Located a few minutes away from line 1 Uijeongbu station is the Uijeongbu location of Krum Coffee, which also has a branch in Yangju. Krum Coffee is on the second floor of the building.
The café is one big open room with fairy lights and a mini Christmas tree in the center of one table. A light jazz music is playing, and on this occasion we could see someone in the back of the café roasting coffee.
When selecting a pastry, go for one of the jam cookies rather than the pound cake, which we found a little hard. And be adventurous and ask what coffee is on the siphon bar if you’ve never had siphon coffee! (But remember to stick around and watch it being brewed, as that’s part of the fun.)
KrumCoffee signageglass door to Krum Coffeemenu in Koreaninterior scene: round tables, a full length mirror, and some wall shelving unitsclose-up of the shelving units, featuring glasses, cups, and coffee brewing equipmentsome pre-packaged coffeeinterior sceneinterior sceneinterior sceneview outside the window of downtown Uijeongbuthe bartwo siphons on the end of the barwater boiling in the base of a siphoncoffee being brewed in the top of a siphonfinished siphon brewing, coffee now in the basepound cakes and cheesecakes for salecookies for salea tray with a hot latte, iced pour-over (with a sampling of the ground coffee to smell), an iced latte, two pound cakes, a raspberry jam cookie, and some coffee candyclose-up of the latte arta writing board and pen on the outside of the café
There’s something different about this café… I just can’t put my finger on it…
Not only is it open 24 hours, but it is an automatic, unmanned café. You insert your card (even transportation cards work!), get the cup corresponding to your order (either a hot cup or a cup filled with ice), move it to the assigned area, and that’s it.
If you happen to feel a bit peckish, you can also check out the ice cream and snack display, which is also unmanned (and they have macarons!). Just insert your card to pay and open the door.
the cup area, featuring a machine in the middle that dispenses hot and iced cups; to the left is the coffee machine and to the right the “ade” machinedouble fridge with ice cream and snacksleave a suggestion or send an encouraging note on the bulletin boardslightly messy condiment barsleeves, straws and lids above the condiment barview of the café with 6 seatstwo seats along a table with fake yellow flowersclose-up of the cup dispenserinstructions on the wall in Koreanview of the corner with the condiment bar and bulletin boardclose-up of the fridge door lockselection of ice cream bars and mini ice cream cupscookies, Combos, chips and chocolate in the fridge
Take a ten-minute walk behind Yangu Station (Line 1) and you’ll stumble across a pretty little café called Enough You.
The café has amazing croiffles with a variety of toppings and the interior is quiet and calm. There are tropical trees, round mirrors, soft lights, a billowing white sheet hanging down from the ceiling over wrap-around windows, and even semi-external seating where you can pretend you’re enjoying the nice spring weather even though you still need your winter coat…
There’s literally nothing else to do in the area, but if you find yourself on Line 1, be sure to make a pit-stop!
the Enough You café with the words “Enough You” in large white letters on the side of the buildingview of the billowing white sheet under the ceiling windowsa large round mirror posted on the wall underneath “enough you” in neon lightsview of the front door and ordering counterfunky white paper lanterns above a high light wood tableview from the café, featuring wicker furniture and green tropical plantswhere the billowing white curtains meet the windows looking out into the parking lotan oblong illuminated shelf featuring some art magazinesa cute table for two near the front doorOreo croiffle and iced americanohallway to the bathrooms, featuring a large oblong mirror at the end
Where does a barista go for good coffee? Well, technically I go to Starbucks by my work most mornings and get a grande iced blonde roast latte with an extra shot (whew!) unless there’s an interesting seasonal drink. It’s not my fault, really: café culture here tends to start at 11am and end pretty late, much different than the 7am starts and 7pm closes I’m accustomed to!
On the weekends, you can find me at Coffee Class, a bright and inviting coffee shop not too far from where I live. They have your usual fare: lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, green tea lattes, and they also have manual hand drip (pour-over) coffee.
I have enjoyed their Costa Rican Asoporaaa Valverde Abarca Natural (notes of dark chocolate and lime), a Nicaragua whose information I didn’t catch but tasted of milk chocolate and raspberry, and an Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Lalissa Natural GI that was like a green grape explosion in my mouth. My only issue is that they do their pour-overs a little differently than how I was trained, and stir the coffee after it blooms. The average coffee drinker is not going to notice the difference, and to be honest, I probably wouldn’t either.
Today I had their tiramisu and it was lovely. They offer waffles and some other light fare and pastries which they bake in-house. The aesthetic is bright and airy with fun cat silhouette pillows and in the center of the café are several small round tables on small pebbles, almost giving it a café-on-the-beach vibe.
They get bonus points for always having beautiful latte art.
Tucked away in a building just off a side street in Uijeongbu is Ob-La-Di café. My friend Nora and I had no idea what we were in store for when we popped in one Saturday, and were excited to find out that not only does the café serve coffee but also….
The outside of Ob-La-Di.
Wait for it…
Cereal. Breakfast cereal. And not just Frosted Flakes and Oreo O’s (readily available in Korea) but many American flavors, including a no-name-brand Fruity Pebbles and French Toast Crunch. (!)
Many brightly-colored cereal boxes taped to the ceiling
Empty cereal boxes are glued to the ceiling and the walls are full of shelves featuring Disney toys, some of which are for sale. There’s a neon sign of Peter Pan’s silhouette reading “Never Grow Up” and all of the tables and chairs are bright and colorful.
Neon green silhouette of Peter Pan’s side profile with “Never Grow Up” written in yellow neon inside
I ordered an iced americano which was excellent, and the aforementioned French Toast Crunch. For “service,” one of the two baristas stopped by our table with stickers and a sample of Frosted Wheaties. “Service” is a Konglish term that means being given something outside of what you ordered. In English we would say something like “it’s on the house.”
It’s definitely worth a stop if you’re feeling like a nostalgic afternoon snack.
Two plates featuring an iced americano and French Toast Crunch and a latte and Trix (?)
The back of the espresso machine, surrounded by a wall full of empty cereal boxes
The corner of the cafe with the Peter Pan neon sign and three shelves bursting full of toys and stuffed animals
The other seating area, featuring pink walls with fun artwork and teal blue booth seating
A close-up of some of the shelves with toys and stuffed animals
Last five photos credit: Leonora Balajadia
They are open Monday through Saturday, 9am to 9pm.
Situated north of the downtown cluster of Uijeongbu cafés (of which there are enough to caffeinate a modestly-sized writing group), and next to a beautiful park, is the Orange Elephant café.
View of a corner café called Orange Elephant, which features several panes of large windows. You can see my friend Nora leaning out the front door waving a peace sign.Two tall glasses of iced drinks, one being milky and having long dark streaks of sugar in the glass and the other being an ombre iced americano, with a diner mug of black coffee in the middle just behind a plate with a lemon scone with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some berry jam. Photo credit: Leonora Balajadia
When my friend and I visited, there were no other guests in the café. Our drinks came out promptly and the café staff were very accommodating, even though they mentioned that they did not have any available outlets to charge electronics. (So make sure you’re juiced before heading their way!) The sunlight filtered in the windows at just the right angle to warm the Saturday morning. There is a display of locally crafted goodies, from rings to notebooks.
Interior shot of Orange Elephant featuring several round tables and chairs in various hues, along with a big leafy plant in the background. Photo credit: Leonora Balajadia
A black espresso machine behind a counter in the corner of the café
The two baristas working their magic behind the bar
Sunlight coming in through the window, illuminating a table and chairs
Some pretty pink flowers in a vase on the counter
The park across the street from Orange Elephant
Another view of the park across the street, where you can see bicycles and outdoor exercising equipment
If you’re planning on visiting, make sure to come Tuesday-Saturday, as they are closed on Sunday and Monday.
I left my apartment for the first time in three days to go to the McDonald’s that’s a five minute walk away. I took these shots along the way. And yes, there are that many convenience shops within such a small radius.
The “turn right at the 7/11 to get downtown” 7/11.
Modern cafe called “hwani dessert cafe.” There’s a sign advertising a 500 won take out discount.
Another older cafe with garish green lighting and obnoxious signage.
GS-25, “friendly fresh fun”, another convenience shop.
A small restaurant with the ubiquitous red chairs out front.
A restaurant advertising meat.
Another, larger 7/11.
U Play On, a cute modern bar I like to go to.
Sign reads: “U Play On, drinking with eyes, agreeable to the lips, cocktail”.
Bright red neon sign that reads “Koreatown.” I’m guessing that’s the name of the bar.
A restaurant with what I believe to be a piece of meat personified out front.
Typical street scene with lots of neon signs in the background and a surprising number of cars.
A restaurant under a second floor “vaping cafe” which could be a hookah bar or an actual vaping bar.
Cigarette butts and trash outside of the night club, which may or may not be open but I suspect it is.
Restaurant “Oh! TACO” on the second floor of the building. Not terrible Mexican, but not great.
The side of a game room.
The entrance to the game room is on the first floor, underneath an eyeglass store. There are lots of neon signs to be seen.
A Paris Baguette Cafe storefront with blue neon signs.
The inside of McDonald’s at 7:30 pm.
Another scene from McDonald’s. I must have hit right after the dinner and before the late night rush.
On the day I left for Korea, I faced every traveller’s worst nightmare.
image description: a plane window, seen from behind; the back of the seat is blue and there’s a brown fuzzy bit from a stuffed animal in the seat in front poking out towards the window
No, not a long delay or a cancelled flight.
I forgot my passport at home.
*insert Pac-Man dying noise here*
In my defense, I hadn’t slept well and woke up at 4:30. I remember my friend Carin pointing out to me not to leave my bag and I thought I had slung it across my shoulder, but I had actually slung across my Hydroflask in its carrier. Normally I don’t use my large 32 oz Hydroflask but wanted it for the long flight, and my muscle memory must’ve thought that I had grabbed my bag.
I didn’t realize I didn’t have my passport until I got to the check-in desk. Cue the frantic messages and phone calls, and somehow I managed to get a hold of my roommate before she left for work. The problem was then having my friend Carin drive from BWI airport all the way into DC and back with enough time for me to catch my flight. I wasn’t worried about catching the actual flight, but about the bag check-in, which cuts off 45 minutes prior to the flight.
I cut it close, but in the end, Carin and LaTroy came through for me and I made my flight.
I didn’t run into too many hiccups during my flight. When I first checked in to BWI, it took a bit of time for them to check me in because of my cat, but after a quick looksie at my paperwork, they verified that I was good to travel. My newest piece of luggage came in exactly at 50 pounds, which was great, but I knew that my second, older piece of luggage was going to be overweight, which was another fee.
The big question: how best to get Merlin through security. While I had asked for a private screening, I was told that I’d still have to send all of my luggage through the xray machine and take Merlin out of his carrier anyways which kind of… defeats the purpose of a private screening? So I waited until the last possible minute, reached in, wrestled him from his harness (which would have set off the metal detectors), and held onto him for dear life.
He squirmed a bit but he was mostly calm. I waited for what felt like ten minutes until the TSA agent gave me the go-ahead to walk through the metal detector, and then she told me she’d have to swab my hands. I asked her if I could put my cat back in the carrier and she asked if I was traveling with anyone, implying that if I was, I could hand the cat over to them. Luckily, she allowed me to put him back in the carrier and immediately swabbed my hands which, by that time, were covered in black fur.
My carry-on bag got pulled aside for extra screening and this time, it wasn’t because I was flying with coffee. (Pro-tip: if you fly with coffee, be sure that it’s easily accessible because they will have to screen it as coffee is apparently often used to smuggle drugs and/or money.) Turns out I had another “organic material” in my bag: cat litter. The TSA agent opened it up, put a little litter on two pieces of paper, administered two separate chemicals, and then let me go. She told me to take out the litter the next time I flew and there wouldn’t be a need for the extra screening.
I was initially planning on sneaking away to a family restroom to let Merlin have the chance to use the toilet before my second flight, but by the time I got from my previous gate to the next, they had already started the boarding process. I had only given Merlin a small amount of food in the morning, so I hoped he was going to be okay. I took someone’s advice from the internet and bought a bunch of cardboard shirt boxes that I could fill with litter and then dispose of.
The first flight from BWI to Detroit went by smoothly and quickly. The second flight from Detroit to Incheon wasn’t too bad either–I mostly slept or stared into space, although I did watch “Parasite” for the third time.
When I finally got into Korea, my overwhelming emotion was… I’m sweaty. Really, really sweaty. It wasn’t a matter of whether or not they’d let me into the country (they did, and that was painless), or even whether or not they’d let Merlin into the country (I had all the right paperwork)… I was just sweaty and pretty miserable, waiting in line after line.
Going through customs was an interesting experience. When I got to the first agent, she peered into my bag and her eyes lit up. “Ohhhh he’s so big and cute!” She then told me that I had to move to a different line and she shouted at her colleague (in Korean) that she had a cat.
The new agent checked Merlin for his microchip and went over the signed paper from the USDA and asked to see the original rabies titer test results. Then I had to hand over the signed paper from the USDA and, seeing that I wasn’t so willing to give it up, let me know that it was only good for thirty days from the signing.
image description: a purple cat carrier with a mesh top seen sitting on the floor underneath a plane seat at my feet; Merlin is a black cat and only his bright orange eyes can be seen through the mesh top
I was particularly stressed out about that piece of paper and for a few days, there was a question of whether I would even be able to make my flight, as I wasn’t going to fly out without my cat. In order to travel to South Korea with a cat, the cat must first get a rabies titer test, the results of which can take up to a month. Then, within ten days of travel, the cat must have a full health check-up and the results must be sent to the USDA to be apostilled.
I took Merlin in for his check up on Saturday and the vet told me to call the USDA on Monday to make sure they got the digital paperwork. Problem was… Monday was President’s Day. I got a call on Tuesday from the vet, saying that they needed a more specific address to list on the form (not just “South Korea”) and I could only give them the school’s address, which I hoped would be enough. Oh, and they weren’t going to be able to send the paperwork digitally so I would have to pay for them to FedEx the forms.
I received the paperwork on Thursday morning, before my Friday morning flight. As you can imagine, I wanted to hold onto that paperwork for as long as I could because I had stressed out so much about it.
When I finally got through customs, I noticed that there was no one waiting for me as there should have been. I gave a call to the director of my school and he answered, apologizing for not being there when I landed. He had mistaken the terminal I was flying in to, so I waited a few minutes outside my terminal for him to pull up. Then it was an hour drive to my apartment.
image description: view of the interior of a plane being boarded; there are three sets of three seats each along the left of the plane and people can be seen sitting and standing
Merlin bounced back pretty fast from the trip. He threw up the little food I gave him before the first flight, but didn’t defecate or urinate in his carrier. He immediately ran out of the carrier and under my bed but came out a few minutes later to poke around the apartment. I will note that it was a few days until he used the makeshift litter box, probably because he was scared of my temporary roommate (another new teacher) and the new environment.
So, Lessons Learned:
1) It is totally possible to fly internationally with a cat. I am blessed that my cat is super chill and quiet and has been through a lot in his little life so he bounced back pretty quickly from the trauma of a 14-hour flight.
2) If traveling with a cat… realize that your cat will take up most of the space at your feet. You also won’t likely be getting into your carry-on in the overhead bin, so don’t pack it like you’ll be able to easily reach in and grab things.
3) Be nice to flight attendants. If they find out your favorite cookie is Biscoff (Delta’s cookie of choice), they may just give you extra cookies.
4) Sometimes plane food is great. Other times it’s worse than Mickey D’s.
from left to right: a small “caprese” salad consisting of a few lettuce leaves, roma tomatoes, and two slices of mozzarella, a small piece of bread and butter pad, and a “four cheese ravioli” dish that also had pesto and tomatoes; a small container of Chobani blueberry yogurt (the only edible thing for breakfast), a small container of two grapes and a few pieces of cantaloupe and honeydew melon, and a cardboard box featuring the saddest egg, swiss cheese and English muffin sandwich ever; a miniature tub of Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream
5) For the love of all that is holy… Make sure you’ve got your passport!
image description: a picture of snowy mountain peaks outside of a plane window where a plane wing can be seen at the top left of the picture
Koffee & Kpop 