Korea: Gangnam & Garosu-gil // 江南的感受

For my third day in Seoul my first stop was Gangnam. Everyone knows Psy’s famous song “Gangnam Style” but what they don’t know is that in addition too all of the beautiful people, fancy restaurants, expensive real estate, luxurious stores and plastic surgery complexes there are also peaceful temples, tons of cute cafes and cultural relics. Gangnam is known for it’s electric nightlife but I really enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful parts of Gangnam that are captivating during the day.

The Bongeunsa Buddhist Temple was one of the top attractions on my list of things to do in Seoul. While in Seoul I wanted to experience some of the natural cultural relics and temples, and this one was the jackpot. It was peaceful, full of beautiful colors and I felt like I had an instant connection with the surroundings. Plus, it had an amazing view overlooking Gangnam.

Just hanging out with the temple guardians.

After my rejuvenating morning at Bongeunsa I jumped on the metro and took a few stops to walk to Garosu-gil. This is a famous shopping street within Gangnam that is named so because of the lovely trees that line the road. On the way there I strolled the side streets of Gangnam and was captivated by all of the cute shops, galleries, chitter-chatter, cafes and delicious smells. It was a total stimulation of the senses.

I also saw my first official plastic surgery complex in Gangnam, which is a famous destination for plastic surgery operations in Korea. To put it in perspective, at least 70% of  the Korean population has done some sort of facial surgery, ranging from small cosmetic enhancements or large reconstruction surgeries. Maybe that’s why everyone in Gangnam is so beautiful…

After walking around for awhile I finally found the long sought after garosu-gil. I bought a few cosmetics and gifts but spent most of the time checking out the cafes and eclectic shops. It seemed that this street was a huge mixing pot of Korean and foreign cultures. The positive energy and fun activities here attracted people from all over the city.

For my last night in Seoul I went with some new friends to eat an authentic jjimdak dinner. It was a mixture of chicken, vegetables, dumplings and noodles all covered in CHEESE. Needless to say it was amazing but I’m still a diehard fan of kimbab.

Just stocking up on my cute socks. And checking out the crazy boob body masks.

And that was it, early the next morning I packed my backs and headed back to Incheon. It was a short but eventful adventure and I can truthfully say that Seoul is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever been too and is a great place to explore as a solo female traveler. I will be looking forward to the day I can return and see what else there is to experience in this beautiful country. After all, it’s just a 2 hour flight from Shanghai…