Seoul, Korea 2016, SM Coex Artium

Still in Gangnam area, we continued our Kpop day to SM  Town Coex Artium, a six-storey building that just opened last year (January 2015). There is no entrance fee and it is conveniently located in COEX mall. If you arrive in COEX via subway, got off at Samseong Station, find EXIT 6, and you will see the building. This is a must-visit place for SMTOWN fans like us! It has artist goods, SM studio, SM LIVErary cafe, hologram theatre, and exhibition.

1st Floor: entrance

2nd Floor: SUM Merchandise Shop (sells official goods of SM artists like clothes, albums, pillows, stationaries, products endorsed by SM artists, as well as random products that the artists enjoy)

3rd Floor: SM Town Studio (a place where you can become an actual artist, check out their training studio, recording studio, mv studio, and photo studio. In order to experience various training and styling adventures, we have to pay and make a reservation

4th Floor: SM Town LIVErary (a café where you can buy thematic desserts, drinks, and lounge around while listening to SM songs)

5th and 6th Floor: SM Town Theatre (used for hologram musicals and concerts, live musicals and plays, as well as fan meetings and showcases by SM artists)

 It has EXO paper toy in front of the building bcs the current show on SM theatre is EXO surround viewing concert 

2nd FLOOR: SUM Merchandise Shop

  

3rd FLOOR: SM Studio

 

4th FLOOR: SM LIVErary 

nothing can stop my sister from buying EXO overpriced berry drink. The bottle has EXO lyrics The cafe has signed chairs and tables by SM artists

5th FLOOR: SM Theatre

my sister watch the EXO concert! I didn't join her bcs I'm not a fan of EXO, so I waited for her at COEX mall.

Seoul, Korea 2016, K-Star Road, Gangnam

K-Star Road is a new tourist hotspot in Gangnam. It is an urban walking course located in Seoul's affluent Gangnam district. It links high end shopping to headquarters of major Korean entertainment companies (SM entertainment, Cube, JYP, FNC, etc), the born place of kpop stars. It is expected to become one of the must-visit locations for tourists as well as fans. This 'Hallyuwood Walk of Fame' pays homage to K-Pop stars in the form of cutesy bear sculptures, known as Gangnamdol, dedicated to Korean singers and actors. Be sure to drop by and take lots of picture with your favorite Kpop group’s doll before you resume your long walk towards the entertainment companies.

Team EXO

Team Girls Generation 

Team TVXQ

Miss A. CNBlue, Super Junior, SHINEE

Fans waiting in front of JYP, hoping to see artists

number one Korean entertainment company, where legends came from.

Seoul, Korea 2016, Ewha University

On the very first day of 2016, me, my sister, and a friend of mine were gathered in Juanda Airport Surabaya with bags fully loaded with thick clothes. We flew to Singapore, had a super short transit, and flew again to Korea! Finally.. touchdown Kimchiland! It was 11pm in Seoul, so basically we spent our new year mostly on plane. After a long walk, we arrived at our first Airbnb. It's located in Hongdae area.

The next day, we began with Ewha Womans University! Korea in January is hella cold, around -3 to 5 celcius. Ewha is one of some prestigious universities in Seoul. The place is very green and clean. I wouldn’t mind to go back to school if the school is this beautiful. The streets around Ewha is a shopping heaven for me. Those are the places where you will find the good bargain because Korean students are very good at looking trendy on a budget. We also spotted a lot of boutiques selling affordable girls clothing in different styles, mostly sweet and feminine. I spent around 80.000KRW (approx 900.000 IDR) for 6 clothing items! How cheap is that (considering the quality)! Watch out, some shops in Seoul sell "made in china" stuffs.

Queenstown, New Zealand 2015 (part 2)

When I first heard that I'm gonna visit Queenstown besides Melbourne, I was.. not that excited? I didn't hear much about the city. Yes I knew about New Zealand and its beauty, but Queenstown seemed strange to me. However, I gotta say that what I had in mind was sooo different to what it was. Queenstown was 1000 times more beautiful!

That day, Queenstown journey was hung up because our flight was diverted to Christchurch due to bad weather. Wind was blowing strongly, our plane was shaking. At first, it was just a normal ups and downs, but it's getting worse. Some people on the plane even puke and screamed.

However, we were grateful that our flight was rerouted because the journey from Christchurch to Queenstown was one of the best things in our trip. It took around 6 hours to reach Queenstown. We rented a van and discovered some of New Zealand's most spectacular scenery; icy mountains, idyllic rural scenes, grazing cows and sheeps, surreal blue lakes and rivers. Everything was picture perfect, the pictures I took look like postcards. Even the night sky didn't disappoint. I had never seen as many stars as I did there. Sitting outside and looking up at the millions of stars was a wonderful way to end the day.

In Queenstown, there's this street where you will find a row of unusual letter boxes. There were around 50 of them. I believe each letter box represents the owner's interest or occupation.
 

Queenstown, New Zealand 2015 (part 1)

As a frequent traveller, I've tried many types of accommodation options; budget hotel, boutique hotel, guest house, private house rental, apartment, luxurious 5* hotel, even hostel (ugh, once is enough). I can’t always choose a luxury hotel but don’t want to stay in an ugly budget hotel. I'm not that type of person who prefer to suffer while sleeping and showering, as long as they can see the tourist attractions and shop. Even though I were travelling on a budget, I will never ever stay in a cheap-but-hideous budget hotel. I'll go for boutique hotels or apartments or private house rentals (airbnb) that offer something different. 

Talking about accommodation, my Queenstown's was more-than-awesome. Some people might say, for a room I will barely be in most of the day, it's a waste of money. For us, a stay in New Zealand's number one holiday destination deserves premium accommodation. My accommodation is located in an elite area with 3000 acre settlement in one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. It combines a sustainable design approach with contemporary architecture. All day sun elevated to enjoy the absolutely awe inspiring lake & mountain views. The Remarkables mountain ranges dominate the skyline; there was still snow on the peaks when I arrived. This brand new home offers many surprises with full modern amenities. On the description, they say: expect the unexpected.

Without further due, here are pictures of the house, some of them featuring my sis in law doing her morning yoga.

open plan kitchen with modern appliances and dishwasher under the island

homemade wagyu steak by sister in law's talented  brother and a fine wine for a perfect relaxing day

room one, 1st storey that has big window with The Remarkables as the view

my room two, 2nd storey

my room has a cavity slider to living room. On the right side, I can see views of  The Remarkables 

hidden room 3, 3rd storey. Need to climb a small staircase that leads to the room

Basically, no detail has been missed. Each room is unique and offers something truly special for my holiday to Queenstown. It was very warm during winter with underfloor heating, fireplace and heat pump. Promise to self that I'm coming back! It's definitely one of the best place I've ever stayed in and worth every penny.