I had made very careful plans for each of my days in Korea, but with the expectation that they most likely would fall through,  as I only had so much time, and I had not accounted for travel times in my plan. Indeed, I ended up spending an unfortunate amount of time just on the train!

The first day in Seoul I kind of ended up doing what I felt like, and for my second day it ended up that I simply did not have enough time to do what I wanted to do! It did not help that I felt so comfortable in my hotel room that I ended up oversleeping, of course. I had planned an early start to give myself time to get to Suwon and even though I knew it would most likely mess up the rest of my time, I decided to head off to Suwon anyway. How far could it really be? Turns out, very. The train journey had a number of confusing changes and when I was finally on the right train it was a long, uncomfortable and cramped journey. There seems to be a certain code for how to stand on busy trains in Seoul and I am not sure I was following the unspoken rules which made me feel a little awkward, along with all the other things starting with the fact that I was an obvious tourist and ending with how self conscious dressed as randomly and inappropriate for winter as I was. Despite my new hoodie, it was still too cold. As I headed out of the center of Seoul I felt it getting even colder, if that were possible. Outside, the scenery changed too, losing some of the glamour of central Seoul. From what I have seen of Asia that has been a trait- the glossy malls and such of the central city, so different from the outskirts and the towns that lie outside…It’s very different from the UK.

I am not sure what I expected Suwon to be like but nothing could have prepared me for how different it was to Seoul. It was…hectic. I think that is the most appropriate word. I stepped out of the station and there were people everywhere. I had no clue where I was going or what to do and so was very thankful to see a tourist center close by. I asked one of the ladies there where to find the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and she handed me a slip of paper with the list of bus numbers I could take and the name of my stop in hangul and roman alphabet. Well, feeling a bit more confident I walked down to the bus stop and meandered my way up and down, trying to figure out from the mess of people and buses what on earth I was supposed to do. I eventually got myself on a bus and sat down, playing with my little slip of paper anxiously.

Of course I had gotten on the wrong bus.

And I had no idea what to do.

I mentioned that the Seoul subway is ridiculously tourist friendly right? Well, the buses aren’t.

I quickly got off the bus and spent an unfortunate amount of time staring at the map, trying to find out which bus to take. It seemed that somehow I gone in the totally wrong direction for the fortress. After a bit of wondering around I found another bus stop and the right bus, and got on it, then got off at my stop. Alas, there was still the problem of – where the hell was the fortress? And this was the center of Suwon and it was packed with people. I wondered around some more until I found a side street with an interesting looking building on the end. Thinking I had little to lose I walked towards it and then, to my right, was the fortress. I was pretty amazed at this stroke of luck and quickly bought my ticket, then started the long, long walk up the many, many stairs. By this point I was beginning to wonder what was going on. In the research I did I had though suwon fortress was a palace, and where did these stairs fit into it? And just where was the palace? I had found myself walking on a dirt path, woodland to one side, a stone wall to the other and more woodland on the other side of the wall. I looked at the map and made the first discovery of things I should have known earlier- suwon hwaseong fortress is very large, compromising of the central palace section (which was what I had originally planned to visit only!) and several other buildings scattered all over the place. Well, what else could I do? Even though I was not wearing my walking boots or anything as sensible I continued to walk on.

I saw many different buildings, a bell tower, a giant bronze statue, I walked along some walls, I saw some impressive views of Suwon. I made the second discoveries of things I should have known earlier- that Suwon is almost a fortress town. The fortress is scattered through the city, and it is poorly sign posted. I made this discovery when I decided I really did want to see the central palace section. I stepped off the walls and headed inwards, where I discovered some other tourists who looked like they knew where they were and quietly followed them until they stopped and decided they were lost and headed off somewhere else. Well, it wasn’t like I could turn round and follow them back- then it would make it obvious I had been following them! So I carried on, searching for a street that would take me back to the main road. I felt nervous, walking along the quiet backstreets, so obviously a tourist with no clue where the hell she was. Finally, I got back to the main road and I continued to walk forwards- what more could I do? That seemed to be the theme of the day. For all my plans, I was forced to realize I was very unprepared for the reality of this holiday (although, I do have a notoriously bad sense of direction!) But my meanderings eventually paid off and finally, I spotted the main palace. By this point it was getting pretty late but I thought that seeing so I had gone to so much effort to find it I might as well look. It was interesting but I quickly grew bored and getting lost had put my in a bad mood so I actually left pretty quickly, probably a bit of a waste of ticket really, then I had to find a bus back to the station and finally, get the train back into Seoul. (Which was even busier than the first. Fun! Although nothing can quite beat the Malaysian sky train at most hours. At the very least I wasn’t physically cramming myself into the train and against a wall of people at any point during this holiday!)

I wanted quite badly to go to the Gwacheon science museum, after seeing it on running man, however it was closed by the time I got into Seoul. So in the end, I had to forgo it. If there is one thing I wished I did differently on this holiday it would be going to Gwacheon Science Museum on day 1 instead of the Korea national museum! There wasn’t anything I could do though so I cut my losses and headed to my next destination- lotte department store for some high end shopping. Gosh, it is somewhat liberating and slightly addictive just to splurge with no restraints. I don’t want to think about much I spent on cosmetics on this holiday- although I reassure myself I saw a lot of tourists with a hell of a lot more! This day, I bought the HERA bb cushion I had been lusting over, although for some crazy reason I decided to buy it for my mom instead. I also bought a full size of my favourite facial sunscreen, the HERA sun mate daily. The girl at the HERA counter barely spoke English but she was very helpful despite the fact that I clearly looked too young and broke and shabby to be shopping there, which was something I appreciated. She went out of her way to try to understand what I wanted, even letting me right down my question so she could confer with someone else. Usually in the UK assistants at counters take one look at me and dismiss me and are never quite so nice. Next, I bought my favourite whoo cleanser. I have gotten through 100 samples of this stuff, and now halfway through my first bottle of it- which was a luxurious 20th birthday present! I adore this stuff, even though for the price the packaging is awful and not at all at the level the price indicates. oh well, the product is marvelous! I then went to the laneige counter and the girl was so sweet, asking where I was from, how long I had been in Korea etc. I mean, it was obviously fake/put on but I again appreciated being treated like this. I had gone there to buy a certain product only to find it was discontinued, but I asked the girl for something similar and even when she recommended me what was obviously the latest and what she had been asked to promote, I let myself be suckered in. Nearly walked away with more but managed to restrain myself!

It was kinda late and I was hungry so I headed up to one of the higher floors to go to an Italian restaurant, wondering if Korean Italian food would be as interesting as Japanese…but it turned out to be disappointing. very expensive not very tasty food, unfortunately. :( After that I left lotte and made plans to head to insadong, but instead found myself at Cheonggyecheon stream. Once more, this really was turning out to be a random holiday!

Well, Cheonggyecheon was very, very, very crowded. There was some kind of lantern festival on though so it was very pretty! I just walked along, let myself be carried along with the crowds without really bothering to take many pictures. Sometimes I prefer to do that. In fact a lot of the time on this holiday I was content just to ‘sit back’ and experience it, without worrying about taking zillion of pictures to remember it. I’m not a photographer and although I enjoy taking quick snaps to record my holidays  sometimes its just so nice to view things from outside of the viewfinder. It was too crowded to take pictures anyway. I want to say it was a relaxing stroll but I could not quite relax in such large crowds.

It was late so I went back to the hotel- making a quick stop at the convenience store on the way to pick up supplies for the next day where I was going to go hiking in Bukhansan- of course I needed something for  when I reached the summit of the peak I was planning to go up, and a little snack before bed. :P I spent some time before bed flicking through the channels trying to find a drama to watch or music program but sadly, if I remember correctly, there were only bad soaps on!

Getting to Korea was a strange combination of stress and utter boredom. Although I’ve flown before there was only once that I was alone and there were many moments where I wondered what I was supposed to do, and I pretty much used up all the credit on my phone texting my dad for instructions. Of course there was a lot of waiting around and queuing and more waiting around which led to the boredom. My flight was at 11.35pm, and I had made myself nicely sleep deprived so I could sleep on the plane, but this meant by the time I was sitting at the gate I was ready to pass out. Eventually I boarded and to my surprise, and luck, the three seats next to me were empty. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first but eventually I sprawled out greedily across the row and attempted to sleep. Sadly, despite my luck I could not sleep through the whole journey- sleep came in fits and starts. I kept waking up, falling asleep, waking up.

And just like that the plane journey crept slowly to its end and I was in Korea. Being tired and feeling slightly sick from disturbed sleep and the plane journey was not a good mood to go about my first day in Korea, but I was determined not  to spend the first of only three days in the hotel. I got my limousine bus ticket and got my first taste of winter when I stepped outside to the bus ranks. I had naively being expecting Korea to have clung onto autumn just for me but nope, it was bitterly cold as I sat there waiting for the bus and I was more than relieved when the bus came. I really have forgotten what cold feels like, even after barely two months in Malaysia I have become accustomed to being warm all the time.

I wished, not for the first time, that I had thought to pack more of my normal clothes. Everyone told me that it was hot in Malaysia, so I enthusiastically put together a summer wardrobe- when my skinny jeans and a t shirt would have been just fine. Not for the first time, I missed my skinny jeans. For the first time, I missed: My thick cotton jersey. My coat that goes all the way to my knees, with its hood that covers my head to the point I cannot see either side of me. My brown boots that are lined with fleece.

Instead I was wearing two camisoles and a vest top, a long sleeved top and a hoodie that may have once been thick and fluffy, but was thin and worn out from age. Jeans. Black flats with socks that did not come all the way to my knee. no scarf. no gloves. not even my fingerless gloves that my sister likes to tease me about because she thinks they are pointless.

The journey from incheon was a long one, but peaceful. The bus was pretty much empty- just me and two other woman- so it was quiet. I listened to music and watched the passing scenery through the dirty glass- of the sun rising over the beach and the sea. It was straight out of family outing, but real, and so beautiful. and so surreal. I got into Seoul mid morning and the bus dropped me conveniently right outside my hotel- the Ibis Ambassador Gangnam. I was way before the stated check in time but they didn’t even say a word, and let me check in with no problems  and it was in no time at all that I was in the lift heading up to my room.

Man, I just grinned wen I saw my room. It was more than substantial for just me- a double bed, plenty of space in the main room, a small but clean bathroom with one of those fancy Japanese toilets (three words: heated. toilet. seat). Oh, to come from a crappy dorm room to that was an immensely wonderful feeling. I mean, there were some minor dislikes- the room lighting was too dim, for one, and there was a lack of basic amenities- those things you don’t expect a hotel to have but its always nice to arrive to like hand soap for the bathroom, perhaps toothpaste, cotton pads, shower caps. Those little touches. But  the room was spacious, and clean, with a deliciously large bed and hard mattress (yes, I like a extra firm mattress – I hate the ones you just sink into, can’t sleep at all with them! ) and free of funny smells and bugs. so I was more than happy. I took a lengthy shower and organised my things then headed out.

I did not really know where to go to find a subway station and I had no map but somehow I stumbled upon daechi station, which took my directly to my first destination- the Gyeonbokgung Palace. The palace structure, as well as the nearby palace museum, greeted me immediately upon exiting the station. I headed for the gates and stumbled into the palace where I was soon made to realize I had arrived exactly on time for the changing of guards ceremony! I joined the crowds milling about taking videos and photos. It really was quite cool. I’ve seen this kind of stuff on Korean dramas- but never real! The costumes, the palace structure, the traditional Korean music, it was quite something to have it right there in front of me rather than on a screen. I enjoyed that and then went to get a ticket and for a walk around the palace. I was absolutely frozen to the point that many parts of me were either numb/and or painful so although I did enjoy wandering around the palace i was intensely grateful for when I found the National Folk Museum- and was able to get indoors! The museum was fairly interesting- once again, I was just in a state of amazement at being able to see this stuff real. To be able to read about Korean history and traditional culture was fascinating, and different and I did shamefully always have Korean dramas in the back of my mind- comparing everything, letting myself understand them in a new way. it was awesome. After the museum I sat for a bit to have a delicious green tea latte and Korean rice cake then headed back into the cold to see more of the palace. I didn’t have a map so I was really just wandering around, taking in the impressive palace structure and the vivid autumn colors that Malaysia will never see.

I briefly popped into the palace museum before going to the station, but although it was interesting I was eager to get going to my next destination and I was soon on the train. Have i mentioned that the seoul subway is ridiculously tourist friendly? Compared to how confusing the Japanese train system is, Seoul’s is easy- mostly because it was all in English. I had also been able to buy a t money card at a convenience store at the airport- again, really easy even though I can’t speak korean- which meant I didn’t have to mess around buying tickets. It was so easy getting around seoul- by train, that was. Walking would be another matter, as I would find out.

Anyway, my next destination was the national museum of Korea and I admit, I don’t think I should have gone here. It was very large and spaced out to the point where it was a little overwhelming. Not the sort of place suited for ‘just popping in’. I had a meander around seeing as I was there but I was only there around an hour. there were some interesting displays there, and I did enjoy the section on calligraphy but it was just a bit of confusing place really! And of course it was also closing time so I couldn’t stay longer!

I was dead tired by this point, and hungry but still determined to make the most of my day so I headed out to Dongdaemun with the intention of checking out doota shopping mall and picking up something warm, so I didn’t freeze half to death in the following days. Of course all the clothes were gorgeous, and hideously expensive. I longed to buy them all but in the end they were winter clothes, and how could i justify buying a load of winter clothes when I was going back to a tropical country? With some regret I ended up walking away with just the one hoodie, a thick fluffy thing that I had hope would keep me warm and had not cost too much. By this point it was raining, so I was wet and cold. a part of me wanted to retreat back to the hotel but most of me was determined to continue shopping. so I got on to my next destination- Myeongdong- for some serious shopping!

I had loaded my credit card with most of my savings and I was determined to spend them! I justified splurging on cosmetics by the fact that they would be so much cheaper than if I were to buy them online- I mean its just ridiculous how much online shops bump up their prices. And Skinfood and Laneige here in Malaysia are also crazily marked up. I wish their was an adambeauty for k cosmetics but there isn’t, so I had made a mental list of things I wanted and I was determined to buy them- and maybe one or two extra things! I surprised myself by just how good I was with sticking with the list actually, and not being too impulsive. I think I was actually just enjoying the process of shopping for the Korean cosmetics i love so much in the actual stores.  I loved seeing the familiar brands, and actually recognizing the faces in the advertisements and the music playing over the speakers. it was raining heavily by the point though and I had to be the only person in Korea without an umbrella, and I was getting soaked.

But I persevered, ducking in and out of shops and hoping no one would mind my bedraggled appearance. I wonder what the sales people thought of me actually- they must have wondered what the hell I was doing shopping for cosmetics. As well as thoroughly wet, I wasn’t exactly prettily dressed, and my skin was freaking out from the plane journey and the change in climate already, and I was tired as hell and I’m sure it showed.  Korea is just like Japan in the sense that everyone is very well put together there- seriously, all the women and men are so fashionable and gorgeous. Outfits, just so. Makeup, just so. What I love about Korean fashion though is how the girls also make boyish outfits – boots, loose hoodies, even sports clothes- look cute and feminine- how do they do that?! I really do wonder. anyway, I definitely felt very much the ugly tourist. but I was too damn happy to care. I was tired and hungry but in just one day I had grown to love Seoul, for most of the same reasons I love Tokyo, or Nagoya. There is a energy to these cities, a vibrancy. Late as it was myeongdong was bustling, and the city was lit up and you could hear snippets of music from the stores, sales girls calling out for people to come and buy things, the hum of many conversations going on. It had just the same energy as somewhere like shibuya- and I love that energy. The crowds are a bit scary, but there is something amazing about losing yourself in them, in the midst of the skyscrapers and the bright city lights. These places are so modern, so convenient, and yet they retain their own character – a spark of their traditional cultures, the influence of them, something makes them unique and beautiful. I also love how those pockets of tradition – like the palace- exist right in the mist of the skyscrapers of these extremely modern cities too. Like, one moment I’m in a palace, the next I’m on a train surrounded by fashionable men and women attached to their smartphones and tablets, the next I’m browsing stores for vibrating bb creams (not as dirty as it sounds) and bb cushions (not as literal as it sounds) listening to music that is so American but yet not. That’s the thing- its western, but not quite. (In Japans case- somehow they manage not at all. But Seoul seems to have a heavier American influence and I know nothing so I won’t start ruminating on why) Its wonderful. I had gotten what i wanted out of Seoul – an escape. Being somewhere so different, shedding away the routine of every day life, spending money without thinking of consequences, not having to worry about embarrassing myself around people because I know I’ll never see them again, and I’m a tourist which gives me some leeway. It was fun.

My first day in Korea had some hiccups but for the most part it was wonderful. I crawled into bed (ok, so I totally intentionally flopped down and sprawled out in satisfaction on my wonderfully hard, wonderfully large, wonderfully clean bed) that night very excited for the next day.

• Post Title: The Magician King, Lev Grossman
• Listening To: Son Dam Bi - dripping tears