Annyeonghaseyo, South Korea!

Ever since my discovery of K-pop and Korean food, I have always wanted to visit South Korea. Recently, I was able to do so. In fact, this was my first trip travelling alone with a good friend. Unsure of what is to come, I took a leap of faith and booked my flight to the land of K-pop. It was so nice to see Fabienne again, and could not wait to start our travel adventures together. Because we both live on opposite ends of the country, we first met up at Incheon Airport.

September mornings in South Korea were similar to Vancouver, cool and breezy. Temperatures were as low as 15 degrees Celsius. Apartments were more common than residential houses. They reminded me of lego blocks.



Our first day begins at the City centre. The streets were bustling with cars and pedestrians making their way to work.


이순신 (Yi Sun-sin), the warrior that led his naval army to victory against the Japanese during the Imjin War. Also famous for turtle battle ships!


And the scholar that created the Korean language.


Protesters were seen at the square, petitioning against the recent ferry tragedy.


Details of Gyeongbokgung Palace







We trekked to Busan via Korail. Thanks Fabienne for putting up with the horrible website in order to purchase our tickets.



We ate a quick lunch at the fish market.



We took a small community shuttle up to Gamcheon Culture Village. The surrounding houses were splashed with colours, and the streets filled with quirky decorations connected by narrow stairways. A map can be purchased at the entrance of the village, which encourages visitors to explore the area and obtain stamps at various stations located across the village. And just like that, we were off on a mission to collect them all!





At that time, I was not familiar with Le Petit Prince. Having recently read the book, I now have a better appreciation of this feature at the top of the village.


We stopped by Haeundae beach on our second day in Busan. The beach was super nice and clean. It was pretty humid that day as well.



After trekking Moonlit Road, we took a break at Chelsea cafe. Nothing beats iced drinks and cake on a hot day.



My last day to wander around Seoul.







We visited a dog cafe after lunch before heading back to her aunt's place.




Disclaimer: I did not realize that I only brought my 50mm until it was too late. But, having stuck with a prime lens was a blessing in disguise. I was still able to capture moments on Instagram, where I mostly posted photos of all the delicious food we ate. Check out our tag at your own risk: #fabteetrip

It has been a really fulfilling trip (we even met Tablo from Epik High randomly in Hongdae) and I had a lot of fun travelling with Fabienne. Thank you South Korea for treating us so well. I will definitely be back. Can't wait for our future trip together, sometime soon I hope!


Theresa

Portrait | Things I've Missed

Living near forest trails can be quite magical at times. It almost feels like a new adventure with every step. I missed being close to nature ever since I left for an internship in Asia, and now that I've returned, I took the opportunity to visit the forest whilst capturing some serene moments of my brother with his trusty guitar.

Ah, I also missed my fuzzy babies. Introducing Toffee and Milo, my two "mini" rex bunnies. They've grown so much, literally. But I love them just the way they are, especially how chubby they are hehe.

 

- Theresa

Travel | Flea Finds & A Trip Back In Time

Two weeks ago,  ZY and I checked out the Public Garden event held at the National Museum of Singapore. It was apparently the largest (and one of the better) flea held by Public Garden. Vendors ranged from food vendors to local crafties selling knick knacks and quirky items. Did I mention there was free entry to the museum? #winning The event was from 1-7pm. We stayed there the whole time, all 6 hours... I was amazed myself.

If you missed out on the flea market, drop by the museum store. They also carry some of the items sold by local vendors.

Our first stop was at a traditional wax stamp stall. Definitely makes a nice finish for invitations.

Another store inside the museum selling Peranakan Chinaware and clothing, as well as random traditional items. Shortly realized that no photography was allowed. Oops.

The vendors were super nice and friendly! Many allowed photos to be taken. 

HEY KUMO x JOTTER JOTTER 

Lower floor + upper floor were filled with vendors. The event started at 1pm and lasts til 7pm.

THE PAPER PAN

Traditional letter press machine featured at PapyPress! They sold super cute envelopes and allowed people to customize 15 business cards for $10 through the letter press machine. This baby costs $3K!

PAPYPRESS

Local textile supplier. Cute fabric and patterns!

Another cute stall selling funny cards! Love them all.

Super cute pottery! I want to take the green faced one home. SGD$70 + plant.

Knitted dolls chillin' out, waiting for someone to take them home.

These characters are just too cute! Of course, I had to get some postcards and pins. So adorable! I need to up my game...

ZIQI 

Beautiful laser cut items from Strangely Yours. Cameras range from $30+. Check out their etsy store for more info!

STRANGELY YOURS

While waiting for our turn to letterpress our name cards, we went on an adventure around the museum.

Photography gallery. Lots of vintage film cameras and recording devices.

Old school wedding invitations.

Steel mirror. Beautiful detailing.

Natural History Drawings gallery.

Barber shop offering haircuts. Doesn't she look like... GDragon? :O 

There were two exhibitions in the basement level. This was John Clang's "Being Together" featuring family photos of individuals and their physically separated family members with the help of Skype. 

Me "being together" with EVERYONEEE!

The second exhibition was "A Life of Practice" by Kuo Pao Kun. Nice use of space and niches, creating a gallery within a gallery.

Patiently waiting for the previous customer to finish her many sets of letterpressed name cards. Bought more postcards from 小时候 (When I Was Four).

小时候 (When I Was Four)

It was finally our turn! We recalled an interesting phrase that we saw on a necklace at Strangely Yours, so we decided to have it on our name card. The only colour that was available that day was Fuchsia pink. Corby and his wife were really nice! Had a great time letter pressing each name card. ZY and I took turns. The process is harder than it looks. It requires strength and pressure, as well as patience. It was definitely a memorable experience. He gave us additional name cards to letter press, woohoo! Thank you Papypress for having us and sharing your passion for traditional printing with us!

"Not all who wander are lost."

Overall, Public Garden was one of the best flea markets I've been to, hands down! So glad I randomly stumbled upon it while being distracted at work haha. Well, that was a photo heavy post. I shall end it here then. Til next time.

- T