Welcome to Part 2 in the Chapter 11 Escape to Explore Series! In the last article I began sharing my list of location highlights around South Korea! In this chapter, I will finish the final few locations and share them with all of you! If you haven't checked the the last few chapters of my Escape to Explore Series click below to start reading!

(Chapter 8) (Chapter 9) (Chapter 10) (Chapter 11 (Part.1))

Chapter 11 (Part. 2)

 As I mentioned in part 1, this is not in any particular order but just a top 10 list of my most memorable locations that I have been to all over South Korea. I hope you enjoyed so far reading my list and experiences I've had and below are the last 5 locations that have truly made Seoul a special city to me!

A Continuation Of My Top 10 Areas In South Korea

6. A Regular In Hongdae

If you've been reading my articles, you have noticed that I talk about Hongdae a lot. Hongdae is the location that I have visited the most. It has become my and my friend's go-to place to shop, club, eat and explore. Not only is there so much to do and see in Hongdae, but it's also not far from my accommodation. Whenever all interns want to spend a Friday night out or do a quick activity, Hongdae is the number one destination. From karaoke to photo booths, I have made incredible memories and have so many positive experiences in Hongdae that I couldn't have put it on the list! If you want to read more about Hongdae, you can check my articles below!
(Chapter 5) (Chapter 7) (Chapter 8).

Image of Hongdae at night captured by Jordan

An Image of Hongdae captured by Jordan

Image of the streets in Hongdae captured by Jordan

Image of Hongdae captured by Jordan

7. A Pleasant Morning In Gangnam-gu

How can I not put Gangnam on the list. Even if you don't know much about South Korea, you've heard of Gangnam before. It's one of the richest areas and one of the most well-known upscale places in Seoul. With many high-end fashion brands, restaurants, and nightclubs, it's an area that I had the opportunity to visit a few times. You may have heard of the Starfield Library in the Coex Mall, which I'll be visiting soon before my departure! It's one of the most well known attractions in Gangnam. You can check out down below what the Starfield Library looks like. I cannot wait to go! You might have heard of Gangnam through K-Dramas (cough cough, "My ID is Gangnam Beauty"), and there have been numerous locations in Gangnam where K-Dramas are filmed. Even though I didn't dive deep into the Gangnam area, I had the most incredible time spending a Sunday morning at a cafe in Gangnam called 5 O'CLOCK cafe N wine. I spent an hour or two there with my program, just laughing and having great conversations with one another. It's an adorable cafe. There were Christmas decorations all around the cafe; it was just very open and inviting. I recommend anyone who wants to visit Gangnam to stop by! They also serve delicious breakfasts and smoothies! You can also check out a photo of the cafe I took inside. Hopefully in the future, I'll come back and explore Gangnam a bit more!

An Image of the Starfield Library in the Coex Mall captured by Unsplash

An Image of the 5 O'Clock N Wine cafe captured by Jordan

An Image of the 5 o'clock cafe Christmas decorations captured by Jordan

An Image of the Sausage and Egg Croissant breakfast food at the 5 o'clock cafe captured by Jordan

8. A Quick Stop At The Sejong Museum

Adding another location close to my workplace to the list, I had the opportunity to go to the Sejong Museum one day during our lunch break. Located in Jongno-gu, right across from the US Embassy and not far from the Blue House, this museum is one of the most uniquely designed museums I have ever visited. As someone who loves history, I was looking forward to this museum, plus I haven't had the time to explore the museums around Seoul, so this was my first ever museum visit in South Korea! Not even realizing it was just a few blocks from my workplace; the entrance to the museum was underground, which was pretty cool. There is even a statue of King Sejong before you enter, and you can see a photo of the figure below. Even though we spent around 20-30 minutes walking through it, I had the time to read a few excerpts about King Sejong's story and Admiral Yi Sunshin during the Joseon Dynasty. It's a beautiful exhibit that also makes it very interactive for people to get as immersed in the story as possible.

It's a very detailed museum through art, pictures, summaries, and narration. I wish to visit again and take the time to spend more time there and really take my time and look through the history and stories of these two well-known figures! Not only was going to the museum a great experience, but I also took pictures with my co-workers. It's sometimes better to experience new things with your friends or family so you can experience them together. Even though most of my co-workers had already been there, they were great tour guides in showing me around the museum and summarizing for me informed throughout the entire exhibition. Inside the museum, I took a photo of Admiral Yi Sunshin's Turtle Ship for which you can see down below! Stop by the Sejong Museum if you are ever in Jongno-gu!

An Image of King Sejong captured by Unsplash

An Image of Admiral Yi Sunshin's Turtle Ship captured by Jordan

9. A Night In Sinchon-dong

Sinchon is, so far, the latest new area that I have visited. I didn't really know what to expect. Since beginning my program, I have heard the name Sinchon and the name at the subway station numerous times, but I just needed more time to actually go. I had a great opportunity to go with my co-worker, given that she lives there, and do some shopping. I desperately need of a long padded winter coat due to the weather getting colder, and she assisted me in helping to find one in Sinchon. If you don't know, Sinchon is known for college universities such as Yonsei University, Ewha Woman's University, Hongik University, and more! Having only been there at night, I discovered it's a vibrant area. There are so many cute cafes, restaurants, and shops that you can visit! I recommend everyone visiting Sinchon if you go to Seoul!

 
10. Challenge Accepted At Ganghwa Island

My last area on the list would have to be Ganghwa Island. Korea's fifth largest island, an island two hours away outside of Seoul, I had the most incredible time doing various activities there! There are actually lots of attractions to visit and see as a tourist. You can also see North Korea in the distance, as Ganghwa Island is not too far. There are markets you can visit and lots of seeing as there are beautiful mountains to look at in the distance. I had a great time starting my day at the cafe at Ganghwa Island, drinking tea and looking out at a beautiful view. One thing that I know for sure is that you will take so many photos while you are here! The first activity I ended up doing on the island was racing on a course down the mountain. As someone who had never done anything like this, I was terrified. At the end of the course, it was one of the highlights of my time there. On Ganghwa Island, I was surprised by how many activities you could do there! Since it's very much the countryside, I expected the island to be very quiet. While it is quiet, it also has this relaxing atmosphere, and everyone there was so kind. Later that night at the accommodation, I stayed up late to look up at the stars during a lovely campfire. The next day I ended up visiting the beach on the island, which you can see below. I tried an octopus for the first time at lunch, which was an exciting experience. To end the day, I actually did ATV for an hour up a mountain which was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. The thing I will remember most from my experience at Ganghwa Island is the challenges and risks I took that I proudly conquered. I would love to go back and see what other activities I can do there, and I recommend visiting Ganghwa Island to anyone as a great attraction to visit or even in need for a small getaway if you ever want to get out of Seoul for a while and explore different parts of South Korea.

An Image of Ganghwa captured by Laure

An Image of the carts before the race captured by Kpopmap

An Image of Ganghwa from Accomodation captured by Kpopmap

An Image of the beach at Ganghwa Island captured by Kpopmap

An Image of an ATV captured by Kpopmap

I hope you enjoyed reading my top 10 list and who knows, maybe you will visit these places yourselves! Tune in soon as the Escape to Explore Series is coming to a close with my final chapter on packing up and saying farewell to Seoul! If you haven't caught up, click on the articles below to read about my entire journey so far in Seoul!

(Chapter 12)