First, the landscape took me by surprise as I didn't realize that Korea has so many mountains. It was breathtaking how lush and full of trees they are. The streets were also wider than I remembered and so so so clean. I rarely saw trash on the ground but the smog in the air is really bad. It made my throat hurt and I didn't see a clear sky, clouds, or stars the entire time. Also, everyone was so friendly and kind, which my aunt tells me is all a recent change in Korea. And the food, oh the food! I thought I knew all there is to know about Korean food but I learned so much more, especially about regional cuisine. I found an amazing restaurant that serves traditional Korean food, tried subway waffles filled with cream and apple syrup, ate a freshly made hotteok, and best of all, tried poop bread! I'm also obsessed with daechucha, or jujube tea, that I had at a tea house, and have also come to the conclusion that sweet potato pizza is the best kind of pizza there is. Some things I knew beforehand but still found quirky about Korea were: wet towels at restaurants, hole-in-the ground bathrooms, shoes must be taken off in dressing rooms, servers don't wait for you to browse the menu, abundance of drinking water everywhere, ear cover protectors included in hair dyeing kits, no tax, no tip, napkins in tissues boxes at restaurants, and lots more but I can't remember the rest. Rather than post a series of photos from my trip since most are all on Instagram, here's just a few of the highlights.
