Star King on Television
With that done, it was time to pack up and head back to Seoul. I would be spending just a night in Seoul to meet up with Xcalible who was then on his way to Korea the next morning after which, we would head to yet another region - a day's stopover in Seoul.
Jeonju Express Bus Terminal
And so I checked myself out from the motel and proceeded to the bus terminal to catch a bus back to Seoul. Entering the terminal from the first level where the bus gates were, I began searching for the ticket sales counter but strangely, I couldn’t find it even despite walking several rounds round the terminal (the terminal is circular in shape) and it was only till I read this sign:
"Ticket Counter on the 2nd floor"
The counter was at the 2nd level -_-”. Yup and so I went up to purchase the ticket for the same 12,200won that brought me here.
Apparently, I had missed the front entrance of the terminal and had instead, went in from the rear which was why I ended up on the lower floor. There is a flight of stairs at the front entrance which led to where the counter was.
Front Entrance of Jeonju Express Bus Terminal
At 10:10am, I boarded the bus and it was off to Seoul! One thing about such buses in Korea is that they are very punctual with their timing. If the stated time for departure is 10:10am, it really means the bus will be leaving at 10:10am on the dot or at most, just a few minutes later!
Bus gate
My bus to Seoul
Like before, the bus stopped at the Jeong-an Service Area for a short break. I was looking for something light for breakfast and I came across this Pizza Hot Dog that looked really tempting. Priced at 2,000 won(~S$2.35), I decided to have a try.
Pizza Hot Dog
I wasn't too sure why it was called a pizza hot dog because there wasn't any hot dog in it . Instead, it was just bread with tomato and cheese. I liked the crispy bread though.
And so it was back to the bus and I continued my journey to Seoul.
For this stopover in Seoul, I decided to spend the evening camping at Cube Entertainment. With special thanks to the admins from @cubeGNAsg, I have learn that the K-pop groups of 4Minute, B2st and Singer G.NA can be spotted quite regularly at Cube Entertainment at close to midnight which was the reason why I chose to camp there.
With that in mind, I got on the subway heading for Cheongdam Station where many of the entertainment companies are located at.
Waiting for the subway train
Taking the subway
Cheongdam Station
Arriving at Cheongdam Station, I made my way out and headed for the motel of my first choice from a list of several choices I had. Based on the map I had on hand, it should be located just next to Cube Entertainment building.
Cheongdam
It was a pretty long and tough walk to get to the destination because I had to drag my luggage on a pavement that was pretty rough. In fact, I damaged one of the luggage wheels along the way. Dang.
But when I got to the location, there wasn't any motel in sight! Great. Perhaps the map was a little off and so I decided to walk around the area in search for it. Unfortunately I was wrong! I saw Cube Entertainment, JYP Enterainment but wheres the motel? At if this wasn't bad enough, things got worst. The sole of my left boots starting to show signs of failure (flapping away D=)! That was not good. I was getting tired from the lugging of my luggage (which had extra resistance thanks to the damaged wheel) and now I had to walk with extra precaution to prevent my boots from getting further damaged.
Needing a break, I decided to change my plans and head straight for Aura The Grill instead which was round the corner. With special thanks to @KaraSingapore who provided me with the address, I was able to locate the restaurant.
Aura The Grill is a restaurant partly owned by KARA's Nicole's mother which was why I had planned to visit the restaurant later on initially. Knowing that Nicole's mother speaks English, I thought it would be better for me to head there, have my lunch and ask her for directions at the same time! - A pit stop it seemed.
Aura The Grill is a restaurant partly owned by KARA's Nicole's mother which was why I had planned to visit the restaurant later on initially. Knowing that Nicole's mother speaks English, I thought it would be better for me to head there, have my lunch and ask her for directions at the same time! - A pit stop it seemed.
Aura The Grill
Inside Aura The Grill Restaurant
물냉면 (Cold Noodles)
My first impression of the restaurant - it seemed "higher" in class as compared to the other normal restaurants out there. Price-wise, it is also above average but the quality of ingredients used justifies the cost. The 물냉면 dish was very refreshing with a light taste to it, just the meal I needed from all the walking. It felt just like drinking an isotonic drink after a marathon!
After paying for my meal, it was time to hit the road again. The waitress didn't know the location of the motel I was looking for initially either.
Back to my search for a motel, I seriously thought the map was playing around with me at that point of time. The motel of my 2nd choice which was supposed to be at about another 100m away wasn't there either! By then, I was really considering to just give up and check in into one of the many 4/5-star hotels flooding the Cheongdam area which would cost me 160,000won (S$188) a night! Just one last try on the motel of my 3rd choice, about another 200m away.
Thankfully this time round, the motel was there as stated on the map! Though it looked a little shabby, I felt really relieved having found the motel. At 40,000won a night, it provided me with a decent and rather spacious room. The pros of this motel - the owner was a really cheerful and helpful old lady and the room was neat and tidy. Cons - looks rather old from the exterior and there's a mirror next to the bed!
Cheongunjang Motel
Nice bed but weirdly-positioned mirror
Rather spacious room
With the accommodation issue finally settled, it was time to fix my boots which was still flapping away. The owner being helpful, directed me to a cobbler not too far from the motel. Following her directions, it wasn't too hard finding it.
In Korea, street cobblers are quite a common sight along road sides in small metal shelters. The repair costs me 3,000 won(~S$3.50) and I felt it was a very reasonable price.
In Korea, street cobblers are quite a common sight along road sides in small metal shelters. The repair costs me 3,000 won(~S$3.50) and I felt it was a very reasonable price.
Cobbler House
Lady boss gluing my the sole back onto my boots
Cobber Boss threading the sole on firmly to the boots
And with the repair done, my boots were back in action! =)
Having some extra time on hand, I decided to go for walk around the neighborhood. Something I had also realized then, I had forgotten to bring along my 4Minute album with me to Korea D=! And so I was also on the look out for a CD shop at the same time.
While walking the streets, I got myself a Cidar drink, Miho's favourate drink from the drama, "My Girlfriend is a Nine-tailed Fox". Well, it tastes just like a lime 7-up drink.
Cidar Soda
Walking further up, I bought myself a fish meat stick at a street snack store. No particular reason why I chose it among the other street food available. It was just a random pick. Little did I know then that it wold become one of my favorite street snacks. Together with the soup, it was a perfect combination!
Street snack store
Fish meat stick
Despite walking for hours, I did not manage to spot any CD stores around. With the sun setting, it was time to make my way back to Aura the Grill to look for Nicole's mother and have my dinner at the same time.
But once again, she wasn't around D=. The same waitress then told me that she won't be coming due to some reason and would only be back the next day onwards. Well, that can't be helped either so I decided to have my dinner anyway. Having eaten the 물냉면 for lunch, I decided to try their 비빔냉면 (Buckwheat Noodle with Spicy chili Sauce) for dinner!
비빔냉면
My frank opinion, this dish is definitely a challenge even for spicy food lovers. It was so spicy I had to order an addition can of coke to extinguish the flames on my tongue!
Having had my dinner, I proceeded to Cube Entertainment and started playing the waiting game.
Having had my dinner, I proceeded to Cube Entertainment and started playing the waiting game.
Over at Cube Entertainment, the entrance was filled with mostly B2ST fan girls. I was probably the only guy around and it felt a little awkward. Anyway, you could tell how passionate the fans by the graffiti they drew on the walls. It would be something they could keep themselves busy with and at the same time, show their love and support for their favorite group! I guess that would be like killing two birds with one stone. I just hope Cube wouldn't mind it.
At around 10:00pm, I saw 4Minute's Hyuna walk pass me. I was quite uncertain because of the thick winter clothing she was wearing. She looked at me and I looked back and before I knew, she had gone inside the building! Argh! D=
At around 10:30pm, I moved into the lobby area of the building which was open to public because the cold was really starting to get unbearable. I then spotted 4Minute's Jihyun enter the building! But I didn't have my album with me! Argh! I could only watch as she entered the elevator =(
You might think why would I be camping for then? Well, at about 11:00pm, slightly earlier than expected, G.NA came out of the elevator and went out of the building. Frankly I did not notice her initially until another fan girl whom I was speaking to earlier told me so. I then rushed out and managed to get her attention just in the nick of time before she entered a car! Whew!
And so I introduced myself and yep, she responded with excellent English. I then passed her the specially printed set of G.NA postcards I took of her while she was in Singapore as a gift and got her to sign on another set for me. She was really friendly and thanked me before we bid farewell to each other.
Well, although I encountered many unfortunate events for the day, all it took was G.NA's autograph to make my day. My only regret was not being able to get 4Minute's autograph despite seeing them upfront! =( Will I eventually get their autographs? We'll see. =)
For now, it was mission accomplished and it was time to head back to the motel - a happy 15 minutes walk.
For now, it was mission accomplished and it was time to head back to the motel - a happy 15 minutes walk.
hye..can u help me..about motel & map @ cube entertainment area?
ReplyDeleteplease email me..ggeoum@gmail.com