Winter in Seoul

My “Holy Shit, I’m in Korea” Moments

Icicles. Snowflakes. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Having grown up in a non-four season country or city, winter travel has always been exciting and rewarding for me, and to witness an icicle tear drops from the South Korean sky is a dream-come-true.

The long unvarying hours at the plane end as I walk down the airplane and the cool South Korean breeze hit me for the very first time, like a strapping whiff of eau de toilette from the Zara boutique. The weather around Seoul was painfully indecisive that time, rising up from -1 degree Celsius to -10 degrees every passing day, and the highest temperature we’ve got to experience was about -13 degrees (it’s really cold outside).

@preciousgumpal

It is so amazing! The lights inside Shinsegae Mall, the buildings at Gangnam, the crowded streets of Myeongdong amidst the cold weather, offering just about any pleasure or convenience I could asked for. These things added up on my checklist of what I call, “Holy Shit, I’m in Korea” moments.

Out of all the traveling journey I’ve had, Seoul winter is my absolute favorite. After my training at the metropolitan government, I couldn’t help myself to wait for that rare experience, that’s why I draft out a brief run-down on Seoul must-sees and must-does during winter (to look for ramen shop or Samgyetang) and really get the most out of my trip. 

삼계탕 Chicken Ginseng Soup

 a hot, steaming, delicious dish that features a small chicken stuffed with rice, ginseng, garlic, and jujube.

Really, an incredibly diverse range of experience.

The freezing cold weather doesn’t bother me at any rate, as we walk the shanty streets of Anguk and Bukchon. That was the time, the heaven pours snow again.

The clouds then granted my wish and poured a lot of snow.

It is really my first time to see and feel a real snow (I got a fake one when we drive to Baguio Country Club’s Christmas Village in 2012) and anywhere that has white powdery snow gets me as hyper as a little kid in a toy store and running outside the hotel without putting my gloves on, haha. 

@zaxxabraham

In the depth of winter

@preciousgumpal

People on Gangnam clothes themselves in thick apparels, wearing stylish winter staples that added up to my fascination, a dream that I could only imagine through a globetrot to winter countries experiencing four seasons, (Fact: South Korea cold winter runs from November until March) and finally it gets real, nasa Seoul na nga ako!

The city is just as big as my dreams, wide and clear. And if I could only sum up all these long post up in a few words, I’d say that living in South Korea has been every bit as rewarding and life changing as I thought it would be. © Unkown. 

Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow

-Anita Desai

#cjourney

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