What To Do When It’s Cold Outside – Korea Edition
The temperatures in Korea have gotten very, very low in the past few weeks and there are no signs of getting better any time soon. This is why we made a guide for you, the shivering traveler. Keep reading to find out what to do in Korea when it is cold outside.
Visit a book store!
Bookstores are oddly enough a solo hang out place for many locals. If you head down to any Bandy and Luni’s location you will find many people reading at the end of every shelf. Bandy and Luni’s is one of Korea’s most popular book stores and they have a location in Sinchon, easily accessible from Hongdae where you might want to hand out. If you cannot read Korean you can pick up some books to learn how to, or you can get cute planners and other stationery. One thing you should not miss on if you like to draw is one of the many manga-drawing books.
Drink some tea!
You can find some breathtakingly beautiful tea houses in Korea. Most are located around Insadong, so, if you’re freezing after visiting the traditional palaces you might want to pop in a hanok style tea house and get warmed up. The heated floors, known as ondol, will make you feel super cozy. You should expect to pay around 10.000 KRW for you tea, but it will come with some sweets as service. The atmosphere in these tea houses is super relaxing. When you don’t know what to do experience Korean tea culture.
Drink some coffee!
South Koreans are biiiig fans on coffee! While it might not be as strong as what you are used to, it still is delicious. Some of the most beloved coffee chains are Tom and Tom’s and Holly’s Coffee but, if you want to go the traditional way you’ll be happy to know that South Korea has a plethora of Starbucks coffee shops. When you don’t know what to do and it’s cold outside you more than deserve to treat yourself to a cup of hot chocolate! We recommend A Twosome Place – this coffee shop will look good in pictures and is very easy to find if you’re in one of our guesthouses in Sinchon (exit 1) or Hongdae (exit 2). Don’t forget about Seoul’s many pet cafes! Raccoons, sheep, cats and dogs are all waiting for your affection!
Eat some porridge!
Porridge comes both sweet and savory, suited for carnivores and vegans. For those of you who don’t eat gluten, Korean porridge is a wonderful choice. The porridge is made out of rice.
Eat some soup!
Korean restaurants offer a crazy-wide variety of soups, from slightly sweet to so spicy that you’d rather die you can find everything in Korea. And yes, this means that you, pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans have nothing to worry about. But still, you should ask them if they used fish sauce and anchovies for the broth! Soups come both as stews and as soups and even as the world-famous Army Stew/Soup which has all kinds of deliciously unhealthy processed meat, cheese and carb-heavy noodles.
Hang out inside the guesthouse!
Traveling can get pretty tiresome so, if you don’t know what to do, perhaps you should not be doing anything. Why not hang around the guesthouse and socialize with other travelers? You can meet some pretty interesting people. Create friendships during this afternoons where you don’t know what to do and choose to stay inside. You could also take advantage of this time to ask our stuff for help. Just in case you are in need of any…
