Coffee Prince and Dawn Subway Photowalk

CRAZIEST SIDETRIP EVER~~!!!^^,

1130h

I went to eat lunch by myself at the Grazie at the basement of our building after my morning lecture class since MJ oppa was absent. I had bagel with cream cheese and ramyeon for lunch cos I was really hungry! LOL.

While reviewing (cramming LOL) for the exam, which was in an hour an a half that time, a guy approached me and asked if I'm a Filipina. (But of course! LOL). To my surprise, Bernie is also a Pinoy (but he grew up in Canada) and is also a graduate student in Anam campus and his laboratory is just on the 4th floor of the same building where I take my Saturday lectures! Now I've got another Pinoy friend to talk to during my Seoul trips!^^

1330h-1630h

Midterms...*Sabog* ~ disaster? But everybody felt the same about the exam so it's something not to worry too much about. At least I was able to answer whatever I could. LOL.

1830h

I met Tin at Dongdaemun station and we took the subway going to our photowalk itinerary. Originally, our itinerary was Itaewon - Myeongdong - Namsan Tower. But because of the rain, our backup itinerary was ~ COFFEE PRINCE!!! ^^

~COFFEE PRINCE~


1930h

After getting off at Hongik Station, Tin took out the directions and we walked to looked for the place. With the power of our instincts, we found Coffee Prince!!! LOL. The place was so nice, warm, cozy and definitely so inviting that even the hosts offered to take our photos! We stayed in a corner where we can see the colorfully painted wall and took photos of the interior. I had cafe mocha while Tin ordered New York cheesecake. The price ranged from about 7,000 - 12,000 won. Not bad for a nice, cozy place that became famous because of the Korean drama that was entitled after the name of the place, too. Coffee Prince is not only famous in Korea but also in the Philippines! Even before we went in, we also saw some Koreans taking photos of the place. It's either they are nationals or also foreigners who looked like Koreans. LOL.

We stayed at Coffee Prince until it was already closing time! We were the last customers (the closing customers) and we still wanted to take more photos of the interior because we spent the time there talking. LOL. It's such a great place. Might need to go back for a real photo session. *wink* ~~~

~KHAJURAHO~

Since we haven't had our dinner yet, we decided to look around. I spotted a nice Indian-inspired stairway and took some photos. A few minutes later, some guy went down and told us it's ok to take photos. Then we decided to go up and take a look at the restaurant. It's still open! The interior was well-designed - cozy, warm and definitely a good shooting spot! And so there, our clicks went on and on with the permission of the hosts of course. And since we were hungry, we decided to start our "international food trip" as well. LOL. Next time, it's gonna be another country's food we'll be eating. *winks*

We each ordered curry. Mine was lamb and Tin's was chicken. And both were so ---- mmmm! Yummyyyyy! Paired with nans that were so big! The best! Taste, quality, service - all 10 out of 10! Ambiance of the place - also 10! I can even give more than 10! The owner, a real Indian guy, even invited us to have a drink with him but it was already closing time (again!). It was already 12:00 am and we wanted to (try) catch up with the last subway (but we already had a feeling that we've missed it).


~Missing the Subway~
By the time we got to the station, it had just dropped the last passengers. It's closed! So what else is our option? Bus? Nope. Taxi? Too expensive! Jimjilbang? Not in the mood. Photowalk subway-to-subway - ALRIGHT! LOL.


And, since it was both our hidden goals to have each a photo at EVERY subway station (possibly), we thought that it was the perfect time to start! LOL.


So from subway to subway, we would ask passers-by which way to go to get to the next subway station because if we'd ask for how to get to Hyehwa, they'd definitely say take a taxi or tell us it's too far to walk (obviously) and even the thought of walking to the next subway for them is rather not feasible. LOL. But we were up for our crazy adventure! And that's where my flip signature poses started building up files in my camera. It was also a good time to practice long exposure and night shots of cars along street intersections. *wink*


Because of that dawn photowalk, I have discovered the art museum of seoul, just a few blocks from the city hall. By the time we reached the city hall area, there was no one to ask for directions anymore. We saw a taxi and finally grabbed the ride til Hyehwa. At least it wasn't that expensive anymore. LOL. We reached Tin's dorm at around 4 o'clock in the morning and we were scheduled to have a photowalk session with FILIPOS at 10 o'clock that Sunday at Olympic Village. Well, let's see if we'll "not" be late! LOL.

~Directions to Coffee Prince~

(http://www.squidoo.com/coffee-prince-coffee-shop)

1. Take subway Line 2 to Hongik University station. It's marked in green on the map.
2. Go out through Exit 4.
3. Turn right at Seven Springs corner. Walk for around two blocks.
4. When you reach the end of the road, turn left.
5. Turn right on the first right turn you see. (Once you turn you will see a Family Mart to your left.)
6. Walk straight for about 500 meters, the street will go uphill midway.
At the end of the road you will find the coffee shop on the right side. Keep your eyes peeled because the shop is surrounded by trees.