Spring has sprung.

Admittedly, since I grew up in a tropical country, I am more a beach lover person. I love basking in the sun. I love listening to the ocean waves kissing the shore. I'm a killer for adorable sunrises and sunsets. More particularly, I love being on my swimsuit all-day long without having to worry about putting make up on.

I was actually once asked by a colleague in Singapore on why do I keep looking for a beach since the Philippines have already lots of it. He said I should be going somewhere that PH doesn't have. I answered him, if you have been in PH then you'd know why. Our beaches are amazing and maybe a lifetime is not enough to explore all of it.

However, when I experienced Seoul, Korea's Spring weather, I instantly adored it. When I was in Hongkong, winter was starting and the weather stayed cold all day. But when we were in Korea during Spring time, it was cold in the mornings and evenings then it gets warm during the day. The lowest temperature was as low as 4-degree celcius and only as high as 19 degree celcius. Very nice, right? I could have brought this kind of weather back to Manila and Singapore if only I could. (Pardon my ignorance as it was my first time to experience spring.) 

And of course, what made spring more special are the Cherry Blossoms. Read my post here about our Cherry Blossom Festival experience.

"Hi. Do you speak English?"

That is always our first spill whenever we're out of the streets asking random people for help. And although most of them cannot speak English very well, they tried to help us as much as they can. There were times that it was like we were playing Charades just so they can understand us. Lol

On our third day, we wanted to eat a legit Korean BBQ and the bell boy at the hotel was really very kind to recommend us one. He even wrote down the restaurant's English and Korean name on a piece of paper for us. Then, when we were looking for it and was already lost, some of the Ahjumma and Ahjussi pointed us in the right directions even though they don't understand English very well. One of the Ahjummas even walked with us going to the restaurant. 

The language barrier was indeed overwhelming and the struggle was definitely real. But at the end of the day, despite all these cultural differences, it was still a wonderful and fulfilling experience. 

Patriotism

They say Koreans are one of the most nationalistic races in the world. On our 5-day stay in South Korea, I have proven that to be true. They have their own brand and way of living. They do not tend to give in to the trend.

Shopping Heaven

Pretty much like Singapore, South Korea is indeed a shopping heaven. Shops and malls are everywhere in the city. Some malls are even open up until 2:00 in the morning. That would have been better if in SG. Lol

Their prices are quite reasonable as they sell quality goods. And yes, it's true, beauty products are EVERYWHERE. Almost every corner of the street has a beauty shop.

~

Five days is not enough to have a grasp of South Korea, there are so much to explore (and of course, shop). I'm already looking forward to going back there and maybe during a different season.

Single-digit weather gaming in Nami Island