u/mystic_soul3

Do you know Korea only have one official Chinatown? Yeah the official China town in Korea is only one and that’s in Incheon.

It was established way back in 1884 following the opening of the nearby Jemulpo Port. It started as a settlement for Chinese merchants during the Joseon Dynasty and has held onto its unique cultural identity ever since.

Heard Jajangmyeon is actually invented right here by Chinese immigrants who adapted their traditional noodle dish to suit local Korean tastes. You can even visit Gonghwachun, the historic restaurant where it was first created, which is now a massive, multi-story dining hotspot.

If you visit on a weekend, prepare for intense crowds and massive lines. Famous spots like Gonghwachun start getting heavy queues right after 11:00 AM.
There are also so many street food shops like candied tanghulu skewers.

The neighborhood is quite hilly (but not hard). After walking the bustling main streets, keep climbing up to Jayu Park. It is a wonderful, quiet escape from the chaotic restaurant alleys. We have walked only a small area so not quite sure about the size. When you’re in Incheon area give it a try.

Osulloc is often considered one of the must-see spots in Jeju, and I've heard many mixed reviews from friends. So last week, I finally went to Osulloc to experience it for myself. Here is my two cents: if you’re traveling to Jeju Island and have a tight itinerary, I wouldn't suggest making it a priority.
It’s one of the most famous spots on the island, but the actual tea plantation wasn't quite what I expected. The green tea fields are fine for a quick photo op, but they are much smaller than I anticipated. The area feels more like a massive commercial shop than a peaceful farm or an actual "museum."

The background of this place is actually pretty cool. The factory and fields are owned by Amorepacific (the massive Korean company behind K-beauty brands like Innisfree, Laneige, and Sulwhasoo). Back in 1979, the founder bought barren, rocky volcanic land on Jeju and spent years transforming it into these organic tea plantations to revive traditional Korean tea culture. When the Osulloc Tea Museum opened in 2001, it was Korea's first-ever tea museum.

While the "museum" aspect might be a bit underwhelming, the cafe and their tea products is genuinely good and lives up to the positive reviews. Be warned, though: the cafe is incredibly crowded. Finding a spot is basically a waiting game where you have to hawk-eye the tables and grab a seat the exact second someone leaves (at least during the time I visited).

The Final Verdict: If you’re short on time, skip it. Jeju has far more serene and authentic spots to explore. However, if you have a flexible schedule and consider yourself a die-hard matcha fan, it’s worth the detour just to try their exclusive matcha bibimbap and matcha noodles.

Hey everyone! If you’re on Jeju right now, definitely try to catch the Haenyeo performance at Daepyeongri Port, Seogwipo before it wraps up.

In case you aren't familiar, Haenyeos are Jeju's famous "sea women", who free-dive to the ocean floor to harvest seafood without any oxygen tanks. It's a huge part of the local culture and even recognized by UNESCO.

Honestly, the event was so much fun!
You actually get to see a glimpse of how they work while they sing their traditional songs. They also have a local band playing in between, which kept the energy up and made the whole night really lively. The whole program was about 1hr.

We got super lucky with an absolutely stunning sunset while we were there, making the whole vibe feel pretty magical. Also, after the program you can take photos with the Haenyeos if you want.

Tip: There’s a 24-hour pizza place called 'Napoli' right next door (three varieties of pizza and two varieties of pasta). It's super convenient, so you don’t have to stress about rushing to find dinner before places close up.

Here are the details if you want to go:

Location: Daepyeongri Port, Seogwipo
[NAVER Maps]
Daepyeong Port
Jeju-do Seogwipo-si Andeok-myeon Changcheon-ri 914-5
https://naver.me/GB3ZFaTv

Time: Fridays and Saturdays @ 7:00 PM

Dates: Running until August 22nd! Maybe will extend until Sept first week

Admission is totally free!

So I saw another gorgeous travel post on Jeju Island with its iconic stone statues, the Dolhareubang. Many tourists love seeing them, so I thought I’d share some background on them.

Born from Volcanoes
Dolhareubangs are carved entirely from porous basalt. Since Jeju is a volcanic island famous for its stones, this dark, holey rock is abundant everywhere, giving the statues their signature sponge-like texture.

Ancient Guardians
Back in the olden days, they were placed right outside fortress gates to ward off evil spirits, demons, and bad luck, while also serving as boundary markers for the towns.

Folklore (And why their noses are worn down!)
My friends told me this folklore that Dolhareubangs are also believed to bring fertility. It’s said that rubbing the statue's nose will help you conceive a son, while rubbing the ears will bring you a baby girl! Want wealth and prosperity? Rub the belly.

A Little Extra Trivia
The name Dolhareubang (literally "Stone Grandfather" in the Jeju dialect) is actually a relatively modern nickname. It was coined by locals and only became their officially recognized name in 1971.

Also, if you look closely at their hands resting on their bellies, if the right hand is higher, it represents a civil scholar, and if the left hand is higher, it represents a military official!

So hope next time you spot one, you can love and appreciate it even more!!

So I attended Nanta class organized by our university and we performed on stage. I would call it one of the best experiences I had in Korea. Buk Nanta (often referred to formally as Modumbuk or a drum ensemble) is a modern, high-intensity adaptation of traditional Korean folk percussion. While it uses traditional instruments, the performance style is entirely contemporary.

The Setup (as seen in the pic):

The Buk: The giant barrel drum you see most of us standing at. You hit the center made of animal skin for a deep boom and whack the wooden rim for sharp clicks.

The Janggu: See the person sitting on the far left? They’re playing the janggu, an hourglass-shaped drum. They handle all the super fast, intricate middle rhythms while the rest of us hold down the heavy core beat on the buk. Since we students were all beginners we didn’t get to do that part.

The Gongs: We play alongside a kkwaenggwari, a tiny ridiculously loud brass gong that leads the tempo (our 선생님 is playing it in the far right) and a jing, massive gong for deep vibrations (which we had on our 2nd performance, not on this one).

Overall I enjoyed learning it so much and we made a wonderful team!

Went to a tea festival recently and tbh I didn't even know lotus tea (yeonkkotcha) was a thing until now. They were handing out free glasses too, which was a win because I heard this is expensive.
Watching them brew it was lowkey mesmerizing. They drop dried lotus into a teapot, pour hot water over it, and you literally watch the petals open back up in the water. The flavor was super light, just a mild, earthy vibe with a tiny hint of sweetness and it helps to calm down our body.

They said some tips if you ever want to buy some: high-quality dried lotus shouldn't look like sad, crunchy brown leaves. It should still have its original bright pink or creamy white colors like in the picture. The petals also need to be completely intact. If they're torn or crumble into dust when you touch them, it’s a major red flag and considered low quality. The whole flex of premium lotus tea is seeing how perfectly it re-blooms in the pot.

I’ve been using Maybelline Fit Me (Matte + Poreless) for quite a while now, and deep down I knew it was oxidizing and making me look dull by lunchtime.
Today, I finally decided to do a swatch test to see the damage, and my heart is honestly breaking. The lower swatch is just applied, and the upper swatch is after letting it sit for exactly 10 minutes. Look at how much darker, orange, and dull it got! 😭I really wanted to love this foundation, but I can't walk around looking like that. I need your help girlies.
Any suggestions on how to minimize the oxidation ( I do skin prep and I’m dry skinned). Also any recommendations for truly oxidation-free foundations, concealers, or even skin tints? Any help would be appreciated.

Hey everyone! If you're heading to Jeju, I just want to share that the Manjanggul Lava Tube, one of the largest lava tubes in the world, is finally back open! It had been closed for over two and a half years for safety upgrades after a rockfall, but it is now officially reopened to the public.

The open section is about 1km each way (you walk in to the end and retrace your steps back out). It’s so chilly inside (I went when it was raining outside) and there is a lava column at the end (2nd image).

Ticket Price: ₩4,000 for adults, and for Jeju residents like me it’s completely free.

Hours: 09:00 to 18:00. Last entry is strictly at 17:00, and they stop selling tickets then.

Also if you have the heritage passport, this is a spot where you can get the seal!