pass on Trazy (skip the line for 3 rides)! The lines we waited in took about an hour, but popular rides like Atlantis and French Revolution were extensive (3+ hours), so the fast pass was worthwhile.
Buying Winter Clothes
Upon my arrival in South Korea, I was conflicted about the number of sweaters to bring for the winter season. This was because I already own a couple of long sleeves that I barely wore because of Hawaii’s tropical weather. However, I knew that I would buy a few more winter clothes, so I had to be wise with my luggage space. I brought about 7-8 sweaters (2 were a bit thicker), this was a lot to some of my friends, but I decided that I wouldn’t be buying sweaters in bulk in Korea.
A couple of stores I visited to prepare for the winter season include
TopTen (BOGO deal and split the costs of a puffer jacket)
Uniqlo/SPAO (heat-tech tights and long sleeves to layer under my clothes)
Goto Mall
2 Hour Trip out of Seoul
On a rainy day, my friend Sarah and I decided to take the bus to Suwon to visit the location where one of the most recent shows we watched, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," was filmed. The set was the main character’s dad’s gimbap restaurant, but it’s a Japanese restaurant in real life. Fortunately, by the time we got there, the rain had stopped. I had assumed that because it was a holiday, the restaurant would be closed To our surprise, the eatery was open that day, so we walked in for lunch. I bought omurice and the food tasted like a home-cooked meal.
A goal of mine every week is to go to an unfamiliar area. Taking a 2-hour bus ride to Suwon was on my bucket list, and now it’s time to check off more places in the upcoming days.
Here are a couple of things I learned from the past few days:
Do research for the best deals!
Trazy offers lower costs for Lotte World tickets. In addition, talking to people about their rental hanbok experiences will help you understand what to expect to pay on average.
Buy heat tech in Korea!
It's okay to not own winter clothes from Hawai'i because South Korea has great deals on clothing to layer for the cold weather. In SPAO's BOGO heat tech promotion, two long sleeves cost $8 in total.
To escape the crowd and humidity, visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace in the fall was a good decision
