[Review] Cosrx Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol

Price: $14.30 on bbcosmetic

(Use affiliated coupon: C10T190S3 for 8% off) 
Verdict: 9/10
Repurchase: Yes

Price, Shop & Product

I received this Cosrx Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol from  BBCosmetic in exchange for an honest review a while back but all thoughts are my own, as always. ^^ It's $14.30 per piece but you can get it for $13.10 after the 8% discount code (C10T190S3  applied during checkout). For those of you unaware with the free international shipping store, check out my review of them here.

I've actually gotten through 2 bottles before I decided this is one of the things that I'm very likely to repurchase a 3rd time, but at the same time I'm still keeping my eye out for something that works even better. More on that later.

This is a toner that is aimed at solving skin troubles with a combination of AHA, natural BHA, and natural  moisture-retention ingredients. It can be used as a hyrating and preping step as a gentle chemical exfoliator, or repaire breakouts and clear dead skin and impurities. 

Packaging, Ingredients & Directions

This came in a white box that was very no-nonsense and down-to-earth, with ingredients, application methods, and purpose all written politely over it in black. The pump jar inside is white and non-transparent. I really like Cosrx's packaging of products. Their dispenser, cover, and container are all meant to be sanitary and easy to use.  However, the dispenser for this A-sol seems to be trying to get me to waste as much product as possible, squirting out and missing my fingers/pad and spilling all over the place if I'm not careful. Lol.

Ingredients: Propolis extract, alcohol, butylene glycol, sodium lactate, lactic acid, water, glycolic acid, betaine salicylate, sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, allantoin, cassia obtusifolia seed extract, 1,2-hexanediol, ethyl hexanediol, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf oil

The only possible acne trigger is the butylene glycol, with cosdna pretty much loving the other ingredients. ^^ Do note that this is one of the few Cosrx products that does contain alcohol, so if you're sensitive to that, it's best to avoid it. Personally, I like having alcohol in my products since it speeds up product drying.

Propolis is the main attraction here, with Cosrx claiming to obtain this from black bee propolis. Propolis is used as a sealant in the  bee's hive to protect the colony from viruses, diseases and other outer intruders. In the hive, it acts to inhibit fungal and bacterial growth.  In skincare, propolis acts to supply necesssary oil and moistures, along with trouble care. 

The 60% black bee propolis extract is great for calming skin. Propolis acts to supply necessary oil and moisture, along with trouble care as it known to have antimicrobial properties.

A combination of natural BHA+ AHA is able to dissolve dead skin cells that clogs up pores and cause skin troubles. Lactic and Glycolic acids are the alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) in the product, which acts to remove dead skin cells from the skin. Betaine Salicylate is the beta hydroxy acid (BHA), which penetrates into the skin and assists in unclogging pores.

Tea Tree Oil is one of those things I really love. It's able to soothe and heal blemishes and is a natural antibacterial. Tea tree oil can also be used on it's own (once diluted properly) to disinfect pores and dry out whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, and other blemishes. Used incorrectly and it could actually dry out skin though, so I've never attempted using just pure tea tree oil. 

Directions: This is applied directly after cleansing on troubled areas as a spot treatment. I've taken to applying this before any other products using a cotton pad on my break out spots. ><

Texture and Fragrance

The reason why I've taken to using cotton pads to apply this is because it's really watery, which usually results me in spilling this all over the place. I use two pumps on my cotton pad and then apply it on my breakout areas. Or when I feel like I'm going to break out (pre-periods), I'll apply this to my entire face.

It has a faint tea tree scent that I'mactually quite fond of? I think people over at /r/AsianBeauty kinda hates the scent but I don't find it lasting enough to bother me. It dries almost immediately upon application and unless I'm sniffing this from the bottle like a... Cosrx-scent-addict, I don't usually pick up the smell at all.

Performance

This Cosrx A-sol is marketed as a spot-treatment and for that, it's really the most amazing thing I've ever used. If I feel a particularly painful acne is developing, I'll dab a bit of the A-sol on the spot and it'll calm down over the next few days instead of coming to head, which is a god-send considering how bad my pimples tend to scar.

On the other hand, I've been getting less and less of those pimples and just more cc's instead of cystic acnes that I find myself reaching for this less and less. It calms down painful pimples, but it doesn't exactly make the spots disappear. I'll end up with cc's on my face that just. doesn't. leave.

I love this product. It works, but somehow, it just doesn't finish the job completely, leaving bumps on my face that just keeps adding, hence the -1 point. I wish I could give this a perfect score since it's worked better than anything I've ever tried, but ugh. So close. 

As things are right now, I'm looking to get rid of the cc's on my face as hard as I can, but I'll still keep a bottle of this handle for those occasional painful pimples to keep them from developing. :)

Price: $14.30 on bbcosmetic

(Use affiliated coupon: C10T190S3 for 8% off) 
Verdict: 9/10
Repurchase: Yes

I also do quick, short reviews on my instagram so if you're up for it, do follow me here too! :D https://www.instagram.com/peachy_amy/
And Like my Facebook page? :D https://www.facebook.com/MalaysianBeautyHaul/

[Lifestyle] Malaysia Subscription Box: Cubecrate May Box

Price: RM35/RM44 for Sabah/Sarawak

(Given a free in exchange for an honest review by cubecrate.com) 

Verdict: 10/10

Repurchase: NA

Cubecrate is a surprise subscription box that costs RM35 per month and includes a variety of locally sourced products ranging from beauty to decor and handmade items that you wouldn't think to try out on your own. For three months, the subscription is RM90. They also have a wine subscription if you're into fine wine. ^^

Subscribe With Cubecrate Here.

Disclaimer: I received this box in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, as usual. ^^ You can also check out: 

2016: October's Box, November's Box, December's Box

2017: January's Box, February's Box, March's Box, April's Box

May's Box

This month's box is Mother's Day themed and is filled with a ridiculous amount of things I'm excited about, not just beacuse there's food in there, but because there's such a nice varitey of items that can be put to good use!

Granola from Alys The Bakerland

As usual, food caught my eye first. Lol. The Sunshine Granola from Alys The Bakerland is as delicious as I remembered. It's found by Alyson, a food lover turned granola maker extraordinaire. I had this for lunch. It's delicious, healthy and deceivingly filling.

I really appreciate that it came with nutrition facts. There's 246 calories in this granola, which is really low. XD There's no added preservatives or flavoritsn and no refined sugar added. I really loved this. ^^

Alys The Bakerland: Website ; Instagram 

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Rackun Kiss

Next is the other food in the box! The assorted chocolate chip cookies from Rackun Kiss tastes like cookies from famous amos, which I absolutely adore. The bag it comes in is adorable and definitely going to be reused!

The cookies are made from butter, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, eggs, vanilla essence, chocolate chips, coco powder, and walnut.

Rackun_Kiss: Instagram

Shower Steamers By Love Is Gifts

This Shower Steamer is from LoveIs, which is also available in The Cubez Store, Sungei Wang Plaza. The bath and body products sold are locally handcrafted with ingredients from all over the world. Instructions said to crumble the bubble bar under running water, soak and pat dry. I love that the ingredients are all given, but since this is going nowhere near my body, I didn't really care much about the ingredients. Lol. 

I'm really enjoying the shower steamers. They smell like mint candy that I wish I could eat. Lol. It was used by being placed at the end of the shower, away from the stream of water. It releases an amazing minty scent that I love. Super calming. There's two steamers in the pack, which means I get to enjoy this longer. Yay~ ^^

Love Is Gifts: Instagram

Eye Bags Be Gone from Nuhaa Botanicals

The Eye Bags Be Gone oil from Nuhaa Botanicals was a pleasant surprise considering my love for all thing skincare related! It's created with all-natural ingredients that are non-toxic and human-tested. I'm uncertain of what essential oils are added in this, but it's really fragranced. I only needed a drop for both hands (since I'm patch testing) so a little bit goes a long way. 

I'm not sure if it's scented, but the smell is really, really heavy and I'm not a particularly big fan of how much it smelled. I could scent up the whole room by applying this on my hand. My sister says this smells like mosquito repellent. :(

Nuhaa Botanicals: Facebook | Instagram

Chocolat Face Scrub by Tinkerberry

Tinkerberry Spa's Chocolate Face Scrub was right up my alley! I love Skinfood's face scrubs and really looked forward to this. Unfortunately, I followed the instructions to apply this on dry face and it's way, waaayy too abrasive. My pimples were inflamed and unhappy. :( The formula is too thick to be used on dry skin. It didn't leave my skin smooth, like the skinfood scrubs I'm used to. 

I'm actualy pretty disappointed in this since I had high hopes. The chocolate smelled pretty good, but everything else about it was... nope. I'll probably repurpose this as a body/foot scrub, unfortunately.

Tinkerberry: Website | Instagram

Curated By Popculture 

Last but not least is a year-long Curated by oPpculture e-magazine subscription worth RM72, which is pretty cool! I signed up via their link but hasn't received a magazine yet, so I'm waiting still. :P

Curated: Website | Instagram

Overall Impression

If you can't tell already, I'm really pleased with this box overall! All the items sang to me. . . maybe cause I already reach mom-level? D= Nah. The items in the box were all very good! I'm really pleased to be trying every single thing in the box and look forward to seeing more from the brands. 

For the unitiated, Cubecrate also carter to custom favors, birthday boxes, wedding favors, and events!

Subscribe With Cubecrate Here.

Price: RM35/RM44 for Sabah/Sarawak

(Given a free in exchange for an honest review by cubecrate.com) 

Verdict: 10/10

Repurchase: NA

I also do quick, short reviews on my instagram so if you're up for it, do follow me here too! :D https://www.instagram.com/peachy_amy/

And like my Facebook page? :D https://www.facebook.com/MalaysianBeautyHaul/

[Lifestyle] Malaysia Subscription Box: Cubecrate April Box

Price: RM35/RM44 for Sabah/Sarawak

(Given a free in exchange for an honest review by cubecrate.com) 

Verdict: 7/10

Repurchase: NA

Cubecrate is a surprise subscription box that costs RM35 per month and includes a variety of locally sourced products ranging from beauty to decor and handmade items that you wouldn't think to try out on your own. For three months, the subscription is RM90. They also have a wine subscription if you're into fine wine. ^^

Subscribe With Cubecrate Here.

Disclaimer: I received this box in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, as usual. ^^ You can also check out: 

2016: October's Box, November's Box, December's Box

2017: January's Box, February's Box, March's Box

April's Box

April's Cubecrate box arrived a while later than expected, arriving sometime in the beginning of May instead of in the month of April. Cubecrate was great with keeping everyone updated regarding the boxes's delay. They even let me know via pm on instagram that they've sent the box and I should be expecting the box soon, which is a nice, personal touch. ^^ 

As you can probably tell, the month's box is medical themed, with most of the items being something useful to an extent. It was n interesting theme to do, but one I'd grown to appreciate more now that I've gotten some use from the products.

Yu Yee Oil

This Minyak Yu Yee Cap Limau is probably my favorite product of all the items in the box. Yu Yee oil is a herbal medicated ointment with sweet peppermint smell. It is used traditionally to relief winds and bloated problem in babies.

My stomach has been upset for the past few days, so this has been super helpful! ^^ On the other hand... Ugh, there's always a but, like the Minyak Angin that I use, this causes rashes on my skin. :(

PS Love Company

The pslove company has innovated a 100% natural and portable heating patch that heats up almost like magic, providing effective and quick relief to ladies who feel abdominal pain during that time of the month. Their product, MenstruHeat, has won awards and is one of their top selling products. 

MenstruHeat will heat up on its own within 5-10 minutes, providing the pain relief and comfort needed without side effects. It reminds me of another menstrual heating pad that I've tried. It's sold for RM7.60 each on their site. I haven't gotten around to using this yet, since I haven't gotten my period, but it's actually more expensive than the herbal heating pads that I got from Althea last time, which was 3 for RM13. I'll update the review here once I've used it!

You can find their products here: PsLove.co 

GetDoc

This box includes a GetDoc's 15% health screening vouchers in addition to the red colored pill box. For some reason I expected there to be candy in there. :P GetDoc is an online site that allows you to reach over 2000 healthcare professionals through their site! You can make appointments with doctors you want with just few clicks! 

I don't visit doctors much, since I have a fear of them, so I don't think I'll be using the discount code at all though. The box pill, while cute, is fairly useless for me, but I think my parents might be able to find better use for this. :) 

You can find them online here: GetDoc.co

Whoosh EyeWear

There's also a Whoosh Eyewear's Rm30 discount. Woosh eyewear brings the best eyewear designes with style, quality and professional advice on the go! I initially thought this would be one of those things that's only available in West Malaysia, but there's an outlet in Vivacity, Kuching, which means I will be making a visit down there soon to see what I can get. 

My friends have dully informed me that the glasses there are priced from RM160+ upwards though, which means this might be useless, after all. I don't wear glasses and I don't think I'm prepared to spend so much on a pair.

Cough Samples

Last but not least, is this three-pack cough syrup sample.

Overall Impression

I was... curious about this box, to put simply. I'm not quite sure how to make heads or tails of this since the items were so unique. Of the box though, most of the items are actually pretty useful in daily life, such as the pills box and the heat patch. While not as fun as the other boxes, I'd like to think it's pretty helpful.

I have a soft spot for both PsLove and GetDoc, since they provide great services for people. In terms of price though... I'm finding it a little hard to get this to be worth the RM35 asking price unless you're already looking to get a pair of glasses and can use the RM30 voucher to bring the price down. Otherwise, The Yu Yee Oil, MenstruHeat, and pills box barely adds up to RM20, hence the lower score despite liking most of the items in the box.

For the unitiated, Cubecrate also carter to custom favors, birthday boxes, wedding favors, and events!

Subscribe With Cubecrate Here.

Price: RM35/RM44 for Sabah/Sarawak

(Given a free in exchange for an honest review by cubecrate.com) 

Verdict: 7/10

Repurchase: NA

I also do quick, short reviews on my instagram so if you're up for it, do follow me here too! :D https://www.instagram.com/peachy_amy/

And Like my Facebook page? :D https://www.facebook.com/MalaysianBeautyHaul/

[Lifestyle - Travelling With Triba-East] Day 5 - 6: Vivaldi Park Ski World And Back To Kuching

How time flies when you're having fun. However, by the fifth day of the trip, I was starting to feel a little exhausted. At first I thought it was just my period being annoying, but it turns out I ate something that gave me stomach flu. :( That means the last two days for the trip was both exhausting and a total blur. 

As luck would have it, TribaEast, which had arranged majority of the trip for me, had planned for the skiing trip to be on the last full day in Korea. The trip was RM300 per person paid to TribaEast, so I paid a total of RM600 for the both of us prior to the trip. It was only when we were on the resort that we were told that the amount did not cover for the skii lifts, which cost and addiitonal 55,000won, adding a whooping 110,000won to our skiing expenses. That's an additional RM400+, so the skiing was actually RM500 per person and more than RM1000 for two of us. If I had known in advance how fucking expensive this was going to be, I would've gladly chosen to opt for the Seoul Everland park instead, which is RM138 per person. 

Honestly, I'm still quite pissed about this additional payment, since I was under the impression that payment to Tribaeast would cover the whole day. Evidently, they did not see the need for skii lifts since we could just play with skiing... on a small slope? For a whole day? Jesus. As you can tell, it really soured the experience, expecially since we were down to our last 150,000won and thankfully, had just enough to cover our trip back to the airport.

The rest of my experience had been good though, as you can see here: 

How To Plan a 6-Day Personalized, Budget-Friendly Tour To Seoul, Korea

Day 1: From Kuching, Malaysia To Myeong-Dong, Korea With Public Transportations

Day 2: Christmas Village, Snow Sled, & Strawberry Farm, Seoul, Korea

Day 3: Petite France & Nami Islance 

Day 4: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insadong, Noryangjin Fish Market, Dongdaemun Design Plaza

As you can probably guess based on the track record we had so far, the day started really bright and early! The tour bus that TribaEast had arranged for us picked us up at the meeting point before the sun had even risen and we were both understandably groggy. Add that to the fact that the people leading the tour spoke almost exclusively in Cantonese makes for two very lost tourists (me & my bf).

Still, we were determined to make the most of the trip! First, they drove us to a skii-rental station where we were all geared up with the appropriate, and super fancy outfits!

Vivaldi Park Ski World is an hour away from Seoul. It has a total of 12 slopes and 10 lifts, including gondola, with a maximum occupancy of 20,000 people.

Different slopes are available for visitors for different levels, with beginner's incline with only 5 degrees and 9*, to a maximum of 28* for experts!

Since we weren't allowed to bring our belongings with us while we were skiing, we had to rent a locker as well. I would defintiely suggest paying for the locker, since losing your stuff is never worth saving that extra bit of money. :) The whole place is quite packed, and its easy to lose sight of your items when you're up the slope.

The tour that we joined included a mini introduction to not fall on your ass butt immediately as you step on the skiing boards. I swear, this is one of those things that's a lot harder than it looks, but it certainly has a steep learning curve. By the end of thirty minutes of painstakingly hiking uphill in too-heavy skiing equipments, we decided to ditch the beginner's class and make our ways up the skii lift.

It's a long, long, long queue up, and a short trip down. The queue is simply ridiculous, since we were there during the weekend. That means we spent half an hour to an hour lining up to get on the lift, and then ski down in all of five minutes. Rinse. Repeat.  When we were there, there were students who could bypass the queueing altogether, which made the lines even slower! I hated that.

By day 5, I wasn't feeling at all fine already. Everything was sore. This is compounded by the fact that in the middle of showering the previous day, the hot water disappeared. That means I was showering with cold water. In winter. Fuck that. 

My wonderful bf and waited with me in between each downward skii so I could rest a little, then resume skiing. It's a long, long, long queue up, and a short trip down. The queue is simply ridiculous, since we were there during the weekend. That means we spent half an hour to an hour lining up to get on the lift, and then ski down in all of five minutes. Rinse. Repeat.  When we were there, there were students who could bypass the queueing altogether, which made the lines even slower! I hated that.

We had fun though! It was just exhausting since I wasn't feeling my best. Thankfully, the horrible symptoms of stomach flu only started presenting itself after we returned from the trip, which was to say I spent the night in the bathroom. T.T  We managed to see this adorable mascot on the walk back though! ^^

My bf decided to have a Mc.Donalds dinner since they serve bacon with their meals! ^^ He loved it. The buns were more fresh than we're used to back hom, and bacon is delicious. We also ran across this silly thing on the way back. Hehe.

Unfortunately, the night was spent vomitting and basically just getting rid of everything in my stomach, which was awful. My bf was perfectly fine, but I was pretty much dying. Lol. We made our way back exactly the way we arrived, via train, since there was a toilet in the train that I knew I could use, and I didn't want to subject the poor bus to that.

We managed to get our hands on some pills to help with my stomach cramps and problems, which I took on the flight back and tried my best not puke my lungs out. :(

Nothing I took made me feel better, and I was sick and vomiting for an entire week after I returned from the trip, occasionally getting up to drink some water. 

What a way to end a holiday. It wasn't the best resolution, but that's the way life is. Messy, imperfect, and occasionally well, shit happens.

I had a good experience though, and it gave me this amazing picture that I'm really in love with. 

Most of the trip was planned with the help of Triba-East Travels, which I really appreciate. I'd love to plan my next trip wtih them as well. :) They have deals locally, in Malaysia, as well as in other countries, such as Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, and China.

Book Your Tour With Triba-East Travels Here

I also do quick, short reviews on my instagram so if you're up for it, do follow me here too! :D https://www.instagram.com/peachy_amy/ And Like my Facebook page? :D https://www.facebook.com/MalaysianBeautyHaul/

[Lifestyle - Travelling With Triba-East] Day 4: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insadong, Noryangjin Fish Market, Dongdaemun Design Plaza

James picked us up bright an early on Day 4 to bring us on a tour around the city. I had the ceral and soya that the airbnb place provided while my bf opted for noodles. We were debating whether we wanted to go to a theme park, since Triba-East had tickets for those on their site as well, or experience more of Seoul. Ultimately, we decided that if we wanted theme parks, we could've bought a ticket to Singapore and have a go at Universal Studios there. The rest of my trip is here if you haven't read them yet:

How To Plan a 6-Day Personalized, Budget-Friendly Tour To Seoul, Korea

Day 1: From Kuching, Malaysia To Myeong-Dong, Korea With Public Transportations

Day 2: Christmas Village, Snow Sled, & Strawberry Farm, Seoul, Korea

Day 3: Petite France & Nami Islance 

James collected us from the airbnb early, and then we were on our way.We turned down the road, away from the hustle and bustle of touristy Myeong-Dong and further down to where the locals were, at Cheong Gye Cheon, to tall skycrapers with glass windows and steel supports. The roads were empty, but James brought us down the stairs to a wall of history.

James told us that the scenery would've been much more breathtaking if we had chosen to go during any other season. As luck (and poor planning on my part) would have it, we went during winter, where the leaves have all dropped and the branches were bare, still, the murals on one side of the path provided us with rich history.

"In the second lunar month of 1795, King Jeongjo, the 22nd monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, accompanied by his mother, Queen hyegyeonggung Hong, visited the tomb of his father, Prince Sado, at Hwaseong to commemorate his father's 60th birthday. Upon returning to Seoul, the king ordered the compilation of Wonhaeng Eulmyeo Jeongni Eugawae, a column of sketches commemorating King Jeongjo's royal progress to Suwon."

"This book includes paintings showing the royal processsion departing from Changdeokgung Palace and crossing Gwangtonggyo Bridge to Hwaseon with an entourage of 1,779 people and 779 horses. The most talented court painters, including Kim Hong-do, were commissioned to produce this piece. It fully expresses the dignity and authority of the royal court and the free-spirited and joyful mood of the people."

"This piece is of great historical value as it is both a genre painting and a documentary painting on the royal court. It provides insight into the formalities, customers, and composition of a royal procession of the times."

The end of the journey brought us to a nice view and a way out.

We weren't quite sure where we were at this point, but it was very pretty, and James knew the way to the palace, so we just let him lead the way.

Unbeknownst to us, we were a mere hour's walk away from one of the ongoing demonstrations that called for the resignation of President Park. It was interesting, seeing people set up props for the peaceful demonstration. There were even camps along the path, for those willing to stay the night. Police were stationed as well, but they were a distance away. 

But first, we managed to find our way to the Sejong Center, where there's a mini underground museum where we could read the story of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sunshin.

There was also an assortment of historical recreations that was accompanied by english translations!

We spent a little while here, since both of us were more excited to be going to the palace. The palace was named Gyeongbokgung Palace, the "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven" with mount Bugaksan to its rear and Mount Namsan in the foreground. The site of the palace was in the heart of seoul. The main royal Palace was completed in 1395, 3 years after the Joseon Dynasty was founded by King Taejo.

You can have a virtual tour of the Palace on their official website here: Royal Palace. If you only have time for one Palace visit in Korea, make it this one. It's the oldest , largest, and grandest of the Palaces. 

James revealed that the reason he wanted us there early was in order for us to experience the guard-changing ceremony. The guard's bright colored costumes and reenactment of the original ceremony is worth experiencing. The performance times are as follows:

Sumunjang (Royal Guard) Changing Ceremony 

10:00, 14:00 / 20 minutes per ceremony 

Gwanghwamun Gate Guard-on-Duty Performance 

11:00, 13:00 / 10 minutes per ceremony 

Sumungun (Gatekeeper) Military Training (outside Hyeopsaengmun Gate)

09:30, 13:30 / 15 minutes per ceremony

We entered the palace shortly after the guard change, and then waited for James to get our tickets. ^^ Have I mentioned James is the best? In the meantime, we took a few selfies! ^^

The first gate of the palace can be entered without tickets, but the second required purchasing tickets, which were pretty cheap at 3,000 won per person 19 and above, and 1,500won for ages 7-18. It's free for those ages 6 and under. 

The palace was brimming with tourists, and there were more than a few tour groups that spoke english and brought along with them a parade of tourists like us.

I always found it a little easier to travel away from big tour groups and take our time looking and what the palace has to offer and just enjoy the experience.  After all, views like these is best experienced without the chatter of the crowd and a million other people in your picture. :)

However, if you're curious about the history of the palace and want to learn more, there are free guided tour that's available in 3 languages, English, Chinese, and Japanese at different times. Tours last for an hour to and hour and thirty minutes with a limit of 30. Individuals of less than 10 people can just join the tour on a walk-in basis, or you'd need to make a reservation. 

Tour in foreign languages English : 11:00, 13:30, 15:30 Japanese : 10:00, 12:30, 14:30 Chinese : 10:30, 12:30, 14:00, 16:00

We exited through the back, where James pointed out we could see the residence of the now-former president of South Korea, President Park as well as Mount Bugaksan. This is the Cheongwadae Presidential Blue House, so named because of the blue roof (probably?). There were security guards around us to make sure we didn't try to trespass, but they were fine with pictures. :)

Instead of heading back, James brought us further down the road, where we noticed that there were more and more armed police as well as their busses. James duly informed us that the trial was taking place at the courthouse, but we should just keep going our way.

Look at James, walking behind the police force as if he's one of them. They were very aloof about us being in their way and walking together with them, which is really nice. ^^ We enjoyed walking alongside South Korea's police force. Made us feel important. XD

James brought us to the traditional, less-travelled part of Seoul, where we could see the ways of living, away from the city area. The houses were all distinct and wonderfully designed, created with their own peculiarities. Afterwards, he treated us to a wonderfully spicy seafood platter.   

The meal was interesting and nothing like what we're used to, and way too much for three. I wish we could tapao this back home, but alas, it was too much.

James had a bottle of soju in the midst of the meal while we opted for plain water alongside the savory dish. As usual, it was accompanied by several side dishes that were part sour and part spicy.

Afterwards, we continued our journey to Insadong Free Market, where we enjoyed cheaper street food and several sounvenir shops.

Away from the touristy areas, the items are significantly cheaper. Insadong has everything you could dream of buying, from the wide choices of food, to galleries of art, tea, traditional clothing, more food, and souvenirs. There's also the occasional event taking place, which in our case, was a traditional music show! ^^

We weren't looking to buy more things, so James asked if we were interested in seeing the local fishmarket. We were curious enough that we agreed. Noryangjin fish market was a short train ride away.

Kuching, Sarawak, where I'm from, is quite well known for our seafood but Noryangjin's fish market took it to another level altogether. The seafood here must've grown in the land of giants. Fish were so fresh they were still moving (except for the obviously dead one in the picture above) and they were gigantic! 

We enjoyed looking at all the seafood available, but I would recommend this place not for the exotic fish, but for the fact that you can choose the fish here, pay for said fish, and then request for them to be cooked in the stalls they have either attatched to the fish vendors, or upstairs, where there were restaurants ready to cook the seafood you've just purchased for a fair price!

Seeing as we arrived freshly having eaten lunch, we skipped on the meal option. But honestly, I'd recommend this place for a nice lunch or dinner. The trip by train is easy enough, since the Noryangjin stop is directly opposite the fish market.

Afterwards, James brought us to Dongdaemun so we could have a view of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the newest and most iconic landmark of the Korean design industry. The peculiar building is designed by world renowned architect, Zaha Hadid and the plaza is th eworld's largest atypical architecture. There's five halls in the plaza, Art Hall, Museum, Design Lab, Design Market, and Dongaemun History and Culture Park.

The Design Market is the one that we wandered into, and that offered cultural experiences as well as some shopping. ^^ The Art hall, as the name suggests, is where trade shows, exhibitions, fashion shows, concerts and performances take place. James told us that it's worth staying till the sun sets and enjoy the night view of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, while he had to head back to the office. 

It was an absolute pleasure visiting so many places alongside James. And it's also quite miraculous how much walking we did in one day. XD We literally walked to Gyeongbokgung Palace. How awesome is that? We wouldn't have been able to visit most of these places if not for James. We had so much travelling done and it was really worth the experience.

Since we were in Dongdaemun, my better half and I decided to take James's advice and stay the night instead of heading back to our room. Even with James's numerous intstructions on how to get back to our stop from the train, he didn't anticipate our lack of sense of direction, because once we exited the station, we completely forgot how to get back. Lol.

No matter. We needed to get food anyways! Street food in Dongdaemun is literally half the price of food in Myeong dong! We had a ridiculous amount of food. We had a custard red bean bun for 2000won, bacon bun microwaved 3500won (this tasted pretty bad. :( ), and 3 Cabbage buns for 6000won. We originally bought one, and liked it so much we came back for more, We also stood had a fish cake and fish roll for 1000won each. 

I also got a strawberry crepe with nutella for 3500won, which is stupidly delicious. We walked past a fruit stall, where I bought a pack of ~10 pessimons for 5000won. They were delicious af. 

After a few wrong twists and turns, we managed to get our way back to the Design Center, which really is beautiful at night. A magnificently designed marvel that gives you the best opportunity for camwhoring sessions like this one! 

Unfortunately, by this time I was starting to feel a bit under the weather, so we called it a day and headed back to the hotel... after spending a little while looking for the train. Lol. The train ride back to Myeong Dong was 1250won per person. 

I purchased 13,900won's worth of masks as souvenirs for friends and family. ^^ I had already started to lose my apetite by the end of the long day, but my better half had a better immune system and continued eating! He wanted to have McDonalds of all things! So we ordered a burger with bacon strips!

This cost 8,900won and is worth every won! It was delicious! Well, what little I tasted anyways. Someone (not me) ate most of it while I wasn't paying attention. Lol. 

Total Expenses: 47,000 won / RM183

Majority of today's tour was curtesy of James and Triba-East Travels. 

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