Nanji Hangang Park + Heading Home :(

I think I've been to so many parks in Korea, especially for this spring trip since my agenda is to collect as much cherry blossoms experience as I can. 

Besides, it's such a waste to stay indoors on a beautiful spring day!!

On my last full day in Korea, I did not pressure myself to move fast, but I think natural na sakin to hurry and not waste a day! Haha! So I got up and went about with my usual morning routine and packed my bags a bit. Then I went out for coffee.

One thing I realized from this trip is I wasn't able to avail the free hostel breakfasts coz I would rather check out nearby cafes. I went to my usual Paris Baguette one last time. What I love about this cafe is all the fooood selections. The sandwich and pastries are sobrang arranged that they are so pleasing to me, haha! I love choosing a different sandwich every time I dine!

Then I went to a park for a little nature trip in the morning. Plus points is that it is also a Kdrama location so medyo tuhog nadin! The place is called Nanji Hangang Park.

I've been the Han River / Hangang Park in Yeouido last year, and fell in love with it. It's the first thing that will come to mind when asked what's my favorite place in Korea. I love Myeongdong (and all the foods and shopping! 😋), I love Everland and Nami, but there's nothing like the mundane-ness of Hangang Park that makes me want to go back and make believe I live in Korea. 

When I read about another Hangang Park, I decided to go with it since I have nothing else to do. The entrance to the park is Seoul's World Cup Stadium! First time to see this and go to this area.

I was serious when I captioned this on my Instagram with "contemplating if I can walk the whole stretch for the Nanji Hangang Park, around 20-30 minutes chill stroll from Seoul World Cup Stadium". Haha! By this time super pagod na paa ko since it's already my last day. But I decided to just go for it since, again, what else is there to do!

More time to PAK PAK POSE hahaha! Wala masyadong tao, but there will be random joggers and bikers. So pag nakadaan na sila, sineset ko na agad timer ko. Hehe! At least may sure OOTD nako! :D

1...

2....

It was a loooong ang never ending stretch, but good exercise, photo walk, and sight seeing nadin! 

Half-way through my walk, I finally chanced upon a distinct Kdrama shooting location, which is the park in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon where Min Min rides his electronic hover board! Dinouble check ko talaga yan from background to ichura ng bridge, hahaha! Fun din naman to spot Kdrama locations, parang puzzle solved when you see the actual site and sure na sure ka na THIS! ETO YUN! Haha!

Ayun dumaan na si Min Min! Hehehe!

Hala Min Min bawal ata hover board dito, haha:

This cute Strong Woman Do Bong Soon picnic scene also took place in Nanji Hangang Park:

It could be any random grassy field area so hindi ko na sya spinot. Basta alam ko it's near the redish orange bridges so okay nako dun! 😃

I walked further and farther....

Saw a convenience store and bought coffee and snacks that I ate in the park:

Even saw these trailers that turned out to be toilets (and they're clean!!)

Ang saya noh!?? I am not sure if it's also your jam, haha, pero naeenjoy ko talaga yang ganyang strolling. Medyo nakaka pagod! Pero busog talaga sa mata.

How To Go: World Cup Stadium Station Line 6, Exit 1. Walk for 20 mins to Nanji Hangang Park.

###

Scam? Cult?

It was past lunch time by the time I boarded the train, so I decided to hop off Hongdae for my final location for this trip before heading back to Myeongdong for last minute shopping. 

A little side kwento, while walking in Hongdae and navigating the Kdrama cafe, I was called by a Korean girl, maybe in her early 20s, and saw her with a western girl tailing behind her. The Korean girl asked me for the Line store, and bilang high pa ako sa BT21 experience kahapon nasabi ko tuloy "Oooh the BT21?" And napa "Huh?" nalang sya, haha! Naisip ko bigla teka ang layo naman dito nun Itaewon pa yun, baka ibang Line store... Then the Korean asked me why I looked surprised, and I said that I was also looking for something, and I am obviously a tourist so it's unexpected that a local will ask me for directions. The girl went on asking me about random things, ang weird weird weird coz obviously she's keeping me there with her small talks. Naconscious nako so I checked my bag, and tried to discreetly put my backpack in front IN CASE modus pala to. After all her questions like how many days I will stay there, why did I go to Korea, etc, I just said that I will go ahead and walked fast. Natakot talaga ako baka sumunod pa sila, hahaha! 

Later on sa plane na naisip ko uli yung nanyari, and weirded out padin ako. Then I realized, hala baka pinag papracticean lang ako ng English, tapos yung Western girl behind her is her teacher! Hihi, ang cool naman! But later later on pa, and I am back here na sa Pilipinas, I was watching Youtube videos of a western girl na nakatira na sa Korea (Sharmander, hehe), when one of the suggested video was about a Korean scam. Pinanood ko out of curiousity and parang same thing that happened to me yung story nung Youtuber, same questions din, and two din sila HUHU. Sabi CULT daw yun, halasha hahaha. Hindi ko na alam anong dapat isipin, but in a way medyo na weirded out ako dun so let this be a warning to you if you're heading to Hongdae medyo be cautious lang lalo when you're alone, okay? Safety first, they might just be friendly locals but mahirap na mag trust.

Finally spotted the cafe I was looking for! 

It's the same cafe from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

How To Go: Go down Hongik University Station Exit 8, then copy-paste and follow this on your Google Maps: 37.553641, 126.928863. Name of the place is Green Cloud Cafe.

This is a signage in my hostel. The walk to the bus stop for the airport is so convenient, you don't have to pass through the subway or stairs! Will blog pala my hostel next time!

You can easily spot the bus stop, may mga signs na ganyan. Also, may mga cab drivers din nakaabang in case they convince you na mag taxi ka nalang, haha! I was too early pa for my 2am flight so I just waited for the bus. Paid 15,000KRW for the ride.

Passed by Myeongdong, and our bus stopped for a while at may konting traffic, huhu. Mamimiss ko nanaman ang Myeongdong!

I did so many things at the airport, from scouting my food place, checking out the paid baggage counters, and passing through some of their free cultural museums, when I looked for the Spa On Air na nabasa ko online. Ang haba ng waiting time ko sayang, I should have went straight here than nagpaka pagod! 

They have cool elevators in the middle of the airport:

Spa On Air is located in the basement of Incheon International Airport. Perfect for those with long layover and won't want to go out na or check in pa in a hotel. You can shower and sleep here! The style is mala Korean Jjimjilbang but mas pinasosyal, haha!

Here are the rates for the stay. Pedeng shower ka lang, or shower with sauna. The sauna is the area where you can sleep with mats and blocks for pillow. Madami ka katabi so medyo weird, haha, pero pwede na! Experience! Hehe. I paid for the Shower & Sauna for 10,000KRW for 4 hours just for the experience. I only had 2 hours to waste, though, but I took my sweet time in their small hot pools and nice showers. 

The tan shirt and shorts are also provided by the spa:

A locker will be assigned to you. They also have a lot of free stuff and amenities like water, toiletries, hair dryer, towels, plus they have a vendo for your other needs like tooth brush, sanitary napkins, etc. In short, you can just go there unprepared and they will provide almost all your essentials for the night.

Gusto ko pa sana mag picture ng place, but then I saw signs na no cameras pala, haha! Sorry! I did not bring my phone na to the pool and shower area, but they look new and wala pang pictures online (only the old version). Maliit lang sya but wala masyadong tao when I was there. Felt like I owned the place! Haha! Avail nyo yung hot pool / Jacuzzi, super winner!