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Sunday, 26 November 2023

Seoul II Day 9-10: Namdaemun Market, Sungnyemun & Back Home

DAY 9

The Hubby, Eldest Girl and I decided to have buffet breakfast at our hotel's SOL Sky Lounge and Bar while the mum watched the younger kids in the room (buffet was not worth it for them). The breakfast costs 18k won per person, which was really affordable. 


We enjoyed our food and the beautiful view of Myeongdong from the window table!



After a good breakfast, we went back to our rooms to prepare before heading out to Namdaemun Market. We didn't have a lot of time to explore the last time we visited 10 years ago. 

We were pleased to find that the shops and make-shift stalls sold things that were generally cheaper than Myeongdong!


We were really lucky that it was quite a nice weather for shopping! 

As usual, the Hubby's food antenna was scanning the area for good food and he spotted a food cart with a very long queue. Apparently the food cart was very famous for vegetable hotteok (fried pancake).


I wasn't exactly a fan of the pancakes but my kids loved it! We ate them as we walked to Sungnyemun Gate, also known as Namdaemun Gate. One of eight gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, Sungnyemun is South Korea's National Treasure! 🪙


We enjoyed exploring the grounds as there were no crowds! 




When we were done taking pictures (and the kids were done running around!), we walked for about 5 minutes to Seoul Station. We took the train to Eulgiro 1-ga Station to shop at Lotte Departmental Store.


We thought we could do some shopping here but it turns out that there wasn't anything suitable for us to buy. I really needed a pair of UGG boots but simply couldn't find one I liked! The kids were tired of walking by now so we had a quick bite at Lotteria.


As our hotel was located nearby (within 10 minutes walking distance), we decided to walk back to our hotel instead of taking the train.

It was a very comfortable weather for a walk! When we arrived at our hotel, we rewarded the kids with ice-cream from the shop just opposite of our hotel.

It was also time for our last dinner at Seoul and we decided to splurge on BBQ beef again as we enjoyed it so much the first time!


Dinner was amazing! Can't believe that our Seoul trip was ending! Time flies when you're having fun! 🥲


After a last shopping hurrah at Myeongdong Shopping Street, we packed and went to bed in preparation for our morning flight the next day.


DAY 10

We checked out early the next morning to get to the airport to catch our flight. We'll totally miss the beautiful view from the hotel's lobby!

We asked the hotel to book a jumbo taxi to the airport as it was more convenient and cost-effective for our large family of 6. The taxi cost 120k won, which might seem expensive but was just 20k won more than the cost of travelling by bus. It's definitely more worth it for us!

If you stay at Seoul Station, you can also consider taking the Express Airport Train to the airport.

The jumbo taxi was comfortable and the driver was very friendly! The journey was around 45 minutes and we arrived at Incheon International Airport at 9.15am.

It was pouring with rain when we arrived! It was the first time that we experienced wet weather since we arrived! I said a prayer to thank God for the amazing weather we had experienced for the 9 days of our trip! We were incredibly blessed!

After we had cleared customs, I proceeded to Tax Refund to claim our refunds. Don't forget to validate your receipts at the self-help machines before clearing customs!

We grabbed a quick bite from Paris Baguette before heading to the gate. On the way, we passed a very cool Pororo playground but didn't have enough time to let my youngest play! So sad!

We boarded our Singapore Airlines flight at 12.35pm.


I really love the kids meal on SQ flights! So yummy!


In comparison, the adult meals were dull but thankfully just as yummy 🤭


We were also given Korean red bean ice-cream sandwich for dessert! 😋

For the rest of the flight, the youngest entertained herself with crafts we bought from Daiso Myeongdong and a Disney Mini Travel Journal from SQ.


We arrived in Singapore at 6.20pm and had more than enough time to return home for a nice home-cooked dinner!

It was such an enjoyable trip that we are already planning our next visit to South Korea in 2025! This time, we intend to visit Jeonju and Busan! 😄

Alternative Attractions within/near Seoul:

Till we meet again! 😄


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