明洞我也不知道有什么好写的，因为对我来说明洞就是一个可怕的地方！！！要吸光我的钱！！！所以只想快点逃走，并没有好好逛到。待我自制能力强一点，我才能够好好逛明洞吧！如果你还没看我在明洞失心疯买了什么，请点这里。我连明洞哪间超大的 LINE Friend Store 都不敢逛，因为我怕我的钱再次离我远去 lol lol lol
7 Days Itinerary in Korea (Seoul, Gyeonggi-Do & Jeollabuk-do) for Muju Firefly Festival
Farzana Fattah
Farzana is a student at Singapore Management University who’s currently wondering what on earth she’s doing with her life. When not nerding out over the latest superhero movie or scrolling through memes on Tumblr, she is almost definitely researching random places across the globe and daydreaming about the next holiday destination. She is inspired by the variety of cultures in the world and hopes to travel to at least fifty countries in her lifetime to experience most of them.
The 20th Muju Firefly Festival happening at the end of August! What a great excuse to travel to Korea! This exciting festival takes place in Muju, a county in Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla province). During this festival, stroll through the fireflies’ natural habitat and be dazzled as they light up the night sky. This is something you won’t want to miss.
To get you started, here’s a little itinerary and guide designed to help you experience the best of Korea AND the Muju Firefly Festival within a week. Yes, don’t worry, we will leave you enough time to explore Seoul too.
Begin your Korean journey in Seoul, where you’ll get a sampler of what’s to come. Check into your hotel and if you have the energy, make the best of your first day in Korea! What are you most excited about? The food? Feast on a Korean BBQ or trawl through stalls after stalls of street food – tteokbokki, bulgogi, japchae, you name it! Remember to refrain from shopping too much – you’ll have time for that at the end of your trip! And try not to stay up too late – as hard as that sounds – because you will be leaving Seoul tomorrow for more adventures to come.
Sorry, what? You haven’t heard of the Gyeonggi Province? Shame. It’s just a half an hour car ride from Seoul, and it’s chock full of cultural sights that is sure to leave you fully immersed in the Korean culture!
Suwon sounds like a cute Korean celebrity, doesn’t it? Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s actually the capital of the Gyeonggi Province! That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a pretty place though, because the attractions that you’ll see here are simply going to take your breath away.
There’s no way you’ve seen Suwon if you haven’t seen the Hwaseong Fortress. I mean, come on, this is a UNESCO Heritage Site, people. It was built between 1794 to 1796 during the Joseon Dynasty, which makes it over 200 years old. My friends, you have a sight to behold.
15 minutes away from Suwon lies the busy little city of Yongin, where you’ll find the Korean Folk Village and the Wawoojongsa Temple. The former was yet another remnant of the Joseon Dynasty while the latter was the birthplace of the Korean Buddhist Nirvana Order. You’ll feel like a true blue Korean in no time.
You don’t always have to be in France to experience France. Wait...say whaaat? You’ll know what I mean as soon as you step inside Petite France. Take a trip out of the hustle and bustle of Suwon and you’ll find yourself seeing Colmar, France, even when you’re continents away in the serene Korean countryside! You get to immerse yourself in the French culture while you’re here as well, so kill two birds with one stone and make this one of your stops pronto!
I’m honestly not sure why many people give this place a miss. Jeonju (the capital of Jeollabuk-Do) is a UNESCO-listed City of Gastronomy! It’s especially famous for their bibimbap, and with that picture, it’s not hard to see why. You can practically see the freshness oozing from that bowl.
Just because Jeonju’s the Foodie Capital doesn’t mean that it’s without its sights to see! Take your pick from the Jeonju Hanok Village, Gyeonggijeon Shrine and the Jeondong Catholic Church, the last two of which will give you further insights into the lives of the Korean folks back in the Joseon Dynasty!
Wine enthusiasts, it’s time to rejoice! Nestled within the Muju county lies the Meoru Wine Cave. This is where wine is stored to ripen – be prepared to be amazed by the rows of rows and wines that extend past your line of vision. There’s no reason not for you to come here, people, because the wine that you buy here is 15% off the market price. Yup, you read that right. This has to be on your itinerary whenever you’re in Muju.
Of course, we can’t leave Jeollabuk-Do without witnessing the event of the year. Anyone remembers the song ‘Fireflies’ by Owl City? Well, if you’re in Korea between the last week of August or the first week of September, you’re in for a treat – feast your eyes as 10 million fireflies light up your world at the 20th Muju Firefly Festival! It will literally light up your world like nobody else.
Alright, we’ve gone full circle, and the final stop along our journey is none other than Seoul! Get ready to choose from a million and one things to do.
No shopping experience in Seoul is complete without visiting Myeongdong Shopping Street! Think of Orchard Road in Singapore, and you’ll get the same vibe. Grab your cosmetics and makeup products here, because this place is littered with beauty stores. The underground shopping malls like Yeongdeungpo Underground Mall to the Jamsil Underground Shopping Center if you want a unique experience! Just take your pick and you’re sure to strike gold.
Don’t forget about the markets! No shopping experience in Seoul is complete without them. Drop by the ever-famous Dongdaemun and Namdaemun Markets for the best buys, but make sure to check out Gwangjang Market as well. It may not be as famous as the first two markets, but it is one of the oldest traditional markets in Seoul. Drop by and be prepared to be wowed by the huge array of things they have there!
But of course, Seoul is not just about shopping. If you haven’t heard of the Bukchon Hanok Village, you have been living under a rock, my friend. That, along with the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine, are huge must-visits if want to get up close and personal with Korea’s culture and history – yes they’re all from the Joseon Dynasty again!
If you lean more towards Korea's modern popular culture, there’s no question about where you must visit: SMTOWN@coexartium! This is the chance to live through the experiences of your fave SM artistes, so grab this opportunity as soon as you’re here! Of course, if you want an opportunity to “meet” your fave celebs, look no further than the Grevin Wax Museum. They’re so life-like that they could pass off as the real thing! Take as many photos with G Dragon and PSY as you want, because when will you have this opportunity again? You only live once, so go on right ahead!
I guess now that you’ve seen an alternative route to see the best of Korea, you’re off to pack your things and hop on the next flight out of here. But wait – you don’t have to do that just yet!
Muju Firefly Festival: A Night Spectacle You Have to Witness in Korea
See Wah
See Wah loves to immerse herself in the poetic side of life: art, literature, photography, and of course travelling - poetry (of the human condition) in itself. She believes that the world is endlessly inspiring and beautiful, and when her head isn’t in the clouds, she hopes to fill her life with all these things that makes life wondrous
Never seen a firefly before but desperately want to, because come on, who doesn’t want to see a sky full of fireflies at least once in their lives?! Well then, ladies and gents, I’ve totally got you covered with the 20th Muju Firefly Festival!
Saywhaaaaat, a festival dedicated entirely to fireflies?? Yep, you’ve got that right! Taking place from 27th August to 4th September 2016, this is seriously one surreal festival that you don’t want to miss!
Taking place within the charming traditional craft culture zone of Muju, not only do you get to see fireflies light up right before your very eyes, get ready for a whole lot of fun with the whole plethora of activities that this famous festival has in store! Ready?? Let’s go!
Image credit: Muju Firefly Festival Organizing Committee
Test your fishing skills with the Fishing Experience, where you get to catch trout with your bare, bare hands. Like, woah, what an experience that’ll be, huh?? Feel like a total George of the Jungle with this activity! Just pray that no trout smacks you right across the face as you’re wrangling with it! Or, you know, fall off the raft while you’re at it. Yikes.
Image credit: Muju Firefly Festival Organizing Committee
Also, as night falls, you definitely have to experience releasing lit-up balloons into the silky black skies, or as they’re called in the festival, Flying Balloons of Hope. Fireflies ain’t the only thing that can light up the sky. This is totally a quintessential experience when you’re here so make sure you do it or die trying – don’t say I didn’t tell you!
Image credit: Muju Firefly Festival Organising Committee
There’s plenty of other stuff to do when you’re here as well, from live performances and parades with super cute mascots, to an actual (gasp!) exorcism performance and catching a glimpse of your favourite K-pop stars, this is definitely a totes entertaining festival that you don’t want to miss.
Image credit: Muju Firefly Festival Organising Committee
Fun fact: fireflies only survive in the cleanest of environments, so it’d be pretty hard to catch such a lightshow anywhere else! Indeed, this festival heavily advocates for keeping a clean, green environment – so while you’re at it, get a little more educated about our precious mother earth as well. Hey, who says fun and saving our environment can’t mix?? The Muju Firefly Festival is totally the embodiment of that.
Just to give you a small taste of what I’ve been talkin’ about, here’s a short video to get you into the mood for this tres cool festival!
关于志愿工作，有这么一句话我非常认同：“当志工最棒的事情是，当你付出的时候，你会发现自己其实获得更多。” (The best part of volunteering is that when you give back, you actually receive more.) 确实是如此。志工在给予的同时，也得到温暖的友谊、宝贵的经验、美好的回忆、更广阔的视野、时时刻刻感恩的心......这些都是受用一生的法宝啊！
Central World Plaza / Isetan / Zen / Shibuya 19 / Pratunam Market / Platinum Fashion Mall / Big C Super Center / Amarin Plaza / Gaysorn Plaza / Erawan Bangkok / Central Chitom / Pratunam Center / Watergate Pavillion
