Chinese consumers shop at a duty-free store in Seoul.[Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily]

Meanwhile, if you want to shop some more in the city, the Dongdaemun Shopping Town should not be missed. From early morning to late at night, this area is bustling with locals and tourists fancying Koreanstyle apparel and accessories, and it is dotted with several shopping malls offering clothes and shoes in a wide range of prices, for wholesale or retail. It is a good place for bargain hunters as well as buyers seeking the works of local independent designers.

I often joke before each trip that I am determined to cut the budget by buying less makeup and clothes, only to find each time that the credit card bill grows fatter, because there is just too much temptation to resist.

To save some money, one little tip is that if you shop at a store where signs reading "tax free" are posted and you spend 30,000 won (about $27) or more, you can ask for a tax refund and collect it in cash or on your credit card or even Alipay, an online payment system of Alibaba, at downtown banks or airport counters.

After a mentally exciting but physically tiring shopping tour during the day, according to my own experience, it is a wise decision to spend several hours relaxing and refreshing at a jjimjilbang, an authentic Korean spa, which is sure to drive away all fatigue.

You can enjoy many recreational amenities there, such as a snack bar and karaoke, and experience the down-to-earth Korean pastime that often is depicted on Korean variety shows (wearing a croissant-shaped folded towel as a hat and having a boiled egg and makgeolli, a Korean rice wine). This is one of the mostloved ways for Koreans to relax.

If you are a clubgoer and want to have a taste of the best nightlife in Seoul, the neighborhood around Hongik University (also known as Hongdae), which especially excels in fine arts and design, is a must see destination. This is where the country's leading clubs are located and where the city's young hang out.

Additionally, you can appreciate and shop at the Hope and Free markets (on Saturday and Sunday mornings at the front gate of Hongdae), which offer a wide range of Korean cultural and practical souvenirs.

A K-pop themed schedule is what my friends and I tend to add to our travel plans while in South Korea, with concerts and musicals topping the list. While for concerts in general, tickets for a VIP seat cost no more than $150, the overall atmosphere, the cast of musicals and the audience all make the shows memorable.

Taking a sip of the very popular banana milk brought back from South Korea, and recalling travel memories, I found my heart already looking forward to the next trip, when I plan to have a journey with more of a historical focus and less shopping－something I have not tried before.

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