Solo trip to Seoul for the third time
hana1112
6 days ago
I went on my third solo trip to Seoul this December!!
First, when I arrived at Incheon Airport, the immigration control was the most crowded I’ve ever seen and it took more than an hour… After finally retrieving my luggage and exiting, I headed to the AREX express from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station that I had booked through Creatrip, but the train I wanted was already full, so I took the next one.
It was already evening, so I killed time by having an early dinner at the Incheon Airport food court.
There were many delicious-looking Korean dishes and you can order from a touch panel, but I wanted to pay in cash so I went to the staffed counter and ordered the bulgogi stone-cooked bibimbap.
For about ¥1,400 it was a surprisingly large portion, and even in the food court it was really delicious and I was very satisfied.
Then take the express train to Seoul Station.
After arriving at Seoul Station, I left my suitcase next to the entrance of Lotte Mart. (If you shop there, they will store it for free for about two hours.)
Enter empty-handed, then immediately put snacks and your favorite stick coffee into the cart.
Korean ramen, nori, honey butter almonds, and anything that would make a good souvenir are all available, so it’s very convenient.
While walking through the store, I found a can of tuna of my favorite BTS member JIN! I really wanted to buy it, but my return baggage allowance was only 15 kg, so I sadly had to give it up.
After buying souvenirs in bulk at Lotte Mart, I headed to the hotel where I’ll be staying for three nights this trip.
From Seoul Station take subway Line 4 one stop to Hoehyeon Station. Walk about 2 minutes from the station to the Daeyoung Hotel.
The room is small, and the toilet and bath are combined, so if you’re not careful with the shower the toilet area will get wet. lol
The location was very good, and the reception staff were pleasant no matter who we dealt with. It was more than adequate if you're just coming back to sleep.
And so the first day came to an end.
Day 2.
Stopped by the Namdaemun Market in the morning while taking a walk.
When I came in May it wasn't here, but an arcade has somehow been built! Now you can enjoy shopping without worrying even if it rains!
There were also lots of trendy dolls!
And after that, I headed to Gwangjang Market.
This time I went into the Starbucks Cafe that opened in Gwangjang Market, which I had wanted to visit. It’s been renovated and has a very stylish atmosphere! There are seats where you can overlook the market, so it becomes a lovely space where you can slowly enjoy your coffee while feeling the market’s energy.
Gwangjang Market is mainly known for food and bedding shops, but it has been changing a lot recently. In addition to the long-standing North Face outlet, there are popular apparel brands among young people like matinkim and Kodak, as well as inexpensive cosmetic shops. Various genres have blended together, and I’m looking forward to visiting again!
After leaving Gwangjang Market, I headed toward the Dongdaemun area next.
Heading to my favorite modern outlet to hunt for North Face sale items.
While many foreigners were shopping, what caught my eye was the wagon sale!
They were being sold for about ¥7,000 each, so I bought two for myself and also purchased some as souvenirs for my parents!
After checkout, you can complete the tax-free process at the kiosk in the back of the store, so I was able to shop at a great value!
I got completely absorbed in shopping and started to feel a bit hungry, so I went down to the food court in the basement.
I had bread filled with lots of my favorite corn and a soboro bun as a substitute for lunch.
After that, we kept shopping at nearby stores and headed to Myeongdong.
I'm heading to the Shinsegae Department Store duty-free shop where some official BTS merchandise is being sold.
Just looking at it is soothing!
It was cheaper than buying from the official store, as you'd expect from a duty-free shop. Even though it would be bulky to carry, I was very satisfied with purchasing a JIN fan. lol
After that I kept wandering around the streets of Myeongdong and found a MARITHE + FRANCOIS GIRBAUD official shop that seemed to be half-price. There is a flagship store on the main central street, but another shop with a bit of a garage sale vibe has opened on a side street, and the caps were cheap so I bought one!
MIMILINE, which was previously in Dongdaemun, has opened at the former UNIQLO location. It was more spacious than the Dongdaemun store, had a wider variety, and was very easy to browse. I bought accessories as souvenirs for myself and my friends, as well as iron-on patches.
After that, I bought various small items and cosmetics at the usual Daiso in Myeongdong.
I was completely worn out from walking, so I decided to head back to the hotel.
I ate ramen for dinner at a 24-hour diner right next to the hotel.
Once my body was completely warmed up, even though it was winter I wanted a chocolate mint Frappuccino, so I bought one at the nearby MAMMOTH COFFEE and brought it back to the hotel to drink.
The second day was over in the blink of an eye.
On the third day I headed to the headquarters of the cosmetics brand KAHI, whose balm-form sunscreen I’ve been enjoying, for a lunch invitation I had been looking forward to.
The refined space is very lovely.
What a luxurious caviar course!
Anyway, everything was delicious, and my previous notion that caviar was just salty was completely overturned.
There was a cooking studio right in front of me, and I enjoyed freshly made food.
These cosmetics include a luxury caviar line, and it seems they offer dishes using caviar. Advance reservations are required.
With our stomachs fully satisfied, we headed to the main purpose of this trip, Plan S Clinic, a diet specialty clinic at Gangnam Station. This was my third visit.
Recently, they moved to a location even closer to the station, and the interior has been upgraded to a more spacious and luxurious setting.
They explained the comparison with the previous InBody results, prescribed the same 12-week diet medication, and this time I decided to receive an abdominal completion plan injection.
Last time I had treatment on my lower and upper abdomen and it was painful but not unbearable, so I planned to do it this time, but the pain on my back was unbelievably intense and surprised me! lol
I was seriously writhing in agony…
My stomach was so bloated like this the night I got the injection..
By the way, the photo below was taken two weeks later and it looks much cleaner. It was painful, but it was effective, so in hindsight I'm glad I did it.
Compared to last time, I've lost some muscle and my metabolism has gotten a little worse, and it was also found that I'm slightly lacking in protein and fluids, so I plan to continue the diet going forward while being careful and working hard.
The hospital was crowded, and by the time it was over it was already evening… I did a little shopping at the express bus terminal and then headed to Myeongdong.
Because I had eaten a lavish meal at lunch, I decided to eat lightly in Myeongdong at night and headed to Myeongdong Chungmu Kimbap.
I visited for the first time; the menu had only this kimbap, ordered via a touch menu. Payment is by card — perfect for dining alone.
The staff spoke to us in Japanese and were very pleasant.
The squid kimchi was really delicious, refills were free the first time, and they brought more during the meal. It was quite a large portion and I became very full. I want to come back to eat again.
After this, we did some additional shopping in Myeongdong for the things we missed buying the day before. lol
At my favorite hetras shop, even though there are a lot of heavy items, I bought fabric mist and hand soap.
The shop was bustling with lots of people inside, which conveyed how popular it was.
And just like that, the third day came to an end in no time.
On the fourth day, the day of returning home, I head to the AREX platform at Seoul Station just after 7 AM to check in and go through immigration.
It was very uncrowded, so check-in was finished quickly.
After this, we returned to Namdaemun Market for a bit and headed to eat hotteok, which I always want to have whenever I visit.
I like the honey hotteok here the best! It's reliably delicious — when I come to Seoul I absolutely have to eat it!
And so my solo winter trip to Seoul came to an end.
This time as well, I had reserved the AREX and insurance in advance through creatrip, so I was able to prepare with peace of mind and convenience.
The diet clinic Plan S Clinic can also be booked here through creatrip, so if you're interested, why not give it a try?
