This post has been a long time coming. I can’t believe my last post was in 2018. Work, life and travel has got in the way of blogging big time, but I’m ready to resume writing about all my travels for the last 2 years! Starting with my thoughts in Seoul.

Obviously the world suffering from a terrible global pandemic has prevented any travel for the last several months. I sincerely hope all my readers out there remain healthy and well. Hopefully you’re all dreaming of the new places you want to explore as the world slowly begins to resemble what we once knew.

Once we’re able to freely travel again, I couldn’t recommend more a trip to South Korea. I have so many travel recommendations for exploring around this spectacular country, which I did for 2 weeks with my boyfriend at the time (who I have to give most of the photo credit for, thank you D!). It was genuinely one of the best 2 weeks of my life, and still is my 2nd favourite country (after Thailand, of course 😊).

Seoul, in particular, blew me away. It exceeded all my expectations. It’s the only place that has made me want to jump out of bed before 9am, and at the age of 31, I still struggle to wake up before 11am at the weekends. Seoul is truly a city that NEVER sleeps. A city that revolves around its love of food and drink. A city where the real fun only begins after midnight. A city that genuinely pulses with energy, embracing life for all its quirks and eccentricities. My happiest memories revolve around good food, and Seoul therefore has a very happy place in my heart.

If I could describe Seoul as a person, it’s your most vivacious, party animal friend who never wants the night to end, yet never fails to be more efficient than everyone else (and always manages to turn up on time).

Interesting Things I Learned In Seoul

• South Koreans LOVE to eat and drink, well into the small hours of the night. They know how to have a bloody good time.
• Drinking alcohol is a big part of bonding, in particular between colleagues.
• Seoul is a perfect balance between modern and traditional.
• South Koreans are extremely efficient.
• Soju is cheaper than coffee and sold 24/7.
• There are coffee shops absolutely everywhere in Seoul.
• Coffee is quite expensive, even slightly more than London, at £3 – £4.
• South Koreans adore fried chicken. They are freakin’ amazing.
• Every meal you order in a restaurant comes with at least 4 small pickled vegetable dishes (Banchan) that arrive as soon as you sit down. Mostly always including kimchee and radish.
• There are a ton of vibrant food markets in Seoul.
• Chopsticks are typically thinner than most other Asian countries, and made of metal. They only use a spoon, rarely a fork or knife.
• South Koreans are stylish.
• Beauty is a big part of their life. Plastic surgery is very common – we saw post nose-job bandages almost every day.
• Couples often dress in matching clothing – a public demonstration to how close they are.
• There aren’t any gimbap-only restaurants, it’s mostly bought as an on-the-go snack food.
• Girls love wearing red lipstick and are very much in to beauty products (there are beauty shops on almost every street in the city).
• There are barely any public bins, anywhere.
• Often toilets are the high tech self cleaning ones, but many didn’t really work. 
• You’re often not allowed to try on clothes in shops due to make-up stains.
• There are separate gender public baths, where you strip naked and go in to scrub, bathe and relax. (If you go, you MUST shower before getting in to the communal hot tubs. Don’t be shy and attempt to keep your underwear on… I learned the hard way).
• It’s rude to speak loudly in public.
• It is so easy to get buses everywhere, and the metro is easy too. A single fare is 1300 W.
• You’ll never be far from an animal cafe, you name it they’ll have it – dogs, cats, meerkats, sheep!

If you haven’t already visited Seoul, please add it to your travel list. When you visit, arrive hungry, be full of energy and be ready to party hard!

Stay tuned for more of my South Korea travel diaries xx