audrey fong fong

Late on day 3, my friend, Tina, flew in from Yamaguchi to hang out with Taylor and me. Tina and I woke up early day 4 to go on a DMZ tour, which to be honest was kinda weird. The two of us were expecting it to be more about the Korean War and the continued tension along the 38th parallel, which it was, but it was also very focused on the nature aspect of the DMZ and all the animals thriving there. Out tour guide told us to pose like deer, which is what we're doing in the photo. Unexpected, right? After the tour, we met up with Taylor to explore Ikseon-dong and Myeong-dong - two of Seoul's most popular hang out spots for students.

Tops: BDG, Endless Rose
Bottoms: Vans
Shoes: Converse

Reading: "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu
Listening: "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance" by Black Kids

On day 3, Taylor and I met up with my friend from university, Alex, and the three of us headed over to the Seoul Museum, another one of Taylor's favorite areas to walk around. Afterwards, we walked around Buam-dong, which is a cute neighborhood that feels a bit older and quieter than the rest of Seoul, which made it one of my favorite neighborhoods in Seoul. One famous thing in this neighborhood that we visited was 산모퉁이 카페 (Sanmotunggi Cafe), the set of the drama, Coffee Prince. It was a hell of a hike up the mountain, but we did it and the view was worthwhile. Once we climbed back down the mountain, Alex left us and Taylor and I continued to Lotte World Mall to visit the Hayao Miyazaki store and see the cherry blossoms around Seokchon Lake.

Top: Rag & Bone, Uniqlo
Bottoms: Articles of Society
Shoes: Dr. Marten's

Reading: Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
Listening: "She's American" by The 1975

The second day took Taylor and me to Myeong-dong for Taylor's favorite fluffy pancakes at innisfree GREEN CAFE. These pancakes were so fluffy and delicious for about 10,000 won. We walked around Myeong-dong and poked around cosmetic stores before heading to a few palaces to get some exercise in. We had to cut our time short to make our reservation at Jungsik, a fine dining restaurant ranked in the top 20 restaurants in Seoul according to TripAdvisor. Taylor and I enjoyed our dishes, especially the uni with nori rice and the seared scallops, but it was a lot of food for us. From the combined food coma and heat (It was the hottest day I spent in Seoul!), we were feeling pretty sluggish so Taylor took me to The Spa in Garden 5 for my first Korean spa experience.

Jacket: Topshop
Top: LOFT, Central Park

Reading: The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Listening: "Dear Winter" by AJR

Over spring break, I flew over to Seoul last minute to go visit my friend, Taylor, and some friends, who are over there teaching English. I stayed at Hotel Peyto Gangnam and lemme just say, it's a cute, VERY clean hotel for travelers on a budget and located within walking distance of both Gangnam and Apgujeong station. On my first day there, before I met up with Taylor, I walked around the area by my hotel and then the two of us headed over to The Sky Farm for lunch. The Sky Farm is located on the 50th floor of a skyscraper by the Han River and serves up yummy plates of European dishes. It's a bit expensive, but a cute place to hang out with friends and offers a panoramic view.

Some of the highlights of my whole trip were playing with the raccoons at The Blind Alley and walking around Ihwa Mural Village. The Blind Alley was one of Taylor's and my favorite places that we visited because we've always heard that raccoons are quite feisty, but these ones were so friendly and climbed all over your back. They also had pigs and a corgi there. Ihwa is Taylor's favorite place to walk around in Seoul because it has tons of cute murals and cafes. After hiking around, I can see why! Many cafes advertised different K-dramas that filmed at their places as well. Just an FYI - there's lots of uphill, so wear comfy shoes.

Jacket: Lizzette Olive
Sweater: Zara

Reading: The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang
Listening: "Girls Like You" by The Naked and Famous