Hey there! My name is Kelly, I’m from Hong Kong, currently studying in Seoul and relatively new to this community.
I was introduced to this platform last year summer by my Taiwanese friend (shout out to Amy!), obviously I was amused, I thought I have to be some kind of verified professionals to do this! With all the photos I took of the places I’ve been to, I’m more than excited to start this journey.
Cafe De Fessonia @ Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul
This is the first place I wrote a review for, simply because I was waiting for my friend, the baristas were really friendly there and the interior was nice. However the price was comparably pricey
It reminds me of that day some tourists asked me for directions, I didn’t know either, so I asked the baristas for it, surprisingly, they have totally no ideas as locals!
Killerswell, Busan
Then I uploaded a post on a surfing-themed cafe in the south part of Korea, Busan. I started to realise how much I like cafes Aren’t they just give you an aesthetic vibe?
This reminds me of how surprised my friend and I were that day when we were so exhausted from the train ride from Seoul to Busan, and this beautiful cafe located right next to our hotel! It was like a gift for both of us who needed coffee desperately!
享家牛肉麵食館, Pingtung District, Taiwan
This beef noodles shop was introduced by my good friend in Pingtung, it’s her favourite restaurant. It is a small store located in a less modernised district in Taiwan, but I totally loved how local and delicious it was! If it wasn’t my local friend, I would never have the chance to try it!
The reminds me of how the boss of the restaurant didn’t even ask for my friend for her student ID (as they have student discount), cause my friend is so much of a regular customer!
渣哥1998, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong
‘渣哥1998’ is a popular take out store near my workplace. There is always a long queue even in the morning when everyone was rushing to work, my colleagues always arrive earlier just to get their food. I was so curious so I forced myself to wake up earlier another day just to try their breakfast and BOOM it was SO GOOD.
This reminds me of how I was just an intern for the company and now I’m working for them, and still I love the taste of 渣哥!
Whenever I looked back to my reviews/contributions, I feel like I’m reading my journal. I tried so many times just to keep a daily journal and I failed, but I’m now used to writing reviews on Local Guide whenever I visit somewhere new and I feel like more people need to know about them (whether it’s in a positive aspect or not). Slowly it became a platform for me to record my daily life, cause obviously, people have to go around, is just I decided to share it on my Local Guide account. Each of the reviews I uploaded reminds me of the things happened on that day. I can’t describe how satisfying just to look back all of the places I’ve been to!
Local Guide also feels like an invisible friendship to me, just like a local friend of mine, whenever I’m visiting somewhere new, I search for reviews on Local Guide, especially when it’s written by the locals, I feel secured and confident with an unfamiliar place. Vice versa, when I realised how many people actually viewed my reviews, I feel extremely happy, it’s like helping people like myself! It is normal to get scared and confused when you are out of your hometown, what if my reviews as a local / a traveller are helping the others to feel like they’re not alone while travelling? They can just explore a new place with confidence!
Local Guide is bringing me so many joy and satisfaction, I’m beyond grateful for this interactive community, where everyone feels like a family
Take care!