This is Part Two about Myeongdong. Do read Part One if you haven’t already done so. If you’re wondering what’s the card in the picture above, yeah I’m wondering the same thing too. I know it allows us to take public transport like the Seoul metro, but it doesn’t have the same functions as the WOWPASS and I can’t stick it into the claw machines’ card readers at the arcades. We paid 5,000 won for this card from a convenience store… and we are not even fans of Crayon Shinchan. Hahaha. Oh well… in any case, just get a WOWPASS lah.
And here are some reasons why I think Daiso in Korea is pretty cool… in any case, it’s cooler than in SG lah. You can get inner wear, like Uniqlo’s heat tech items, for just about 5,000 won, which is like S$4+?! Ridiculously cheap.
I’m not even a Winnie the Pooh fan but I couldn’t resist getting some of these items, ‘cos they are utterly adorable and inexpensive – yup, you know that already:
And of course, the Vaseline facial masks that people online are raving about. Just 1000 won per piece. Melody’s teachers each got 2, plus a set of 5 Ferrero Rocher chocolates. 
And I got quite disgusted with SG’s Daiso… because how come things are so much cheaper in Korea’s Daiso?! Take this set of EIGHTEEN 480ml disposable bowls in a pretty sakura print. ONLY 1,000 won. Under S$1! I have no words.
Oh yah… we also found someone’s WOWPASS on the floor and handed it over to Daiso staff. That’s like a debit card! How did its owner even lose it?!
So… anyway, after shopping at Daiso, we were about to take a pic here, along with a dozen other tourists. So what the heck, I simply took a pic of one who looked vaguely like Ellen Degeneres. Hahaha! Then I don’t have to go pose here.
The Splaisir Myeongdong has its lobby and 14th floor dedicated to LINE Friends. So this is what we see whenever we pop out of our hotel room (1427) –
But the magic is within, of course! Look at our room! Kawaii max! Yes, for our holidays, we need 2 large beds. Because we have a terror of a daughter who turns 360 degrees in her sleep (actually taking after me) and kicks us all the time. I ended up sleeping where the red cloth is one night ‘cos she kicked me out of my normal sleeping position. XD
YES this is easily THE BEST hotel room we’ve ever stayed in as a family. I booked it specifically because it has a freaking BALLPIT in the room! No other kids, so Melody has the whole place to herself. And we don’t have to worry about fights breaking out, or older kids stepping on her when she lies flat in the ballpit. LOL.
There’s also a wooden bathtub, which only Melody used. We had the standing shower and rainshower. Soap, shampoo and conditioner are provided but the hotel does not provide toothbrushes and toothpaste – you have to buy them. XD
When you see this next picture, you’ll know why Melody returned to Singapore and STILL wanted to go back to this hotel room…
And because it was rather cold the first day we were in Seoul, we simply popped into a beef soup place near our hotel, and dined like Grandpas.
In SG terms, this is like beef paofan with a side of pickled radish and kimchi. But don’t ask how much it cost. Food in Seoul wasn’t cheap. Every main cost us about S$20+, but of course you can eat your fill of the kimchi, and there’s free water or tea at each table. But when it’s cold outside, all you want is something hot and soupy. So ya… eat like old folks. To my pal Jimmy who asked if we ate ice cream in Korea… no lah WLE too cold! XD Every day I’m just praying our daughter doesn’t fall ill so if we spot a ginseng chicken soup eatery when the cold wind’s blowing, we ARE going to have ginseng chicken soup. AND hot tea.
Next time, we’ll visit Korea when it’s around the same temperature as in Singapore. Because all those winter jackets and multiple layers of clothing really take up luggage space. I got so disgusted at how little I could buy because our luggage was already full when we got to Korea. XD I’d brought 1K SGD spending money and returned with over S$400+ (>_<) Oh well, at least Melody thoroughly enjoyed the stay. *And because we had to travel by April, as this trip was a prize we’d won, we couldn’t delay it any further. We did have a lot of fun in Hongdae and Gangnam though – the subjects of my upcoming blogpots. Stay tuned.
