Day 3 - Tuesday 16 Sept 2014
1st stop: Kia Motors. No photo-taking was allowed, but I still enjoyed every bit of the company tour especially when there was the audio device to help us listen to the tour guide better. I also got to witness the manufacturing process of the cars, which really impressed me with their Transformer-like machines! So happy to receive a toy car model as well, it's like my dream to be able to collect every toy car model!!
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2nd stop: Pungmi Food Factory. Before anything started, we had lunch in their canteen at the Dorm building. All the side dishes were neatly placed on the table when everyone arrived!
This meal was slightly lighter, as all we needed to do was to wrap the lettuces with meat and other ingredients before you pop them into your mouth! I'm so glad they served 'bird-droppings' soup (basically, it meant shredded-looking egg in the soup) for those who don't consume beef.
No kimchi-making for us due to time constraint, but we got to witness the process by the workers at Pungmi Food
3rd and also the last stop for our company visits: KBS Studio! Most excited for this as everyone went there with the hope of meeting stars filming in the studios or walking around the building *-*
Of course, nothing of such sort happened! But it's truly a great experience to be in the studio sets that the actors and actresses used to film for their dramas. Also, do you know they used 200-300 lights in that entire studio?! To change from day to night scene, only a paper is used to cover the sides of the lights! So amazing!!
Headed outside to check out their outdoor settings! There were 3 different settings which displayed the different times (modern, traditional and like the seventies etc.)
Here's our not-very-friendly-looking tour guide for KBS (but she's actually really very nice!)
End of KBS Studio tour!!
Schedule changed, and if I didn't remember wrongly, we went to Dongdaemun after our company visits. Dinner was settled by ourselves (so thankful bc that means to take a break from SUPER fatty food!!)
First thing when you reach DDM? Grab their street food! However, there were a few stalls that sell the same thing, maybe at different prices. I had this hotdog stick coated with fries @ 2,500 WON (SG$3.125) which was kinda expensive for a street snack in my opinion! I also came to realise that Korea's street snacks aren't that cheap at all, unlike Taiwan :(
The street stalls/flea market outside the shopping malls (in front of Doota! and Helloapm) sell pretty expensive clothing as well. However we managed to spot a booth that sell very cheap snapbacks (5,000WON each!!!)
Lotte Fitin is another shopping mall, just a zebra-crossing away from the other malls. It's about 9-storey high (or was it 10 or 11, I can't remember!). Most of the levels are filled with apparels, but not cheap at all. There were about 2 floors for dining (cafes and restaurants).
On the 9th level, it's KPOP heaven!! Especially for YG Family fans, you can expect many merchandise, as well as standees of Bigbang members! At the entrance, you're allowed to enter and take photo in their photobooth for free, and pay for the printing only when you're satisfied with the picture taken! :)
DISCLAIMER: I'm not (hardcore) fan of YG Fam, but that doesn't mean I don't listen to their songs. I do appreciate them but I just don't follow as closely as any of the YG fans! Who wouldn't go crazy over seeing kpop idols anyway? At least I don't detest them, so I think I've got the rights to pose like these with the oppars!
Yet another breath-taking view of Dongdaemun from the 9th storey of Lottee Fitin. On the right would be the iconic Dongdaemun Design Plaza by Zaha Hadid!
Time to leave Dongdaemun since everything is SOO EXPENSIVEEE. Took a cab from DDM to Myeongdong, and the total cab fare costed only 4,800WON (SG$6)!
One thing you should never do as a tourist, would be to take photo of their food stalls for free. My friends and I were taking photos of this stall's food, only to be scolded when the auntie offered us the food when we didn't have the intention of buying from her at all. She shooed us away with an angry face!
Also, be prepared to accept the rudeness of the Koreans. Not that I'm stereotyping every single Korean, or am I here to insult them. We were told that the Koreans have this "pushing" culture, whereby pushing or knocking onto each other were normal. So, don't expect them to say sorry and when they do, appreciate their kindness!
Koreans also love it when you speak in their language. A couple of times when we took the cab, the drivers appeared unfriendly to me. But after we spoke to them in Korean, their faces lit up and smiles were shown! I guess they love to be impressed? :P
Myeongdong is more known for its affordable cosmetics. Over here, you can find numerous brands like Innisfree, Nature Republic, Laneige, Etude House, Face Shop, and also shops that have similar concept as Sasa in Singapore. These shops sell masks in bundle, and if not, other brands of masks that you'll hardly get to see outside. We also saw some International brands such as Forever 21 and MCM!
Tip: We found out that Watsons offers even cheaper cosmetics! For example, Leaders Insolution masks were sold in a 5+5 bundle package at only 15,000WON (SG$18.75) and Laneige sells their Water Sleeping Mask with samples in the packaging!
After seeing EatYourKimchi's (EYK) video on Softree Ice Cream at Hongdae, I was really tempted to get myself one when I'm in Korea. While I wasn't at Hongdae, I tried to get similar Honeycomb soft serve and that explains this:
4,800WON for this?!?! Damn ex! I regretted purchasing this even though it's 'Organic', bc I saw how the guy made this for me and he doesn't seem to be in the mood to do properly?! :(
Ended the day at Myeongdong and back to hotel. Had a good time shopping around tho I did not get much that day, apart from some cosmetics from Etude House! *Pssst, samples given were CRAZY*
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