I ran out of Korean Won and I only realized this when I woke up at 4PM after a long nap. The nearby bank is already closed. Since I am in the university belt, there are no money changers around this area. I walked a little further and found Naksan Park which is just near the Hyewah train station. I saw a lot of college students just hanging out. There were also a lot of establishments there and the park has a stage where bands are performing. Not sure what's the schedule though.
I asked a couple of foreigners where I could exchange my money. The woman suggested Itaewon but that's a bit too far. I decided to just make an impromptu visit to Dongdaemun which is only one station away from Hyewah. The plan was only to exchange my dollars to Won and get out. So much for 'planning'!
What I love about Korea is that each subway station always has a surprise - an A-ha moment. This time, at the Dongdaemun station I was surprised with the architecture, the fashion, the malls and the people. It's almost as busy as MyeongDong but their shops are more diverse I think. It's like a mix of Glorietta and Mall of Asia. I ended up buying more shirts because guess what - they have my size! I wanted to buy more but I knew I had to meet some friends in Itaewon that night so I left after an hour or so.
While walking to the train station I saw a crowd outside one of the malls. It was a promotion for Sprite where basically Korean and European models just yelled and danced and swam inside the large water tank. 'Freedom from Thirst', that what it says on the billboard. Then they gave away free Sprite. RUN! Get one!
I asked a couple of foreigners where I could exchange my money. The woman suggested Itaewon but that's a bit too far. I decided to just make an impromptu visit to Dongdaemun which is only one station away from Hyewah. The plan was only to exchange my dollars to Won and get out. So much for 'planning'!
What I love about Korea is that each subway station always has a surprise - an A-ha moment. This time, at the Dongdaemun station I was surprised with the architecture, the fashion, the malls and the people. It's almost as busy as MyeongDong but their shops are more diverse I think. It's like a mix of Glorietta and Mall of Asia. I ended up buying more shirts because guess what - they have my size! I wanted to buy more but I knew I had to meet some friends in Itaewon that night so I left after an hour or so.
While walking to the train station I saw a crowd outside one of the malls. It was a promotion for Sprite where basically Korean and European models just yelled and danced and swam inside the large water tank. 'Freedom from Thirst', that what it says on the billboard. Then they gave away free Sprite. RUN! Get one!
