South Korea: COEX Mall

COEX Mall is considered as the largest underground shopping mall in Asia. With an area of 85,000 square meters, the mall houses an aquarium attraction, a multi-cinema complex, Duty Free shop and the Kimchi Field Museum.


This has been our first stop during our 1-week trip to South Korea. From Euljiro Sa(4)-ga Station, the nearest station from where we stayed, we rode the Seoul Metro Line 2 (Green Line) going to Samseong Station, which is connected to COEX Mall. Getting to the Mall, which is 15 stations away from our origin cost us KRW1,350 (Around Php50. I've already deducted the KRW500 deposit for Single Journey Tickets). From Samseong Station, take exit 6 which has a direct passageway to COEX. You'll then find an open space which has stores bordering it--Zara, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts to name a few. 


Since it was almost lunch, we went to their food court and bought our meals. We didn't miss the chance of trying out Korean foods and ordered at a local stall. Since the cashier hardly speak English, the best way to place your orders it through pointing at the pictures on the menu. We had rice roll (KRW3500=Php130), topokki (KRW3000=Php111), bibimbap(KRW3000) and sundae(KRW4000=Php148) for our main course and stock and yellow raddish for the appetizer. [A Korean meal isn't complete without a set of appetizers. These are given for free when ordering at any Korean restaurant.] Expect Korean foods to be spicy, nevertheless, the meal was sumptuous and left us with contented tummies! Well....except for the 'sundae'. In other parts of the world, a 'sundae' is a cold, sweet dessert that would want you to indulge every lick you made as it melts in your hand. But Korea's version is the exact opposite. Sundae is made of pig's intestines stuffed with cellophane noodles, barley and pork blood. (Source: Wikipedia) 


Though we're too full and lazy to walk, we began to explore the place. We decided to separate with my cousins and aunt since we have to buy some things. First on our list is to head to Etude House to look for cosmetic items. The prices in Korea are almost 50% cheaper compared to the price in the Philippines. We also went to several electronics shops since we're planning to buy iPhone and iPad. Unfortunately, their units are only set in Korean language and cannot be used outside Korea.


In the event that you wish to look for a certain shop, an interactive map can be seen for every 15-20 meters. We tried the map to look for the Duty Free shop but we thought that it is located in a different building so we end up in their performing area. The mall have performers who plays music almost every hour at this area and people could sit and relax while listening to the performance. My parents sat down and enjoyed the music while my sister and I went to this thrift shop which was not really that thrifty. Haha!


The mall is indeed HUGE and would really drain your energy. Though several vending machine are scattered around the mall and could quench your thirst. Numerous coffee shops and restaurants can also be found.

After 2 hours of roaming around, we finally ended the LOOOOOONG walk and headed to our next destination.