South Korea: Cat Cafe

Now, if you don’t know me as much, you should know that I am an ultimate cat lover. Yes… I am a crazy, cat lady. So when I found out that there were cat cafés in South Korea, I went absolutely NUTS! Turns out that South Korea is also obsessed with cats… and that makes me happy.   Not only does South Korea have cat cafés, they also have A TON stores and boutiques that sell cat bags, cat cases, cat key chains, cat socks, and many other cat stuff. 

Not gonna lie, finding these cat cafés were pretty difficult. They’ll be hidden in the nook and crannies of alleyways, and they’re mostly found upstairs. So word of advice, look up when walking around streets of Seoul. Most buildings have multiple shops, restaurants, cafes, and other services upstairs on different floors.

After visiting a couple cat cafés throughout Seoul, my favorite one is located in Myeongdong. But then I also realized that there are a few other cat cafés alsolocated throughout Myeongdong, but my go-to cat café is called Cat Playground. My mama bear and I found it while we were strolling around Myeongdong. How did we find it, you ask? We saw a local dressed in a cat costume passing out flyers. The dude was even nice enough to lead us there. And
after finding it, we first had to remove our shoes and wear the slippers they provided. Admission is 10,000 KRW for each person and with the entrance fee, it comes with a free drink (yaaay!).

My mama bear and I probably spent more than an hour at the café, but it was totally worth it! There were more than 20 cats and I got to pet almost all of them, including the bald cats. Ugh… touching them felt so weird! I eventually returned for a second time when my good friend and coworker, “Mama Olives,” visited South Korea for a few days. Once I introduced her to the cat café, she hard time leaving. Hell… it was hard for me, too! I get easily attached to animals, and the cats that we met there were sooo friendly and playful!

At the same time, visiting these cat cafes made me miss my three, furry babies back home. It’s been a tough 4 months surviving without my cats… but on the bright side, it’s given me a break from having to constantly use the lint roller to remove the fur from my clothes. 

If you’re a cat lover (like me), you should definitely check out the cat cafés here in South Korea. I promise you’ll love it!

For more posts, visit my blog website at sweetdudette.com

Weekend Adventure to Busan, South Korea

We’re halfway through the school semester at Sungkyunkwan University and not only am I trying to balance my classes and study for upcoming finals, I’m also scrambling to complete everything on my “things-to-do-in-South-Korea” checklist (and honestly, I’ve already done sooo many).  I really want to make the most out of my experience here in South Korea because who knows?  This could be my only chance to go out and explore.

Recently, I visited Busan during the weekend with a few other friends and I must say… I understand why so many people (and locals) LOVE Busan!  As the second-largest city after Seoul, Busan is a mix of both old and new, featuring hiking trails, beaches, scenic mountains, shopping malls, and also seafood cuisine.

If you’re a first-timer, I highly recommend that you visit the Busan Gamcheon Culture Village.  Situated on the foothills of a coastal mountain, you’ll see clusters of coloful houses with many narrow staircases and hidden alleys.  What makes the community more unique and charming is the fact that the village is decorated with whimsicial artwork including murals and sculptures.  Other places that we visited included Taejongdae, Haeundae Beach, Nampo-dong, the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, and the Jalgachi Fish Market.

Next stop?  I’m crossing my fingers for Jeju Island.  We’ll see!

For more posts, visit my blog website at sweetdudette.com

SKKU Fall 2016 Festival

University festivals (from what I experienced) is a BIG thing in South Korea.  University festivals are comprised of performances by popular music artists, street foods, and tons of alcohol.  On top of that, admission is free!  Yup, no tickets needed!  In fact, you can visit Kamperkorea via Facebook for more info on other upcoming university festivals (Kyonggi University, Soongsil University, Hanyang University, Gachon University, Ansan University, and many more).

SKKU’s Fall 2016 Festival lasted for two days: Monday, September 26th and Tuesday, September 27th, which took place on the “golden square” in front of the Business Hall.  The first day of the festival almost seemed like a huge picnic; mats and camping tents were laid out for students to use.  Students had the option of ordering food from the food trucks or club booths.  But what most of them did was call for delivery and not to mention, delivery food IS SUPER DUPER CHEAP!  And a typical Korean celebration isn’t complete without alcohol, and let me tell you… I was shocked to even see alcohol on campus grounds.  SKKU was even passing out free beer and t-shirts before the festivals!  Amazing, right?

For more posts, visit my blog website at sweetdudette.com

Korean Beauty & Skincare

Let me tell you this: I’m ADDICTED to Korean skincare and beauty products!  When I first discovered The Face Shop, Nature Republic, and Tony Moly back in Hawai’i, I went absolutely CRAZY!  Besides the fact that it’s cutely packaged, Korean beauty products also deliver amazing results!  So you can imagine how thrilled I was to arrive in Seoul and see ALL the beauty stores lined up on each and every single block.

As I learned, skincare has always been deemed as important and critical in Korean culture, and it’s no wonder why many Korean women follow a 10-step regime every day.

As for the 10-step Korean beauty regime, it includes:

1. Removal of makeup (with cleansing wipes, cleansing oil, or a cleansing balm)
2. Cleanser (foam cleansers are usually recommended)
3. Exfoliation
4. Toner
5. Essence
6. Ampoule
7. Sheet mask
8. Eye cream
9. Moisturizer
10. Night cream (or SPF during the day)

When walking the streets of Seoul, it’s obvious that locals truly care about their appearance from their makeup, clothes, and hair.  There are beauty stores at every corner, even near my university.  So I guess if I ever need to restock on more products, it’ll be just a 5 minute walk from my dorm.

In Western makeup, women opt for more of a matte base and a contoured look.  But here in South Korea, women aim to have translucent, pale skin with a dewy finish.  In fact, contouring is rare among Koreans, but gradient, cherry-stained lips are all the rave!  Korean women place more emphasis on their skincare regime than their makeup in order to achieve a youthful glow.

If you are an exchange student studying abroad in South Korea (like myself), I HIGHLY recommend that you stock up on your own foundation if you have darker skin.  Majority of the foundation, BB creams, and CC creams in these beauty stores are in light beige or natural beige, which is obviously too light for my skin (otherwise you’ll have a white cast).

Do I consider myself influenced by Korean beauty?  Omg… yaaasss!  I, too, want to achieve clear skin, that way I don’t have to cover up so much.  But on top of that, taking care of your skin can help to prevent any further wrinkles, age spots, and sun damage.

For more posts, visit my blog website at sweetdudette.com

City Tour - Seoul

The day before our check out at the Ibis Ambassador in Myeongdong, mom decided to book a full day tour in Seoul.  The cost was 170,000 KRW per person, but I’d say it’s definitely worth it to learn some of the history and culture.

Our destinations included: Jogye Buddhist Temple, the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony, Gyeongbok Palace, the National Folk Museum, passing of the Presidential Blue House, Amethyst Center, Changdeok Palace, the Ginseng Center, Insadong, and Namdaemun Market.  Vegetable bibimbap was ordered for lunch, although I wish it had meat in it (but it was still ‘ono-licious).

Being able to visit the different palaces was simply breathtaking!  But I have to say, the palaces and architecture started to look the same after a while (no offense).  It’s unfortunate that during the country’s conflict with Japan, the Japanese burned majority of the palaces to the ground, but some of it was restored to its natural glory.  In fact, the amount of palaces that were restored isn’t even half of it and the grounds are already so expansive!After our group lunch, I was already having a “kanak-attack” and was having trouble keeping my eyes open during the shuttle ride.  Some may enjoy a 9am-5pm tour of the city, while others may not.  You could also do a half-day tour if you would rather go exploring elsewhere or would like to retire back to the hotel (which I wanted to do soooo badly).Our guide was extremely helpful and friendly and not to mention, she helped my mom and I to buy bath towels and blankets at Namdaemun.  By the way, if you want to buy things that are dirt-cheap, go to Namdaemun Market!

From all that walking, both my legs and feet were sore and I was dying to find a place to sit down on.  Did I also mention that in South Korea, there’s stairs-galore everywhere?  From the palaces to buildings… I SWEAR, you’ll get the booty of your dreams in no time!For more posts, visit my blog website at sweetdudette.com

Day 1: Myeongdong

My very first day in Myeongdong was quite overwhelming.  Sooo many shops, restaurants, hotels, parks, etc.  There are sooo many things to do and places to visit (and I haven't even explored all of South Korea yet)!

My mama bear and I chose to stay at the Hotel Ibis Ambassador in Myeongdong, which is in a PRIME location for shopping.  If you LOVE skincare and makeup like I do, Myeongdong is absolute HEAVEN!  When traveling, some people have a strict itinerary of places to visit.  On the other hand, some people just choose to wander wherever their heart takes them (and that's EXACTLY what my mama bear and I did).

We walked into the nearest Lotte World department store building and then found ourselves in an underground shopping mall.  We took some random stairwell leading us back up the main roads and saw the Deoksugung Palace nearby.  The lush nature surrounding the palace grounds is simply beautiful and it's a perfect place to take some lovely photos.

My first impression of South Korea so far?  The city is extremely clean.  Walkways and roads are clear of any litter and in fact, public trash cans are very rare.  As for the people?  They're just as face-paced as the city itself.

After sharing a yakiniku set for lunch, mama bear and I retired from our long adventure and headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

For more posts, visit my blog website at sweetdudette.com