The Last EPIC Journey Part 9: Insadong, Nanishow & Relaxing with Bonjuk...
Fri Feb 12/10
ON THE WAY TO INSADONG AND NANISHOW
I have discovered that, on most occasions, when I try to get to a place based on memories of when I was last here...I get lost. We decided to go to Insadong to shop at Nanishow, which is a store that sells really nice, unique jewellery.
My friend Sunny, actually owns the store. Well, I led Chris in the direction of what I thought was the right way to Insadong. After 15 minutes of walking, I realized I was going the wrong way...ooops! We headed back in the opposite direction and eventually found Insadong and the Ssamziegil building. I was happy to see Sunny there and she was happy to see me too. We quickly caught up and I introduced her to Chris. We shopped around her store. There are always so many things I'd like to buy there! I asked Sunny if we could plan to eat lunch or dinner together. Monday is the best day for both our schedules, so we made the plans.
Chris and I bought quite a few pieces and Sunny gave us each a free pair of earrings! She's so nice and am overwhelmed by her generosity. Our initial plan was to shop at Insadong and then go to Ehwa Women's University, but we dropped so much cash at Nanishow, that we didn't want to do anymore major shopping for the day.
Ssamziegil Building
We wandered upstairs so that Chris could see the works of other artisans. We went by the glasses shop again and took these hilarious photos with the glasses on. There is one pic of Chris that makes me laugh out loud every time I see it. She just looks so dazed and confused! Chris took pictures of all the great artistic pieces around the building and I showed her the walls where everyone left their mark and added their own graffiti. Chris and I added our messages and I tried to find the ones Nick and I left last time, but I couldn't remember where they were.
TEAstory
I dragged Chris to a tea shop and we had cinnamon tea and five spice tea with traditional sweets. Everything was great except for the green tea dark chocolate, which was superbittter. Chris was taking pictures of me eating it and we made a photostory of our experience there. We laughed as we took photos. The place had a lovely ambiance and we had a window seat overlooking Insadong street where the shoppers and tourists bustled along.
BONJUK
Ever since Chris saw a porridge restaurant featured in a Korean tv drama called Boys Over Flowers (based on a Japanese manga), she has been craving it. Not to mention, this specific place called Bonjuk were able to land two of the cast members as their spokespeople. Chris was hoping that if we ate there or ordered food, she could score the calendar that featured the onscreen couple. It turns out Bonjuk isn't only a porridge restaurant...there are porridge restaurants and regular restaurants with Korean food. We looked through the menu and selected some dishes. Luckily enough the girls that work there saw our disappointment at not getting a calendar, they gave us the special take out bags with them on it. Chris felt a little compensated haha.
SHWEEEETSS
We ordered food to go and headed back to the guesthouse. We also bought bath salts to take advantage of the tub once we cleaned it. On our way back, Chris noticed another UNIQLO. She loves this store! She walked on, but was disappointed to see that the prices were higher than in Japan. While she perused the racks, I dropped by a bakery and bought a slice of cake to go.
We dropped by another bakery and bought a green tea roll cake. It's vacation time, so we wanted to spoil ourselves. On we continued, until our eyes saw another Bonjuk sign. It turns out that it is a brand new location and won't open until the 16th. Chris wants to drop by and try the food kekeke. Chris also hit the GS store to buy some beer. She bought a few different ones to try them out.
PHONE CARDS SUCK
We told my friend at Beewon that we would come down later to drink together with her. She told us to start ahead as her boss would be coming by. We went upstairs to take baths, eat dinner and relax. We watched some korean tv - mostly music shows and then we headed down to do some drinking in the den. My friend wasn't able to join us and I realized that I had to call Tito Eric and Tita Cynthia to make plans for tomorrow.
It's a long complicated story and all I can say is that I was running in and out of the building trying to buy a phone card to call them. After a lot of wasted time, I ended up asking my friend, the receptionist, to help me call their hotel and connect us to their room! Ah thank goodness! Made the plans and headed back to Chris to drink and eat the vendor food we had purchased. Not too long after, we decided to call it a night. It was a productive day and we were exhausted.
Good Night,
Sam ^__^
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Part 8: Snowy Seoul
N.B. I am already back home and these journals have been delayed as we were superbusy and I was very sick at the tail end of the Korean trip and into the Philippines...so sick, we almost didn't make it to the Philippines! It will be in the journals later on.
The Last EPIC Journey Part 8: Snowy Seoul
Thurs. Feb 11/10
Snowy Seoul & Beewon Guesthouse
When we arrived in Seoul it was snowing. The many Japanese people who were on our flight were ecstatic and taking photographs. Japan has not gotten much of it. We found our bus and bought our tickets and were soon on our way to our guesthouse. When we arrived at Beewon, we checked in. The girl at the desk remembered me from previous travels there. Luckily we had a 2nd floor room, because our luggage has already started getting heavy.
While Chris took a shower, I ordered 2 orders of ja jang myun (noodles with black bean sauce and vegetables) and an order of fried mandu (dumplings) delivery. This only cost $11.00. I always order this at some point during my trips to Seoul. So we quickly gobbled this down and got ready to meet Tito Eric and Tita Cynthia. Tito Eric was dad's best friend in school and they only reunited last year. Tito Eric and his wife coincidentally were spending a few days in Seoul for Valentine's Day weekend. We had arranged to meet two days and I would be the tour guide.
Lost
We made it to the Cerestar Mall where the hotel was attached, but we were confused as to where the hotel entrance was. We somehow got lost in the floors in between and were in and out of staircases. I finally asked another person how to get to the right elevators and we were directed to the hotel elevators. We got to their floor, but there was no lobby, so we went back in the elevator and Chris noticed the lobby floor. We finally found them!!
We took them to Myeongdong, since Tito Eric was looking for shoes and we thought Tita Cynthia might like shopping there. It was crazy as always. We popped into CT Records - my friend Song's store. Song and Jin Young were working and we shopped around. I introduced them to Chris and Uncle Eric and Tita Cynthia. Song gave me a free Boys Over Flowers poster for Tita Cynthia.
Chris and I did some shopping and I was able to snag a poster of Hyun Joong who starred in the Korean drama version of Boys Over Flowers for Tita Cynthia at a store called Tony Moly. Apparently we had to spend 10 000 won to get it, but I asked the guy at the cash very nicely ;) Chris has finally seen me in action, using the "dizon charm" to get my way hahaah. She's a fast learner as you will read.
K-BBQ FEAST
We window shopped and power shopped where necessary LOL. Tita Cynthia and Tito Eric were very patient! We stopped by two bakeries to look for snacks. Eventually we got hungry and looked for a restaurant. They had mentioned that they wanted Korean BBQ, so we tried a new restaurant. For some reason we were treated extremely well at this restaurant. I don't know if it was because they were nervous because we were English speakers or what. They called a specific waiter in and he served us the whole night cooking or food, constantly changing the grill and re-filling our side dishes. I used my limited Korean but it seemed that the staff kept checking in to see how we were doing. There was a really random moment when Chris got up from her chair and it tipped and hit the glass wall where we were sitting (probably b/c she had her heavy stuff hanging on it)...well a few of the staff rushed in all worried. I don't know if they were worried about the wall, or if they thought Chris collapsed or something. We were so full afterwards.
We took them back to their hotel in Dongdaemun and then we scooted to the Doota department store. We rushed through as we were tired - Chris especially. We rested for a bit with some smoothies and then headed back to Beewon. We watched a bit of TV before sleeping.
-Sam ^__^
The Last EPIC Journey Part 8: Snowy Seoul
Thurs. Feb 11/10
Snowy Seoul & Beewon Guesthouse
When we arrived in Seoul it was snowing. The many Japanese people who were on our flight were ecstatic and taking photographs. Japan has not gotten much of it. We found our bus and bought our tickets and were soon on our way to our guesthouse. When we arrived at Beewon, we checked in. The girl at the desk remembered me from previous travels there. Luckily we had a 2nd floor room, because our luggage has already started getting heavy.
While Chris took a shower, I ordered 2 orders of ja jang myun (noodles with black bean sauce and vegetables) and an order of fried mandu (dumplings) delivery. This only cost $11.00. I always order this at some point during my trips to Seoul. So we quickly gobbled this down and got ready to meet Tito Eric and Tita Cynthia. Tito Eric was dad's best friend in school and they only reunited last year. Tito Eric and his wife coincidentally were spending a few days in Seoul for Valentine's Day weekend. We had arranged to meet two days and I would be the tour guide.
Lost
We made it to the Cerestar Mall where the hotel was attached, but we were confused as to where the hotel entrance was. We somehow got lost in the floors in between and were in and out of staircases. I finally asked another person how to get to the right elevators and we were directed to the hotel elevators. We got to their floor, but there was no lobby, so we went back in the elevator and Chris noticed the lobby floor. We finally found them!!
We took them to Myeongdong, since Tito Eric was looking for shoes and we thought Tita Cynthia might like shopping there. It was crazy as always. We popped into CT Records - my friend Song's store. Song and Jin Young were working and we shopped around. I introduced them to Chris and Uncle Eric and Tita Cynthia. Song gave me a free Boys Over Flowers poster for Tita Cynthia.
Chris and I did some shopping and I was able to snag a poster of Hyun Joong who starred in the Korean drama version of Boys Over Flowers for Tita Cynthia at a store called Tony Moly. Apparently we had to spend 10 000 won to get it, but I asked the guy at the cash very nicely ;) Chris has finally seen me in action, using the "dizon charm" to get my way hahaah. She's a fast learner as you will read.
K-BBQ FEAST
We window shopped and power shopped where necessary LOL. Tita Cynthia and Tito Eric were very patient! We stopped by two bakeries to look for snacks. Eventually we got hungry and looked for a restaurant. They had mentioned that they wanted Korean BBQ, so we tried a new restaurant. For some reason we were treated extremely well at this restaurant. I don't know if it was because they were nervous because we were English speakers or what. They called a specific waiter in and he served us the whole night cooking or food, constantly changing the grill and re-filling our side dishes. I used my limited Korean but it seemed that the staff kept checking in to see how we were doing. There was a really random moment when Chris got up from her chair and it tipped and hit the glass wall where we were sitting (probably b/c she had her heavy stuff hanging on it)...well a few of the staff rushed in all worried. I don't know if they were worried about the wall, or if they thought Chris collapsed or something. We were so full afterwards.
We took them back to their hotel in Dongdaemun and then we scooted to the Doota department store. We rushed through as we were tired - Chris especially. We rested for a bit with some smoothies and then headed back to Beewon. We watched a bit of TV before sleeping.
-Sam ^__^
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Part 7: Sayonara Onsen, Konnichiwa Temples
The Last EPIC Journey Part 7: Sayonara Onsen, Konnichiwa Temples
Wed Feb 10/10
One Last Go
We had set the alarms for 6am for anyone who wanted to bathe once more before we left. I immediately sat up to get ready and just stayed there with my eyes closed. Then I heard Marie groggily ask if anyone was going to go bathe. I said I was and stood up to get my stuff. I scared myself silly because when I stood up, I saw a person's shadow on the sliding door - it was actually my own shadow. LOL. In all fairness, I was still groggy. Shortly after Chris sat up and said she would come too. In the elevator, we both agreed that we woke up to bathe one more time, because this was our last chance to enjoy it for a long time so we wanted to make the most of it.
We went to the indoor onsens. This time I wasn't wearing my contacts and I knew my glasses would only fog. I can see well enough, I just can't read anything without my glasses. Chris directed me to where she was. We enjoyed the two baths and then the sauna. It was much better this time because I felt that the elevated benches/seats were hotter than the floor where I sat. I was able to stay in a little longer than last time. Afterwards I went into the cool bath. Chris found it too cold so she only put her legs in.
We showered and went back upstairs. The girls were awake and we got ready for buffet breakfast. It was so yummy! We ate a lot again, but not as much as the night before. We went back to the rooms and Mellers said she'd go back for a quick dip. The rest of us decided to take naps on the futons.
Marie had to work so she needed to take the 10:15am train. We told her to go ahead to the lobby, but when she got there, the lady flagged down a bus and put her on it to the station or she'd miss her train. She called us to let us know and we headed off to Nikko. It was really lucky that we enjoyed all of this the day before, as the weather was much nicer. Today's weather was quite foggy and slushy.
Nikko
Chris and I had found a place called World Tobu Square on the internet. It is an amusement park that has replicas of the wonders of the world, except we found out later, that they were miniatures. We scrapped that plan and decided to just see the temples. We visited "Toshogu, Japan's most lavishly decorated shrine and the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Nikko had been a center of Shinto and Buddhist mountain worship for many centuries before Toshogu was built in the 1600." (taken from japan-guide)
Walking Around
We took pictures of the monkeys who hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. We copied them in the photos and the people who took our pictures took similar ones.
We climbed 200 steps to the mausoleum and it was so mystical with the mist everywhere. There was a large tree beside it where one could whisper their wishes into the hollow part of the tree. Mellers threw her arms up in the air and said GIVE ME LOVE! hahaha. I don't know what Chris asked for, but I asked to get into school and do well. I also wished for my family friends to be healthy and happy. We saw the temple of the crying dragon and the clapping of those wooden blocks had my ears ringing a bit. Chris was a bit jumpy at the temple too, but she was okay. She maybe sensed spirits there or something? Anyway, she stayed close to me the whole time we were there.
Mad Dash
We tried to keep track of time so that we could be back downtown at a decent hour. Mellers realized that there was a bus at 1:15pm and our train back was at 1:59pm. In order to catch it without rushing to the train we RAN down the temple. RAN people!
I ran with my heavyass knapsack and my bad cardio ahhaa. Mellers was running in her expensive heeled Italian boots and Chris in her new Harajuku boots and me with my Nike hightops. Mellers got there first and saw the bus. She started yelling and was hitting the side of the bus to wait for us. Chris and I caught up, we were gasping for air but were happy we made it. At the station, we ate curry pie and had a famous lemon-ginger drink.
COMAtose
We were pretty tired and we all just slept throught the whole train ride. Since we had already taken all of our scenery photos on our way there, we just slept the entire time, sprawled on our seats ahhaha. People walked by staring at us hahaha, we were so tired wed didn't care. We finally got back to the station.
Ikebukuro
Chris and I went to Ikebukuro to shop and Mellers took my knapsack to her place, so she could rest and call home. I bought a sheet of origami paper at a shop. We headed to Sunshine City mall. On the way, I won some anime-related stuff at an arcade. Chris and I shopped around and tried not to go too crazy. Because of the Alice-in-Wonderland craze, there is a lot of rabbit and clock themes, so I bought something.
Chris got some major steals! I got a new watch yea yea! I didn't spend that much as I need money for the taxi and besides, I spent a lot of money already!
When we called Mellers, Marie was with her. Marie had class early the next day and couldn't stay for dinner with us. We were going to leave in 30 minutes, but we didn't want to miss saying goodbye to her, so we rushed to Baba (Takadanobaba) station to say bye.
Okonomiyaki
I had been asking Mellers to take us to an okonomiyaki place. I love it! It's kind of like a cross between a pancake and omelette with different fillings. It turned out to be better that we didn't make it ourselves, because this guy made some amazing food! We ordered a lot of food. Two okonomiyakis, two orders of tofu (he added an extra one in for free), some kimichi dish and he also gave us a service (free) sweet potato dish that was amazingly good. We had a vegetable dish with asparagus and okra (I don't really like okra), but it was so delicious! We were so stuffed afterwards.
Haha Mellers kept saying she couldn't believe these great restaurants were so close to her and she didn't know about them. The guy was so nice to give us free stuff. We took pictures with them and he conversed with Mellers a bit. She told him we were from Canada. We went back to Mellers place to pick up the extra luggage and my knapsack. Mellers copied our photos and we stole music from her. I was already falling asleep. Sooooo tired...
See You Around Mellers!
Ah the part I hate - saying goodbye. I hugged Mellers really tightly and said goodbye. I really feel like it might be a while before I see her again, but who knows...that's what I thought the first time I said goodbye to her and we cried a bit, then I saw her numerous times after. A trip to Tokyo is never the same if Mellers isn't there. She was also able to switch her schedule so we could see her even more on the trip. She made the onsen so much more bearable as we were petrified, but ended up having such an amazing time.
Mellers is one-of-a-kind SUPERAWESOME. I'm glad Chris got to meet her and she's also met Josie. Guess she just has to meet my parents and she's met the family! Thanks Mellers for everything!! ^__^
Is it possible that we will make that trip an annual thing? ahahha. Where could we find the money and time? But when you think about it, it was such a steal. That experience only cost us $136 plus travel cost!
The Never-Ending Day
We got home and packed until we had to leave. So we got home at 1am something and left the guesthouse at 4:45am. Got the 5:45am bus and slept on there. Took a 9:00am flight and arrived in Seoul at 11:40amish, but that's another journal...so much to catch up on...slowly yet surely...these journals are so rough. I don't read them over, so sorry if they don't make sense LOL!
-Sam ^__^
Wed Feb 10/10
One Last Go
We had set the alarms for 6am for anyone who wanted to bathe once more before we left. I immediately sat up to get ready and just stayed there with my eyes closed. Then I heard Marie groggily ask if anyone was going to go bathe. I said I was and stood up to get my stuff. I scared myself silly because when I stood up, I saw a person's shadow on the sliding door - it was actually my own shadow. LOL. In all fairness, I was still groggy. Shortly after Chris sat up and said she would come too. In the elevator, we both agreed that we woke up to bathe one more time, because this was our last chance to enjoy it for a long time so we wanted to make the most of it.
We went to the indoor onsens. This time I wasn't wearing my contacts and I knew my glasses would only fog. I can see well enough, I just can't read anything without my glasses. Chris directed me to where she was. We enjoyed the two baths and then the sauna. It was much better this time because I felt that the elevated benches/seats were hotter than the floor where I sat. I was able to stay in a little longer than last time. Afterwards I went into the cool bath. Chris found it too cold so she only put her legs in.
We showered and went back upstairs. The girls were awake and we got ready for buffet breakfast. It was so yummy! We ate a lot again, but not as much as the night before. We went back to the rooms and Mellers said she'd go back for a quick dip. The rest of us decided to take naps on the futons.
Marie had to work so she needed to take the 10:15am train. We told her to go ahead to the lobby, but when she got there, the lady flagged down a bus and put her on it to the station or she'd miss her train. She called us to let us know and we headed off to Nikko. It was really lucky that we enjoyed all of this the day before, as the weather was much nicer. Today's weather was quite foggy and slushy.
Nikko
Chris and I had found a place called World Tobu Square on the internet. It is an amusement park that has replicas of the wonders of the world, except we found out later, that they were miniatures. We scrapped that plan and decided to just see the temples. We visited "Toshogu, Japan's most lavishly decorated shrine and the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Nikko had been a center of Shinto and Buddhist mountain worship for many centuries before Toshogu was built in the 1600." (taken from japan-guide)
Walking Around
We took pictures of the monkeys who hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. We copied them in the photos and the people who took our pictures took similar ones.
We climbed 200 steps to the mausoleum and it was so mystical with the mist everywhere. There was a large tree beside it where one could whisper their wishes into the hollow part of the tree. Mellers threw her arms up in the air and said GIVE ME LOVE! hahaha. I don't know what Chris asked for, but I asked to get into school and do well. I also wished for my family friends to be healthy and happy. We saw the temple of the crying dragon and the clapping of those wooden blocks had my ears ringing a bit. Chris was a bit jumpy at the temple too, but she was okay. She maybe sensed spirits there or something? Anyway, she stayed close to me the whole time we were there.
Mad Dash
We tried to keep track of time so that we could be back downtown at a decent hour. Mellers realized that there was a bus at 1:15pm and our train back was at 1:59pm. In order to catch it without rushing to the train we RAN down the temple. RAN people!
I ran with my heavyass knapsack and my bad cardio ahhaa. Mellers was running in her expensive heeled Italian boots and Chris in her new Harajuku boots and me with my Nike hightops. Mellers got there first and saw the bus. She started yelling and was hitting the side of the bus to wait for us. Chris and I caught up, we were gasping for air but were happy we made it. At the station, we ate curry pie and had a famous lemon-ginger drink.
COMAtose
We were pretty tired and we all just slept throught the whole train ride. Since we had already taken all of our scenery photos on our way there, we just slept the entire time, sprawled on our seats ahhaha. People walked by staring at us hahaha, we were so tired wed didn't care. We finally got back to the station.
Ikebukuro
Chris and I went to Ikebukuro to shop and Mellers took my knapsack to her place, so she could rest and call home. I bought a sheet of origami paper at a shop. We headed to Sunshine City mall. On the way, I won some anime-related stuff at an arcade. Chris and I shopped around and tried not to go too crazy. Because of the Alice-in-Wonderland craze, there is a lot of rabbit and clock themes, so I bought something.
Chris got some major steals! I got a new watch yea yea! I didn't spend that much as I need money for the taxi and besides, I spent a lot of money already!
When we called Mellers, Marie was with her. Marie had class early the next day and couldn't stay for dinner with us. We were going to leave in 30 minutes, but we didn't want to miss saying goodbye to her, so we rushed to Baba (Takadanobaba) station to say bye.
Okonomiyaki
I had been asking Mellers to take us to an okonomiyaki place. I love it! It's kind of like a cross between a pancake and omelette with different fillings. It turned out to be better that we didn't make it ourselves, because this guy made some amazing food! We ordered a lot of food. Two okonomiyakis, two orders of tofu (he added an extra one in for free), some kimichi dish and he also gave us a service (free) sweet potato dish that was amazingly good. We had a vegetable dish with asparagus and okra (I don't really like okra), but it was so delicious! We were so stuffed afterwards.
Haha Mellers kept saying she couldn't believe these great restaurants were so close to her and she didn't know about them. The guy was so nice to give us free stuff. We took pictures with them and he conversed with Mellers a bit. She told him we were from Canada. We went back to Mellers place to pick up the extra luggage and my knapsack. Mellers copied our photos and we stole music from her. I was already falling asleep. Sooooo tired...
See You Around Mellers!
Ah the part I hate - saying goodbye. I hugged Mellers really tightly and said goodbye. I really feel like it might be a while before I see her again, but who knows...that's what I thought the first time I said goodbye to her and we cried a bit, then I saw her numerous times after. A trip to Tokyo is never the same if Mellers isn't there. She was also able to switch her schedule so we could see her even more on the trip. She made the onsen so much more bearable as we were petrified, but ended up having such an amazing time.
Mellers is one-of-a-kind SUPERAWESOME. I'm glad Chris got to meet her and she's also met Josie. Guess she just has to meet my parents and she's met the family! Thanks Mellers for everything!! ^__^
Is it possible that we will make that trip an annual thing? ahahha. Where could we find the money and time? But when you think about it, it was such a steal. That experience only cost us $136 plus travel cost!
The Never-Ending Day
We got home and packed until we had to leave. So we got home at 1am something and left the guesthouse at 4:45am. Got the 5:45am bus and slept on there. Took a 9:00am flight and arrived in Seoul at 11:40amish, but that's another journal...so much to catch up on...slowly yet surely...these journals are so rough. I don't read them over, so sorry if they don't make sense LOL!
-Sam ^__^
The Last EPIC Journey Part 6: Kinugawa Onsen, bathing with nekkid people
The Last EPIC Journey Part 6: Kinugawa Onsen, bathing with nekkid people
Tues Feb 9/10
If you thought the other ones were long...perhaps this is not the entry for you. I must describe this with great detail, as it was an amazing experience..yes, an AMAZING experience.
Firstly, let me explain in my own words, that a Japanese onsen is a hot spring bath. In majority of onsens, the baths are separated by genders and require one to bathe nekkid with other people. The baths are very healthy - rich in minerals, etc. To experience a hot spring is to experience real deal Japanese culture. Eating a piece of sushi doesn't it cut it. hahaha...I talk like I'm an expert, but I'm far from it kekeke. A ryokan is a hotel/inn with a hot spring and traditional Japanese rooms with tatami floors. Ryokans serve traditonal Japanese food and the cost to stay overnight usually covers dinner and breakfast. An additional 150yen ($1.50) is charged for the use of onsens. Yukatas (spring kimonos) and slippers are provided in the rooms and instead of western beds, Japanese rooms are supplied with futons, pillows and blankets that are set up by the hotel staff before you sleep.
On to the novel...
Trains are better than taxis!
How could I have forgotten this? Trains are better and faster than taxis. We were running late, so I stupidly thought that taking a taxi to Takadanobaba (Mellers' station) would get us on time. WRONG! We got there 20 minutes late and called Mellers. She was already on her way to Asakusa station, so we hopped back on the trains to reach Asakusa station. I was totally prepared to tell them to go ahead to Kinugawa and we'd meet them there, but they waited for us. I'm so lucky that Mellers is so chill!
CHOO CHOO to Kinugawa Onsen
Mellers introduced us to her friend Marie, who is superawesome cool. We spent the 2h 30min train ride talking about randomness keke. Since we had missed the regular train we ended up taking the express train. In retrospect, even though it was a bit more expensive, it was a good experience for Chris to try and it was comfortable! The scenery changed to mountains and fields...and snow! We definitely weren't in Tokyo anymore. Tokyo was cooolllddd and there was a snow drought there. Mellers told us that everyone wanted snow in Tokyo, but there hadn't been much.
Taxi Scammer
We finally arrived at Kinugawa Onsen station. Ahhhh the air is so tasty and clean here. We took photos around the area and then waited for the bus. We took the bus to our Asaya Hotel where we were staying. Wahhh the hotel is beautiful! I knew this from pictures, but seeing it was even better. We left our stuff with the hotel as check-in wasn't until 2:30pm. We requested a cab back to the station as we wanted to go to Nikko to see the temples. Taxis take a while to come...seriously. Our taxi driver tried to convince Mellers and Mary that he could drive us to Nikko and wait for us as we toured around and come back. He would charge us $40/person. What a scammer....train tickets were only 300yen ($3.00) and would take 40minutes and a bus there would be 500yen...so really it only cost us $8.00 to get there. They were so funny! Marie said that just because we spoke English didn't mean we were stupid tourists kekeke.
Oyakodon, Toilets and A Nice Walk
Chris and I were pretty hungry so we all went to get food. We ordered Oyakodon which is chicken, egg, green onions in a bowl of rice. It was so tasty. Marie, Chris and I had to use the washroom, but the toilets were the squatting kind. (looks like a urinal in the ground) I just sucked it up and used it, but Chris and Marie were having none of that. Marie found a sign that said western toilet and they rushed there. hahahaha. We missed our train and wouldn't have gotten to the temples in time, so we decided to spend the rest of our day at the onsens.
We decided to walk back to Asaya Hotel. We somewhat remembered how to get back. We hit the 7/11 to get alcohol and snacks for later at night and Mellers and Marie got oden. We asked for directions and everyone kept saying ohhh 30 minutes away. We took our time and made a few pit stops visiting a small shrine/temple and Mellers made a mini snow man holding on to our vodka. It was pretty slushy too. We eventually got back to the hotel and scoffed at the whole 30 minute thing, as it only took us 20 mins to get back.
Checking In
We checked in and were escorted to our room by a traditionally dressed older woman. She pushed our cart of bags, to our horror! We weren't raised to let an older person push our stuff! She didn't let us push it...ohhh are parents would be smacking us now. We got to our room on the 12th floor...yes, we were on the very top floor! Our room was beautiful! Very traditional and relaxing. We took pictures so please check them out later. The lady literally explained EVERYTHING...by then Chris and I decided to forget asking Mellers to translate.
We rested for a bit and then got ready to go to the onsens. We put on the yukatas that were in the closet. That meant we were wearing nothing but underwear under it. Of course Chris and I changed without showing, still putting off the inevitable.
The Moment Has Come! Onsen: bathing nekkid with other nekkid people!!
Ever since I mentioned the onsen/ryokan experience to Chris we have been debating whether we should actually do this. Getting nekkid and communal bathing is a must in Japan, but this is not something we could do naturally. We seriously stressed about it, no matter how many times Mellers and Marie told us it wasn't a big deal. "Who cares? These people won't see you ever again, etc" They were so nice trying to comfort us. Last time Mellers tried to convince me to go to a public bath I almost cried in fear. I don't like looking at my body and can't imagine displaying it to everyone else.
After taking pictures in our yukatas we grabbed our small and big towels and went downstairs to the indoor onsen. We took off our slippers and drank a bit of tea. We went over to the baskets to put place our clothes in. I swear Chris and I just stood in front of our baskets staring at them for a few minutes. I was breathing in and out and laughing nervously. Ahhhhh alsdfjsdlfjasdlfjsd I couldn't get out of this one! We already paid! I couldn't chicken out. One last breath and then off went the clothes. I took my small towel with me and followed them out.
Once I saw everyone walking around so naturally, I felt a little better. No one was staring anyone down making things awkward. Of course I was still supershy and somewhat scared, but I think making this obvious, would only bring more attention towards me. We sat in front of the shower stations and we showered at our own station before going into the bath. I must say that when you shower like this, it is really relaxing and you spend time cleaning and pampering yourself. While we washed our hair, we talked casually like nothing was out of the ordinary. By the time we finished washing ourselves, I didn't care anymore. I am who I am, and I would enjoy this experience.
We stepped into the onsen and boy was it HOT! I'm really not used to this heat, but taking it step by step, was bearable. Legs went in first, then waist, then the rest of my body up to my neck. Ahhh so relaxing once the whole body was in. There was something like a hot spring fountain in the middle. We made our way to it and I put my shoulders under it...so relaxing. I can see how people just forget about the time and stay so long. The steam from the water wafted around.
We changed onsens and headed to the upper one which was even hotter, but the window was open in that room, so it was a combination of cold air with a really hot bath. It was really hot, so I stayed in there with them, but did not lean against the wall where the water was coming out like the rest of them.
After that we went into the sauna...holy moly hot. I felt like we were toasting ourselves like bread. I felt like I had grill marks in my body ahaha...suffice to say, I didn't stay there long. At some point I couldn't tell whether it was the water from my hair and face dripping down, or my sweat hehe. I left before the rest and dipped my legs in the cold bath.
We all showered again before leaving. In Japanese culture and in movies, there is a tradition of having the back scrubbed by another person/relative. Well hey, we were all used to being nude anyway and we were friends so...we were all sitting beside each other...we scrubbed each others backs in a line. No, it wasn't gross and no, it wasn't weird. This was really a life altering experience for me. I am more comfortable in my own skin now. Not to say that I'm going to go around being an exhibitionist or anything, but yeah, I'm really glad I went. It was more comfortable and superawesome fun with Mellers and Mary there, so I'm really happy they came with us. I'm sure Chris feels the same way.
After showering, there is a vanity area, where people can dry their hair and use the lotions and creams. We headed upstairs to the outdoor onsen. HOLY CRAP cold air! hahaha. We squealed and ran to the bath. I think the older ladies were laughing at us. It is so nice to have cold air combined with a hot bath. The steam was coming off the water kind like those science experiments when things are frozen. The scenery was beautiful and we couldn't help but speculate whether someone was up in the mountain spying on unsuspecting bathers. We lucked out whenever we went to bath, as it was never supercrowded. We knew there were a lot of people there, but we mostly shared the baths with a few others.
THE BEST BUFFET EVER!!
OMG...the dinner buffet blew me away. Any foodie friends I have would have gone nuts! There was so much food to choose from and yes, I took photos!! There were queen crab legs, fresh sushi, hot egg custard, DIY shabu shabu, steak, salads, a plethora of desserts and so much more..literally!
We ate for 2 hours! ahahhahah...we ate so much!! It was incredible. Soooo freakin' good!! I have decided that I need to live in a ryokan. I would probably die from eating so much everyday...ok...once a month then?
We were all pretty food drunk or in a food coma when we left. We were pretty giddy and then Marie did this funny walk and we burst into laughter. We were laughing so hard we all fell to the carpet and went hysterical. A few people passed by us wondering what the heck was going on. We couldn't even stand and were laughing there for maybe 10 minutes? It was so funny! We couldn't even speak! Mellers videotaped it...I need to get that video from her!
FUTON = HEAVEN
When we got upstairs and turned on the lights were surprised to see the futons had been prepared for us. We took photos and then we tested them. Oh my gosh...heaven...this was heaven. I had overeaten, died and gone to heaven. We wanted to steal the pillows, futons and blankets. This is a danger zone...with my sleeping disorder, I might not ever wake up!
HOT STONE spa
Mellers had booked a package for us to go to the hot stone spa for an hour. We were booked in and given a hard plastic bag with towels and spa clothes. We went in and changed. Just before entering the spa, we were required to drink two cups of water. It was hecka hot in there of course. The hot stones looked like graves lol...there were beds of hot black stones. We put our large towels on top of the stones and lied down.
It was relaxing yet soooo hot and everytime I moved, the sound of stones could be heard. I tried not to move around so much, but eventually half-way through I had to leave and drink more cool water. I passed by the girls and they were passed out hahaha. I took time outside to cool off a bit. I went back in and finished the rest of the time. Chris was out. She could barely get up and wanted to stay there longer hahaha.
We went back to the outdoor onsen again. We ran into the bath ahhaha and we played some games where we had to name tokyo train stations, celebrity couples, colours, celebs we'd like to party with, etc. Anyone who couldn't name something on time, got splashed by the three of us. The onsen at night is really nice and relaxing.
After the outdoor onsen, we went back to the indoor one. I felt all my stress disappear and was more relaxed than I had been in a long time. Chris and I were talking about how we felt so clean and fresh after this experience...that and our skin became pretty white ahahaha. Once we had all finished bathing we headed upstairs.
Our plan was to drink all night and play games. Mellers hit her futon and she was off to lala land for the rest of the night. She lives a crazybusy life like me, so she really needed the rest. Chris stayed awake for a bit, but soon followed Mellers. Marie and I stayed a wake a while longer talking and drinking and finally slept. Initially I thought I would listen to my ipod, but it was dead and I didn't need much help once I lied down on the heavenly futon.
I told you it was a novel! I really wanted to put in every detail I could remember so that I would have it chronicled for myself. So yet, another experience to add to my life. I would definitely do it again!!
-Sam ^__^
Tues Feb 9/10
If you thought the other ones were long...perhaps this is not the entry for you. I must describe this with great detail, as it was an amazing experience..yes, an AMAZING experience.
Firstly, let me explain in my own words, that a Japanese onsen is a hot spring bath. In majority of onsens, the baths are separated by genders and require one to bathe nekkid with other people. The baths are very healthy - rich in minerals, etc. To experience a hot spring is to experience real deal Japanese culture. Eating a piece of sushi doesn't it cut it. hahaha...I talk like I'm an expert, but I'm far from it kekeke. A ryokan is a hotel/inn with a hot spring and traditional Japanese rooms with tatami floors. Ryokans serve traditonal Japanese food and the cost to stay overnight usually covers dinner and breakfast. An additional 150yen ($1.50) is charged for the use of onsens. Yukatas (spring kimonos) and slippers are provided in the rooms and instead of western beds, Japanese rooms are supplied with futons, pillows and blankets that are set up by the hotel staff before you sleep.
On to the novel...
Trains are better than taxis!
How could I have forgotten this? Trains are better and faster than taxis. We were running late, so I stupidly thought that taking a taxi to Takadanobaba (Mellers' station) would get us on time. WRONG! We got there 20 minutes late and called Mellers. She was already on her way to Asakusa station, so we hopped back on the trains to reach Asakusa station. I was totally prepared to tell them to go ahead to Kinugawa and we'd meet them there, but they waited for us. I'm so lucky that Mellers is so chill!
CHOO CHOO to Kinugawa Onsen
Mellers introduced us to her friend Marie, who is superawesome cool. We spent the 2h 30min train ride talking about randomness keke. Since we had missed the regular train we ended up taking the express train. In retrospect, even though it was a bit more expensive, it was a good experience for Chris to try and it was comfortable! The scenery changed to mountains and fields...and snow! We definitely weren't in Tokyo anymore. Tokyo was cooolllddd and there was a snow drought there. Mellers told us that everyone wanted snow in Tokyo, but there hadn't been much.
Taxi Scammer
We finally arrived at Kinugawa Onsen station. Ahhhh the air is so tasty and clean here. We took photos around the area and then waited for the bus. We took the bus to our Asaya Hotel where we were staying. Wahhh the hotel is beautiful! I knew this from pictures, but seeing it was even better. We left our stuff with the hotel as check-in wasn't until 2:30pm. We requested a cab back to the station as we wanted to go to Nikko to see the temples. Taxis take a while to come...seriously. Our taxi driver tried to convince Mellers and Mary that he could drive us to Nikko and wait for us as we toured around and come back. He would charge us $40/person. What a scammer....train tickets were only 300yen ($3.00) and would take 40minutes and a bus there would be 500yen...so really it only cost us $8.00 to get there. They were so funny! Marie said that just because we spoke English didn't mean we were stupid tourists kekeke.
Oyakodon, Toilets and A Nice Walk
Chris and I were pretty hungry so we all went to get food. We ordered Oyakodon which is chicken, egg, green onions in a bowl of rice. It was so tasty. Marie, Chris and I had to use the washroom, but the toilets were the squatting kind. (looks like a urinal in the ground) I just sucked it up and used it, but Chris and Marie were having none of that. Marie found a sign that said western toilet and they rushed there. hahahaha. We missed our train and wouldn't have gotten to the temples in time, so we decided to spend the rest of our day at the onsens.
We decided to walk back to Asaya Hotel. We somewhat remembered how to get back. We hit the 7/11 to get alcohol and snacks for later at night and Mellers and Marie got oden. We asked for directions and everyone kept saying ohhh 30 minutes away. We took our time and made a few pit stops visiting a small shrine/temple and Mellers made a mini snow man holding on to our vodka. It was pretty slushy too. We eventually got back to the hotel and scoffed at the whole 30 minute thing, as it only took us 20 mins to get back.
Checking In
We checked in and were escorted to our room by a traditionally dressed older woman. She pushed our cart of bags, to our horror! We weren't raised to let an older person push our stuff! She didn't let us push it...ohhh are parents would be smacking us now. We got to our room on the 12th floor...yes, we were on the very top floor! Our room was beautiful! Very traditional and relaxing. We took pictures so please check them out later. The lady literally explained EVERYTHING...by then Chris and I decided to forget asking Mellers to translate.
We rested for a bit and then got ready to go to the onsens. We put on the yukatas that were in the closet. That meant we were wearing nothing but underwear under it. Of course Chris and I changed without showing, still putting off the inevitable.
The Moment Has Come! Onsen: bathing nekkid with other nekkid people!!
Ever since I mentioned the onsen/ryokan experience to Chris we have been debating whether we should actually do this. Getting nekkid and communal bathing is a must in Japan, but this is not something we could do naturally. We seriously stressed about it, no matter how many times Mellers and Marie told us it wasn't a big deal. "Who cares? These people won't see you ever again, etc" They were so nice trying to comfort us. Last time Mellers tried to convince me to go to a public bath I almost cried in fear. I don't like looking at my body and can't imagine displaying it to everyone else.
After taking pictures in our yukatas we grabbed our small and big towels and went downstairs to the indoor onsen. We took off our slippers and drank a bit of tea. We went over to the baskets to put place our clothes in. I swear Chris and I just stood in front of our baskets staring at them for a few minutes. I was breathing in and out and laughing nervously. Ahhhhh alsdfjsdlfjasdlfjsd I couldn't get out of this one! We already paid! I couldn't chicken out. One last breath and then off went the clothes. I took my small towel with me and followed them out.
Once I saw everyone walking around so naturally, I felt a little better. No one was staring anyone down making things awkward. Of course I was still supershy and somewhat scared, but I think making this obvious, would only bring more attention towards me. We sat in front of the shower stations and we showered at our own station before going into the bath. I must say that when you shower like this, it is really relaxing and you spend time cleaning and pampering yourself. While we washed our hair, we talked casually like nothing was out of the ordinary. By the time we finished washing ourselves, I didn't care anymore. I am who I am, and I would enjoy this experience.
We stepped into the onsen and boy was it HOT! I'm really not used to this heat, but taking it step by step, was bearable. Legs went in first, then waist, then the rest of my body up to my neck. Ahhh so relaxing once the whole body was in. There was something like a hot spring fountain in the middle. We made our way to it and I put my shoulders under it...so relaxing. I can see how people just forget about the time and stay so long. The steam from the water wafted around.
We changed onsens and headed to the upper one which was even hotter, but the window was open in that room, so it was a combination of cold air with a really hot bath. It was really hot, so I stayed in there with them, but did not lean against the wall where the water was coming out like the rest of them.
After that we went into the sauna...holy moly hot. I felt like we were toasting ourselves like bread. I felt like I had grill marks in my body ahaha...suffice to say, I didn't stay there long. At some point I couldn't tell whether it was the water from my hair and face dripping down, or my sweat hehe. I left before the rest and dipped my legs in the cold bath.
We all showered again before leaving. In Japanese culture and in movies, there is a tradition of having the back scrubbed by another person/relative. Well hey, we were all used to being nude anyway and we were friends so...we were all sitting beside each other...we scrubbed each others backs in a line. No, it wasn't gross and no, it wasn't weird. This was really a life altering experience for me. I am more comfortable in my own skin now. Not to say that I'm going to go around being an exhibitionist or anything, but yeah, I'm really glad I went. It was more comfortable and superawesome fun with Mellers and Mary there, so I'm really happy they came with us. I'm sure Chris feels the same way.
After showering, there is a vanity area, where people can dry their hair and use the lotions and creams. We headed upstairs to the outdoor onsen. HOLY CRAP cold air! hahaha. We squealed and ran to the bath. I think the older ladies were laughing at us. It is so nice to have cold air combined with a hot bath. The steam was coming off the water kind like those science experiments when things are frozen. The scenery was beautiful and we couldn't help but speculate whether someone was up in the mountain spying on unsuspecting bathers. We lucked out whenever we went to bath, as it was never supercrowded. We knew there were a lot of people there, but we mostly shared the baths with a few others.
THE BEST BUFFET EVER!!
OMG...the dinner buffet blew me away. Any foodie friends I have would have gone nuts! There was so much food to choose from and yes, I took photos!! There were queen crab legs, fresh sushi, hot egg custard, DIY shabu shabu, steak, salads, a plethora of desserts and so much more..literally!
We ate for 2 hours! ahahhahah...we ate so much!! It was incredible. Soooo freakin' good!! I have decided that I need to live in a ryokan. I would probably die from eating so much everyday...ok...once a month then?
We were all pretty food drunk or in a food coma when we left. We were pretty giddy and then Marie did this funny walk and we burst into laughter. We were laughing so hard we all fell to the carpet and went hysterical. A few people passed by us wondering what the heck was going on. We couldn't even stand and were laughing there for maybe 10 minutes? It was so funny! We couldn't even speak! Mellers videotaped it...I need to get that video from her!
FUTON = HEAVEN
When we got upstairs and turned on the lights were surprised to see the futons had been prepared for us. We took photos and then we tested them. Oh my gosh...heaven...this was heaven. I had overeaten, died and gone to heaven. We wanted to steal the pillows, futons and blankets. This is a danger zone...with my sleeping disorder, I might not ever wake up!
HOT STONE spa
Mellers had booked a package for us to go to the hot stone spa for an hour. We were booked in and given a hard plastic bag with towels and spa clothes. We went in and changed. Just before entering the spa, we were required to drink two cups of water. It was hecka hot in there of course. The hot stones looked like graves lol...there were beds of hot black stones. We put our large towels on top of the stones and lied down.
It was relaxing yet soooo hot and everytime I moved, the sound of stones could be heard. I tried not to move around so much, but eventually half-way through I had to leave and drink more cool water. I passed by the girls and they were passed out hahaha. I took time outside to cool off a bit. I went back in and finished the rest of the time. Chris was out. She could barely get up and wanted to stay there longer hahaha.
We went back to the outdoor onsen again. We ran into the bath ahhaha and we played some games where we had to name tokyo train stations, celebrity couples, colours, celebs we'd like to party with, etc. Anyone who couldn't name something on time, got splashed by the three of us. The onsen at night is really nice and relaxing.
After the outdoor onsen, we went back to the indoor one. I felt all my stress disappear and was more relaxed than I had been in a long time. Chris and I were talking about how we felt so clean and fresh after this experience...that and our skin became pretty white ahahaha. Once we had all finished bathing we headed upstairs.
Our plan was to drink all night and play games. Mellers hit her futon and she was off to lala land for the rest of the night. She lives a crazybusy life like me, so she really needed the rest. Chris stayed awake for a bit, but soon followed Mellers. Marie and I stayed a wake a while longer talking and drinking and finally slept. Initially I thought I would listen to my ipod, but it was dead and I didn't need much help once I lied down on the heavenly futon.
I told you it was a novel! I really wanted to put in every detail I could remember so that I would have it chronicled for myself. So yet, another experience to add to my life. I would definitely do it again!!
-Sam ^__^
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Part 5: Ghibli Museum, Stubborn Ramen, Harajuku, Karaoke
The Last EPIC Journey Part 5: Ghibli Museum, Stubborn Ramen, Harajuku, Karaoke
Monday, February 8th
Ghibli Museum
Chris and I had booked ticket to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I honestly think that anyone who is remotely interested, enjoys, or works in animation should go there. It is SUPERAMAZING! The Ghibli Museum is a really magical place! Hayao Miyazaki's works, inspirations and models are housed here. Miyazaki did the movies, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro and many other classics (that Disney has latched on to).
The exhibits really show the hard work and dedication put into animation and I was blown away. There was one machine that had a robot in the centre with birds flying around it going upward and it was spinning. I have no idea what kind of animation that was, but it was so beautiful I almost cried. Seriously...I was almost moved to tears. There was also a machine that had various characters in different positions and when it would spin, lights would flash on it and you'd see each piece moving - two girls skipping, totoro bouncing around, bats flying around, bunnies(?) walking around.
We really took our time looking around. We also saw a short film about an old couple that live in the mountains. They farm each day and at night 6-7 mice leave the couple's home. The grandpa follows them and watches them sumo wrestle with these big white mice and they all lose. The next day the couple is farming and doing their usual daily tasks when all of a sudden, they rush around preparing food. the mice scurry around in order to not be caught, but the couple doesn't pay attention to them. They cut fish and wrap them in dough and make other goodies. The grandma also makes these red cloths and when they have finished making everything they go into their room and say something as they semi close the door. the mice scurry down and see that a meal has been prepared for each of them and the sumo gear is laid down by their food. They eat all their food and head out to the match. The couple quietly follows them. As each round passes, the mice tackle their opponents and the couple keeps tally and gets anxious watching them. During the very last match, the white mouse eats something to gain strenghth and suddenly the grandpa throws a dumpling to his mouse. He gobbles it down and is full of energy. I won't tell you the rest, but it was so good. We were laughing and sitting forward in anticipation of each scene. I really enjoyed it!
Afterwards I dragged Chris to the Straw Hat Cafe. We had to wait 20-30 minutes to get in, but I really wanted to go. I had a ginger lime cider and we shared a strawberry shortcake slice. It was so good and the cafe has a nice ambiance. We contacted Mellers and headed off to meet her for ramen.
Ganko "Stubborn" Ramen
I had read an article about a ramen shop that was covered in black tarp and had a giant bone hanging on the door. It is owned by a man who is so into the art of ramen making that somedays he puts a sign on the door that says something along the lines of "the shop is closed because the soup was not perfect today". This guy is hardcore but his ramen is supposed to be delicious.
Turns out this place is really close to where Mellers lives, so we met up with her and searched for it. We finally found it and Chris didn't even notice it. It is exactly what it was described as...barely any signage, black tarp, big bone hanging by a chain. What the heck?!?! We took photos with it and then we went in. There were five chairs and we sat down and Mellers ordered. He initially had the radio on, but while he cooked he turned it off. He didn't speak and was totally focused on making our three bowls of shoyu ramen. HOLY MOLY this guy was serious about his craft. He was so focused and worked around his tiny kitchen like he'd been doing it for centuries. We were all dragged into his mood. We stopped talking and watched him like this ramen shop was the only thing that existed at that moment. It was mindblowing. He cut the meat, worked on the soup, prepared the noodles and painstakingly prepared it to perfection. At the very end, he put green onions on the top and then poured something on top of it, which made it sizzle and then he gave us crispy fried onion and green chilli pepper mix.
Just watching him prepare it made our mouths water and anticipate the masterpiece. This guy is no joke. The ramen was SUPERAMAZING! I will definitely go back here next time I visit. Mellers was just blown away that such a superawesome place was so close to her and she didn't know about it but her foreigner "gaijin" friend Sam found it hahahahaha.
Harajuku
We shopped like crazy here. Surprise surprise! Pretty much any shop we went into we bought something. Mellers wasn't surprised. She knows how we roll ahahhaha. Chris bought shoes and boots together for $30! What the heck! I wanted them too, but they wouldn't fit my big feet :( I bought one two tops and a barrage of winter hats. We convinced her to buy stuff too. If only I had more time and more money to blow, I would have bought a lot more. We ended our sprees with crepes. I ordered something with marron in it...I thought that meant melon..but it was more like sweet potato or something?
Karaoke
We hit the karaoke place near Mellers place as we had decided to take her up on her offer of another free luggage. We karaoked for 2 hours and sang in various languages. Of course I ended up only singing in English and semi-helping with the Korean ones. I haven't mastered the languages yet and don't like singing them incorrectly.
We headed home on the last train and got ready for tomorrow's onsen trip. We would meet Mellers the next morning at her station, which was on our way to Asakusa. AHHHHHHHHHHH hot springs = bathing nude with other women we don't know!!! We don't know how we feel about it yet, but it's an experience I've been putting off.
hmmm...I wonder if I should even do an entry for that...kekeke
-Sam ^__^
Monday, February 8th
Ghibli Museum
Chris and I had booked ticket to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I honestly think that anyone who is remotely interested, enjoys, or works in animation should go there. It is SUPERAMAZING! The Ghibli Museum is a really magical place! Hayao Miyazaki's works, inspirations and models are housed here. Miyazaki did the movies, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro and many other classics (that Disney has latched on to).
The exhibits really show the hard work and dedication put into animation and I was blown away. There was one machine that had a robot in the centre with birds flying around it going upward and it was spinning. I have no idea what kind of animation that was, but it was so beautiful I almost cried. Seriously...I was almost moved to tears. There was also a machine that had various characters in different positions and when it would spin, lights would flash on it and you'd see each piece moving - two girls skipping, totoro bouncing around, bats flying around, bunnies(?) walking around.
We really took our time looking around. We also saw a short film about an old couple that live in the mountains. They farm each day and at night 6-7 mice leave the couple's home. The grandpa follows them and watches them sumo wrestle with these big white mice and they all lose. The next day the couple is farming and doing their usual daily tasks when all of a sudden, they rush around preparing food. the mice scurry around in order to not be caught, but the couple doesn't pay attention to them. They cut fish and wrap them in dough and make other goodies. The grandma also makes these red cloths and when they have finished making everything they go into their room and say something as they semi close the door. the mice scurry down and see that a meal has been prepared for each of them and the sumo gear is laid down by their food. They eat all their food and head out to the match. The couple quietly follows them. As each round passes, the mice tackle their opponents and the couple keeps tally and gets anxious watching them. During the very last match, the white mouse eats something to gain strenghth and suddenly the grandpa throws a dumpling to his mouse. He gobbles it down and is full of energy. I won't tell you the rest, but it was so good. We were laughing and sitting forward in anticipation of each scene. I really enjoyed it!
Afterwards I dragged Chris to the Straw Hat Cafe. We had to wait 20-30 minutes to get in, but I really wanted to go. I had a ginger lime cider and we shared a strawberry shortcake slice. It was so good and the cafe has a nice ambiance. We contacted Mellers and headed off to meet her for ramen.
Ganko "Stubborn" Ramen
I had read an article about a ramen shop that was covered in black tarp and had a giant bone hanging on the door. It is owned by a man who is so into the art of ramen making that somedays he puts a sign on the door that says something along the lines of "the shop is closed because the soup was not perfect today". This guy is hardcore but his ramen is supposed to be delicious.
Turns out this place is really close to where Mellers lives, so we met up with her and searched for it. We finally found it and Chris didn't even notice it. It is exactly what it was described as...barely any signage, black tarp, big bone hanging by a chain. What the heck?!?! We took photos with it and then we went in. There were five chairs and we sat down and Mellers ordered. He initially had the radio on, but while he cooked he turned it off. He didn't speak and was totally focused on making our three bowls of shoyu ramen. HOLY MOLY this guy was serious about his craft. He was so focused and worked around his tiny kitchen like he'd been doing it for centuries. We were all dragged into his mood. We stopped talking and watched him like this ramen shop was the only thing that existed at that moment. It was mindblowing. He cut the meat, worked on the soup, prepared the noodles and painstakingly prepared it to perfection. At the very end, he put green onions on the top and then poured something on top of it, which made it sizzle and then he gave us crispy fried onion and green chilli pepper mix.
Just watching him prepare it made our mouths water and anticipate the masterpiece. This guy is no joke. The ramen was SUPERAMAZING! I will definitely go back here next time I visit. Mellers was just blown away that such a superawesome place was so close to her and she didn't know about it but her foreigner "gaijin" friend Sam found it hahahahaha.
Harajuku
We shopped like crazy here. Surprise surprise! Pretty much any shop we went into we bought something. Mellers wasn't surprised. She knows how we roll ahahhaha. Chris bought shoes and boots together for $30! What the heck! I wanted them too, but they wouldn't fit my big feet :( I bought one two tops and a barrage of winter hats. We convinced her to buy stuff too. If only I had more time and more money to blow, I would have bought a lot more. We ended our sprees with crepes. I ordered something with marron in it...I thought that meant melon..but it was more like sweet potato or something?
Karaoke
We hit the karaoke place near Mellers place as we had decided to take her up on her offer of another free luggage. We karaoked for 2 hours and sang in various languages. Of course I ended up only singing in English and semi-helping with the Korean ones. I haven't mastered the languages yet and don't like singing them incorrectly.
We headed home on the last train and got ready for tomorrow's onsen trip. We would meet Mellers the next morning at her station, which was on our way to Asakusa. AHHHHHHHHHHH hot springs = bathing nude with other women we don't know!!! We don't know how we feel about it yet, but it's an experience I've been putting off.
hmmm...I wonder if I should even do an entry for that...kekeke
-Sam ^__^
The Last EPIC Journey Part 4:Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum, Yokohama, Chocolate Shopping, Shibuya
The Last EPIC Journey Part 5: Ghibli Museum, Stubborn Ramen,
Monday, February 8th
Ghibli Museum
Chris and I had booked ticket to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I honestly think that anyone who is remotely interested, enjoys, or works in animation should go there. It is SUPERAMAZING! The Ghibli Museum is a really magical place! Hayao Miyazaki's works, inspirations and models are housed here. Miyazaki did the movies, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro and many other classics (that Disney has latched on to).
The exhibits really show the hard work and dedication put into animation and I was blown away. There was one machine that had a robot in the centre with birds flying around it going upward and it was spinning. I have no idea what kind of animation that was, but it was so beautiful I almost cried. Seriously...I was almost moved to tears. There was also a machine that had various characters in different positions and when it would spin, lights would flash on it and you'd see each piece moving - two girls skipping, totoro bouncing around, bats flying around, bunnies(?) walking around.
We really took our time looking around. We also saw a short film about an old couple that live in the mountains. They farm each day and at night 6-7 mice leave the couple's home. The grandpa follows them and watches them sumo wrestle with these big white mice and they all lose. The next day the couple is farming and doing their usual daily tasks when all of a sudden, they rush around preparing food. the mice scurry around in order to not be caught, but the couple doesn't pay attention to them. They cut fish and wrap them in dough and make other goodies. The grandma also makes these red cloths and when they have finished making everything they go into their room and say something as they semi close the door. the mice scurry down and see that a meal has been prepared for each of them and the sumo gear is laid down by their food. They eat all their food and head out to the match. The couple quietly follows them. As each round passes, the mice tackle their opponents and the couple keeps tally and gets anxious watching them. During the very last match, the white mouse eats something to gain strenghth and suddenly the grandpa throws a dumpling to his mouse. He gobbles it down and is full of energy. I won't tell you the rest, but it was so good. We were laughing and sitting forward in anticipation of each scene. I really enjoyed it!
Afterwards I dragged Chris to the Straw Hat Cafe. We had to wait 20-30 minutes to get in, but I really wanted to go. I had a ginger lime cider and we shared a strawberry shortcake slice. It was so good and the cafe has a nice ambiance. We contacted Mellers and headed off to meet her for ramen.
Gankou "Stubborn" Ramen
I had read an article about a ramen shop that was covered in black tarp and had a giant bone hanging on the door. It is owned by a man who is so into the art of ramen making that somedays he puts a sign on the door that says something along the lines of "the shop is closed because the soup was not good today". This guy is hardcore but his ramen is supposed to be delicious.
Turns out this place is really close to where Mellers lives, so we met up with her and searched for it. We finally found it and Chris didn't even notice it. It is exactly what it was described as...barely any signage, black tarp, big bone hanging by a chain. What the heck?!?! We took photos with it and then we went in. There were five chairs and we sat down and Mellers ordered. He initially had the radio on, but while he cooked he turned it off. He didn't speak and was totally focused on making our three bowls of shoyu ramen. HOLY MOLY this guy was serious about his craft. He was so focused and worked around his tiny kitchen like he'd been doing it for centuries. We were all dragged into his mood. We stopped talking and watched him like this ramen shop was the only thing that existed at that moment. It was mindblowing. He cut the meat, worked on the soup, prepared the noodles and painstakingly prepared it to perfection. At the very end, he put green onions on the top and then poured something on top of it, which made it sizzle and then he gave us crispy fried onion and green chilli pepper mix.
Just watching him prepare it made our mouths water and anticipate the masterpiece. This guy is no joke. The ramen was SUPERAMAZING! I will definitely go back here next time I visit. Mellers was just blown away that such a superawesome place was so close to her and she didn't know about it but her foreigner "gaijin" friend Sam found it hahahahaha.
Harajuku
We shopped like crazy here. Surprise surprise! Pretty much any shop we went into we bought something. Mellers wasn't surprised. She knows how we roll ahahhaha. Chris bought shoes and boots together for $30! What the heck! I wanted them too, but they wouldn't fit my big feet :( I bought one two tops and a barrage of winter hats. We convinced her to buy stuff too. If only I had more time and more money to blow, I would have bought a lot more. We ended our sprees with crepes. I ordered something with marron in it...I thought that meant melon..but it was more like sweet potato or something?
Karaoke
We hit the karaoke place near Mellers place as we had decided to take her up on her offer of another free luggage. We karaoked for 2 hours and sang in various languages. Of course I ended up only singing in English and semi-helping with the Korean ones. I haven't mastered the languages yet and don't like singing them incorrectly.
We headed home on the last train and got ready for tomorrow's onsen trip. We would meet Mellers the next morning at her station, which was on our way to Asakusa. AHHHHHHHHHHH hot springs = bathing nude with other women we don't know!!! We don't know how we feel about it yet, but it's an experience I've been putting off.
hmmm...I wonder if I should even do an entry for that...kekeke
-Sam ^__^
Monday, February 8th
Ghibli Museum
Chris and I had booked ticket to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I honestly think that anyone who is remotely interested, enjoys, or works in animation should go there. It is SUPERAMAZING! The Ghibli Museum is a really magical place! Hayao Miyazaki's works, inspirations and models are housed here. Miyazaki did the movies, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro and many other classics (that Disney has latched on to).
The exhibits really show the hard work and dedication put into animation and I was blown away. There was one machine that had a robot in the centre with birds flying around it going upward and it was spinning. I have no idea what kind of animation that was, but it was so beautiful I almost cried. Seriously...I was almost moved to tears. There was also a machine that had various characters in different positions and when it would spin, lights would flash on it and you'd see each piece moving - two girls skipping, totoro bouncing around, bats flying around, bunnies(?) walking around.
We really took our time looking around. We also saw a short film about an old couple that live in the mountains. They farm each day and at night 6-7 mice leave the couple's home. The grandpa follows them and watches them sumo wrestle with these big white mice and they all lose. The next day the couple is farming and doing their usual daily tasks when all of a sudden, they rush around preparing food. the mice scurry around in order to not be caught, but the couple doesn't pay attention to them. They cut fish and wrap them in dough and make other goodies. The grandma also makes these red cloths and when they have finished making everything they go into their room and say something as they semi close the door. the mice scurry down and see that a meal has been prepared for each of them and the sumo gear is laid down by their food. They eat all their food and head out to the match. The couple quietly follows them. As each round passes, the mice tackle their opponents and the couple keeps tally and gets anxious watching them. During the very last match, the white mouse eats something to gain strenghth and suddenly the grandpa throws a dumpling to his mouse. He gobbles it down and is full of energy. I won't tell you the rest, but it was so good. We were laughing and sitting forward in anticipation of each scene. I really enjoyed it!
Afterwards I dragged Chris to the Straw Hat Cafe. We had to wait 20-30 minutes to get in, but I really wanted to go. I had a ginger lime cider and we shared a strawberry shortcake slice. It was so good and the cafe has a nice ambiance. We contacted Mellers and headed off to meet her for ramen.
Gankou "Stubborn" Ramen
I had read an article about a ramen shop that was covered in black tarp and had a giant bone hanging on the door. It is owned by a man who is so into the art of ramen making that somedays he puts a sign on the door that says something along the lines of "the shop is closed because the soup was not good today". This guy is hardcore but his ramen is supposed to be delicious.
Turns out this place is really close to where Mellers lives, so we met up with her and searched for it. We finally found it and Chris didn't even notice it. It is exactly what it was described as...barely any signage, black tarp, big bone hanging by a chain. What the heck?!?! We took photos with it and then we went in. There were five chairs and we sat down and Mellers ordered. He initially had the radio on, but while he cooked he turned it off. He didn't speak and was totally focused on making our three bowls of shoyu ramen. HOLY MOLY this guy was serious about his craft. He was so focused and worked around his tiny kitchen like he'd been doing it for centuries. We were all dragged into his mood. We stopped talking and watched him like this ramen shop was the only thing that existed at that moment. It was mindblowing. He cut the meat, worked on the soup, prepared the noodles and painstakingly prepared it to perfection. At the very end, he put green onions on the top and then poured something on top of it, which made it sizzle and then he gave us crispy fried onion and green chilli pepper mix.
Just watching him prepare it made our mouths water and anticipate the masterpiece. This guy is no joke. The ramen was SUPERAMAZING! I will definitely go back here next time I visit. Mellers was just blown away that such a superawesome place was so close to her and she didn't know about it but her foreigner "gaijin" friend Sam found it hahahahaha.
Harajuku
We shopped like crazy here. Surprise surprise! Pretty much any shop we went into we bought something. Mellers wasn't surprised. She knows how we roll ahahhaha. Chris bought shoes and boots together for $30! What the heck! I wanted them too, but they wouldn't fit my big feet :( I bought one two tops and a barrage of winter hats. We convinced her to buy stuff too. If only I had more time and more money to blow, I would have bought a lot more. We ended our sprees with crepes. I ordered something with marron in it...I thought that meant melon..but it was more like sweet potato or something?
Karaoke
We hit the karaoke place near Mellers place as we had decided to take her up on her offer of another free luggage. We karaoked for 2 hours and sang in various languages. Of course I ended up only singing in English and semi-helping with the Korean ones. I haven't mastered the languages yet and don't like singing them incorrectly.
We headed home on the last train and got ready for tomorrow's onsen trip. We would meet Mellers the next morning at her station, which was on our way to Asakusa. AHHHHHHHHHHH hot springs = bathing nude with other women we don't know!!! We don't know how we feel about it yet, but it's an experience I've been putting off.
hmmm...I wonder if I should even do an entry for that...kekeke
-Sam ^__^
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Pt 3: Edo Museum, Sensoji & Abercrombie Flagship Store
The Last EPIC Journey Pt 3: Edo Museum, Sensoji & Abercrombie Flagship Store
Sat Feb 6/10
Edo Museum
I had told Chris to let me know if there was something specific she wanted to see and she mentioned going to the Edo Museum. In planning some of the things we would be doing I noticed four of them were clustered in the east end - Edo Museum, National Museum, Akihabara and Asakusa. We are in the west end of Tokyo. Well we got Akihabara out of the way yesterday, so we decided to try to see the rest.
We arrived at the museum at close to 10am. Our initial plan was to go through on our own, but I noticed there were volunteer English guides at 10am and suggested to Chris that we get one. Sayoko was very nice and was quite impressed with our knowledge of Japan and our great interest in her culture. We learned quite a bit about Edo and took pictures mostly without flash. The kabuki theatre was quite impressive. When our tour ended, we thanked Sayoko and gave her a small thank you gift. We exchanged business cards and she welcomed us to visit her home when we came to visit again. After this museum visit, Chris regained her great interest in studying Japanese and says she hopes to come back on foreign exchange if possible.
Nabe and Tompeiyaki
By the end of the tour, we were sooooo hungry! We ended up at a restaurant and ordered the same thing as the table beside us. They were eating nabe. It came in a small pot, similar to hot pot. Our stuff was pre-cooked so we just needed it to boil before we ate. We had one of my favourite dishes as well, which is tompeiyaki (omelette like dish filled with bacon, cheese and some other fillings). It was extremely good. I managed to order us water and tea, but they only gave us one glass of each. I ordered again and they brought two more glasses of water hahaha...oh well, I tried! The food was delicious and we got some great pictures of the dishes. Yes, everyone knows I love taking pictures of food!
Sensoji Temple in Asakusa
I was excited to take Chris to one of my favourite places in Tokyo. We walked around Asakusa and shopped in a few places there. Chris took photos as we walked. We headed to Sensoji Temple where we made offerings. We wafted incense on ourselves for good health, she drank from the fountain and did her fortune. She got the best fortune YAY! I got a fortune which was supposed to be a medium luck type fortune, but it sounded more like a bad fortune...the call will not come, etc...sounds forboding...so I tied it up like everyone else who didn't get a favourable fortune in hopes that the fortune will improve. We also bought some temple fortunes.
Manju & sweet sake
I had Chris try manju which is deep fried and filled with redbeans or different fillings. She got pumpkin and I got sweet potato. I also had ume ice cream from my favourite ice cream place near the temple. I can't remember the name offhand, but I took a photo of the front of the store. They have 30 different flavours. We also drank sweet sake and had these glutinous rice balls on a stick covered in brown powder. It was so good! There was a rule, however, that if customers bought the sake they had to finish it beside the store. Makes sense...no one wants a lot of people walking around with hot sake...
Rice Crackers & other purchases
I'll confess to you know that I went kinda nuts with rice crackers. I've never really cared for buying rice crackers, but I tell you, the rice crackers here are amazing! So I bought a lot of them! I can't even guarantee they'll make it home! I bought original with nuts, chocolate with nuts, ginger, soya sauce and assorted. I also bought sweets and some other things. I bought a kendama (Japanese toy) for my cousin and a dharma doll (it's a doll that consists of a head with no eyes - the eyes are drawn in once a goal is made and accomplished).
Washi/Chiyogami Paper!!
WOOHOOO! We found a paper store beside the Ghibli store in Asakusa. Chris is a saint for waiting for me as I rummaged through the paper drawers like it was boxing day. I bought a lot of paper! I knew that if I came here and found the stores, I would buy a lot, thus I brought a poster roll. I just didn't expect to find it today, but it was fine because the nice lady that helped me rolled and wrapped them very nicely. She also cut the large sheet I bought into manageable pieces. I looooove the paper I bought!
Asakusa Tourism Office
We dropped by the Asakusa Tourism Office to inquire about the tickets to Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen. We are planning to go there Tuesday and stay overnight. The ladies were very helpful and also gave us info on the Winter Campaign for tourists. We knew about this campaign but it is difficult to figure out, as there is no print-out of what businesses are participating, etc. We gave the Laura Secord lollipops to thank them for their help and also some to the other staff members. The head of the office gave us a gift back in thanks. We got some free postcards :) They were really nice and helpful.
Ginza, More Paper and Abercrombie
We called Mellers and she asked us to meet her at her store. We used our 2 day metropass as we wouldn't be able to refund those ones anyway. As we exited Ginza station we walked by another paper place. I only bought three sheets. I wanted to buy more, but that would mean I would have to buy a whole roll of it...it would be hard to transport it. I still might, depending how much money I have. With the not so stellar exchange rate and buying the camera and film, my budget is smaller than I would have liked. Oh well!
We finally went to Abercrombie and I'm telling you right now people, that the place is CRAZY! 11 floors of shopping and only two floors with cash registers. Line ups of several floors, attractive guys greeting at the entrance/exit, topless models posing for polaroids with customers, attractive guys manning the elevators, etc. It was a madhouse! Chris and I ended up on the 7th floor and walked back down asking people where we could find Melody. It was a mission I tell you. We ended up leaving and calling her from a public phone. We walked around for a while and when we were coming back, we thought we heard her yell my name but couldn't spot her. We finally found each other. She changed, met us again and then forced us back inside. She really really wanted us to take a photo with the shirtless model. Chris and I felt awkward, but we did it anyway. You gotta see those pics hahaha. The interior wall mural is apparently the largest mural in the world (i'm not sure if they mean in a store, or in general), every floor is filled with young, attractive staff - some of whom are dancing around. The prices are expensive, but then again it's the first asian flagship store for Abercrombie.
One of the BEST salads EVER!
Mellers took us for dinner at a restaurant, but I can't remember the name. We ordered a number of things, including tompeiyaki again, glazed fried wings, rice dish similar to bi bim bap and one of the BEST salads EVER! Since it was named after the restaurant, we figured it must be SUPERAWESOME and it was. It had lettuce, crispy strips of wonton wrappers (?) and seafood filling.
UNIQLO and Kinugawa Onsen planning
After eating, we went to UNIQLO. We shopped around and they opened another section of their change rooms so we could all be beside each other. We all bought stuff. We could have shoppped more, but the store was closed. I had to give up some of the things I wanted. I hate it when I can't just recklessly spend my money hahahaa. We paid for our stuff and left. We talked to Mellers about Kinugawa onsen and she said she would come! YAY! I was going to make the reservations myself through an English site, but they required 5 days notice prior, so I asked Mellers to make the booking on the Japanese home site. Because she's superawesome, she worked out a nice plan :) We will be staying in a Japanese style room on the top floor and we also have 1 hour access to the hot stone spa. I'm excited for Tuesday!!
Are you guys getting through these?! Hahaha I know they are long! Is it really windy at home?
-Sam ^___^
Sat Feb 6/10
Edo Museum
I had told Chris to let me know if there was something specific she wanted to see and she mentioned going to the Edo Museum. In planning some of the things we would be doing I noticed four of them were clustered in the east end - Edo Museum, National Museum, Akihabara and Asakusa. We are in the west end of Tokyo. Well we got Akihabara out of the way yesterday, so we decided to try to see the rest.
We arrived at the museum at close to 10am. Our initial plan was to go through on our own, but I noticed there were volunteer English guides at 10am and suggested to Chris that we get one. Sayoko was very nice and was quite impressed with our knowledge of Japan and our great interest in her culture. We learned quite a bit about Edo and took pictures mostly without flash. The kabuki theatre was quite impressive. When our tour ended, we thanked Sayoko and gave her a small thank you gift. We exchanged business cards and she welcomed us to visit her home when we came to visit again. After this museum visit, Chris regained her great interest in studying Japanese and says she hopes to come back on foreign exchange if possible.
Nabe and Tompeiyaki
By the end of the tour, we were sooooo hungry! We ended up at a restaurant and ordered the same thing as the table beside us. They were eating nabe. It came in a small pot, similar to hot pot. Our stuff was pre-cooked so we just needed it to boil before we ate. We had one of my favourite dishes as well, which is tompeiyaki (omelette like dish filled with bacon, cheese and some other fillings). It was extremely good. I managed to order us water and tea, but they only gave us one glass of each. I ordered again and they brought two more glasses of water hahaha...oh well, I tried! The food was delicious and we got some great pictures of the dishes. Yes, everyone knows I love taking pictures of food!
Sensoji Temple in Asakusa
I was excited to take Chris to one of my favourite places in Tokyo. We walked around Asakusa and shopped in a few places there. Chris took photos as we walked. We headed to Sensoji Temple where we made offerings. We wafted incense on ourselves for good health, she drank from the fountain and did her fortune. She got the best fortune YAY! I got a fortune which was supposed to be a medium luck type fortune, but it sounded more like a bad fortune...the call will not come, etc...sounds forboding...so I tied it up like everyone else who didn't get a favourable fortune in hopes that the fortune will improve. We also bought some temple fortunes.
Manju & sweet sake
I had Chris try manju which is deep fried and filled with redbeans or different fillings. She got pumpkin and I got sweet potato. I also had ume ice cream from my favourite ice cream place near the temple. I can't remember the name offhand, but I took a photo of the front of the store. They have 30 different flavours. We also drank sweet sake and had these glutinous rice balls on a stick covered in brown powder. It was so good! There was a rule, however, that if customers bought the sake they had to finish it beside the store. Makes sense...no one wants a lot of people walking around with hot sake...
Rice Crackers & other purchases
I'll confess to you know that I went kinda nuts with rice crackers. I've never really cared for buying rice crackers, but I tell you, the rice crackers here are amazing! So I bought a lot of them! I can't even guarantee they'll make it home! I bought original with nuts, chocolate with nuts, ginger, soya sauce and assorted. I also bought sweets and some other things. I bought a kendama (Japanese toy) for my cousin and a dharma doll (it's a doll that consists of a head with no eyes - the eyes are drawn in once a goal is made and accomplished).
Washi/Chiyogami Paper!!
WOOHOOO! We found a paper store beside the Ghibli store in Asakusa. Chris is a saint for waiting for me as I rummaged through the paper drawers like it was boxing day. I bought a lot of paper! I knew that if I came here and found the stores, I would buy a lot, thus I brought a poster roll. I just didn't expect to find it today, but it was fine because the nice lady that helped me rolled and wrapped them very nicely. She also cut the large sheet I bought into manageable pieces. I looooove the paper I bought!
Asakusa Tourism Office
We dropped by the Asakusa Tourism Office to inquire about the tickets to Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen. We are planning to go there Tuesday and stay overnight. The ladies were very helpful and also gave us info on the Winter Campaign for tourists. We knew about this campaign but it is difficult to figure out, as there is no print-out of what businesses are participating, etc. We gave the Laura Secord lollipops to thank them for their help and also some to the other staff members. The head of the office gave us a gift back in thanks. We got some free postcards :) They were really nice and helpful.
Ginza, More Paper and Abercrombie
We called Mellers and she asked us to meet her at her store. We used our 2 day metropass as we wouldn't be able to refund those ones anyway. As we exited Ginza station we walked by another paper place. I only bought three sheets. I wanted to buy more, but that would mean I would have to buy a whole roll of it...it would be hard to transport it. I still might, depending how much money I have. With the not so stellar exchange rate and buying the camera and film, my budget is smaller than I would have liked. Oh well!
We finally went to Abercrombie and I'm telling you right now people, that the place is CRAZY! 11 floors of shopping and only two floors with cash registers. Line ups of several floors, attractive guys greeting at the entrance/exit, topless models posing for polaroids with customers, attractive guys manning the elevators, etc. It was a madhouse! Chris and I ended up on the 7th floor and walked back down asking people where we could find Melody. It was a mission I tell you. We ended up leaving and calling her from a public phone. We walked around for a while and when we were coming back, we thought we heard her yell my name but couldn't spot her. We finally found each other. She changed, met us again and then forced us back inside. She really really wanted us to take a photo with the shirtless model. Chris and I felt awkward, but we did it anyway. You gotta see those pics hahaha. The interior wall mural is apparently the largest mural in the world (i'm not sure if they mean in a store, or in general), every floor is filled with young, attractive staff - some of whom are dancing around. The prices are expensive, but then again it's the first asian flagship store for Abercrombie.
One of the BEST salads EVER!
Mellers took us for dinner at a restaurant, but I can't remember the name. We ordered a number of things, including tompeiyaki again, glazed fried wings, rice dish similar to bi bim bap and one of the BEST salads EVER! Since it was named after the restaurant, we figured it must be SUPERAWESOME and it was. It had lettuce, crispy strips of wonton wrappers (?) and seafood filling.
UNIQLO and Kinugawa Onsen planning
After eating, we went to UNIQLO. We shopped around and they opened another section of their change rooms so we could all be beside each other. We all bought stuff. We could have shoppped more, but the store was closed. I had to give up some of the things I wanted. I hate it when I can't just recklessly spend my money hahahaa. We paid for our stuff and left. We talked to Mellers about Kinugawa onsen and she said she would come! YAY! I was going to make the reservations myself through an English site, but they required 5 days notice prior, so I asked Mellers to make the booking on the Japanese home site. Because she's superawesome, she worked out a nice plan :) We will be staying in a Japanese style room on the top floor and we also have 1 hour access to the hot stone spa. I'm excited for Tuesday!!
Are you guys getting through these?! Hahaha I know they are long! Is it really windy at home?
-Sam ^___^
The Last EPIC Journey Pt 2: Arcades, Anime and Cameras OH MY!
The Last EPIC Journey Part 2: Arcades, Anime and Cameras OH MY!
Fri Feb 5/10
Akihabara: Electric City & Anime/Hobby Store Craziness
As I mentioned before we woke up late. It's only fair since we slept at 8am! We got ready and made our way to Akihabara which is known for electronic stores and anime/hobby shops. The two things I was really looking for were Animate (a 7 FLOOR anime/manga store!) and a fuji instax mini camera (mini-polaroid camera). Akihabara is quite an experience and even though I have been to Tokyo three times before this, I have never made it there.
Animate
Holy anime/manga craziness. When we found the Animate shop it was crazy!! 7 floors of craziness! I only bought three things: an art book and two mangas. Chris tried out the 200 yen machines to get some stuff for her friends. At the store, there was a cashier at every floor so you had to pay on each level. I guess it's a blessing in disguise that I'm not AS CRAZY as I used to be, otherwise I would have dropped some serious cash...and paper is heavy...my luggage would have been so heavy!
Softmap
We went to Softmap's flagship store which sells a buttload of electronics. I finally found my Fuji Mini Instax. I have been so obsessed with this camera recently. I love min-polaroids!! I bought the camera and 100 film. We've already started using it and it's so awesome :)
It Was Going to Happen Sooner or Later...
I stumbled across another arcade..actually a few...and yes, I was tempted to try my luck and so I did...I won a number of stuffed animal things and also some bento (lunch boxes). Chris are kind of strange in that we like winning things more than keeping the prizes. I guess we're just supercompetitive and enjoy winning...
Akihabara Yummies
We grabbed some fruity dessert crepes as we walked around. I had cheesecake and mixed fruits and Chris had strawberry chocolate. We also ordered some star shaped potato fritters. They were really good. Chris was annoyed by the crazy cosplay girls who were advertising various things. We were also given free tissue with an advertisement. We walked around for a bit longer and considered eating in the area. In the end we decided to check out Ikebukuro.
Too Late to Ikebukuro
We got to Ikebukuro but the department stores had closed. We managed to shop in the station though. Chris consdiered buying some stuff at LUSH, as some of their products might differ from home, but then decided not to. We bought some clothes from UNIQLO which was preparing to close. We sped shopped. Though we would like to shop here too, I don't know if we'll have time with all the things will be doing.
Dinnnerrrr
Wanting to explore our dinner options in our neighbourhood, we returned to Koenji. After browsing some of the places, we ended up at a cheap but decent restaurant. Chris was pretty exhausted and increasingly affected by jet lag. I ordered breaded shrimp & tonkatsu (breaded pork), while Chris had tonkatsu and curry on rice. There was a very large thermos of tea which we practically finished.
More Snacks
Considering we are in the land of packaged snacks, you can't blame me for wanting to try almost everything. I initially bought things I already love here like Crunky (chocolate with crispy rice), like Crispy Crunch and is made by LOTTE which is a Korean company. We also got those superawesome chocolate biscuits - I'll have to get the name again, since I don't have it in front of me at the moment.
We headed back at home at fell asleep pretty quickly!
I am quite behind writing these journals because we get home really late are on dead tired and in the mornings we wake up and leave right away.
I hope you are all doing well. By the way, it's hella windy cold here. Thank goodness we brought long sleeved shirts, mittens and hats with us! When you see pictures, you can see our hair blowing in the wind...kinda sorta but not really (b/c Chris wears my hat all the time and my hair isn't long enough to whip in the wind keke), but you can tell.
Oh and a few of the stores situated near our guest house are a little mcshady with animated pictures of well-endowed female characters. We aren't terribly bothered by it, but I suppose other people might be. I would still recommend this place to people as it is so cheap and it is clean. We pay 3500 yen a night for the room. We don't have a curfew either.
Good night everyone!
-Sam ^___^
Fri Feb 5/10
Akihabara: Electric City & Anime/Hobby Store Craziness
As I mentioned before we woke up late. It's only fair since we slept at 8am! We got ready and made our way to Akihabara which is known for electronic stores and anime/hobby shops. The two things I was really looking for were Animate (a 7 FLOOR anime/manga store!) and a fuji instax mini camera (mini-polaroid camera). Akihabara is quite an experience and even though I have been to Tokyo three times before this, I have never made it there.
Animate
Holy anime/manga craziness. When we found the Animate shop it was crazy!! 7 floors of craziness! I only bought three things: an art book and two mangas. Chris tried out the 200 yen machines to get some stuff for her friends. At the store, there was a cashier at every floor so you had to pay on each level. I guess it's a blessing in disguise that I'm not AS CRAZY as I used to be, otherwise I would have dropped some serious cash...and paper is heavy...my luggage would have been so heavy!
Softmap
We went to Softmap's flagship store which sells a buttload of electronics. I finally found my Fuji Mini Instax. I have been so obsessed with this camera recently. I love min-polaroids!! I bought the camera and 100 film. We've already started using it and it's so awesome :)
It Was Going to Happen Sooner or Later...
I stumbled across another arcade..actually a few...and yes, I was tempted to try my luck and so I did...I won a number of stuffed animal things and also some bento (lunch boxes). Chris are kind of strange in that we like winning things more than keeping the prizes. I guess we're just supercompetitive and enjoy winning...
Akihabara Yummies
We grabbed some fruity dessert crepes as we walked around. I had cheesecake and mixed fruits and Chris had strawberry chocolate. We also ordered some star shaped potato fritters. They were really good. Chris was annoyed by the crazy cosplay girls who were advertising various things. We were also given free tissue with an advertisement. We walked around for a bit longer and considered eating in the area. In the end we decided to check out Ikebukuro.
Too Late to Ikebukuro
We got to Ikebukuro but the department stores had closed. We managed to shop in the station though. Chris consdiered buying some stuff at LUSH, as some of their products might differ from home, but then decided not to. We bought some clothes from UNIQLO which was preparing to close. We sped shopped. Though we would like to shop here too, I don't know if we'll have time with all the things will be doing.
Dinnnerrrr
Wanting to explore our dinner options in our neighbourhood, we returned to Koenji. After browsing some of the places, we ended up at a cheap but decent restaurant. Chris was pretty exhausted and increasingly affected by jet lag. I ordered breaded shrimp & tonkatsu (breaded pork), while Chris had tonkatsu and curry on rice. There was a very large thermos of tea which we practically finished.
More Snacks
Considering we are in the land of packaged snacks, you can't blame me for wanting to try almost everything. I initially bought things I already love here like Crunky (chocolate with crispy rice), like Crispy Crunch and is made by LOTTE which is a Korean company. We also got those superawesome chocolate biscuits - I'll have to get the name again, since I don't have it in front of me at the moment.
We headed back at home at fell asleep pretty quickly!
I am quite behind writing these journals because we get home really late are on dead tired and in the mornings we wake up and leave right away.
I hope you are all doing well. By the way, it's hella windy cold here. Thank goodness we brought long sleeved shirts, mittens and hats with us! When you see pictures, you can see our hair blowing in the wind...kinda sorta but not really (b/c Chris wears my hat all the time and my hair isn't long enough to whip in the wind keke), but you can tell.
Oh and a few of the stores situated near our guest house are a little mcshady with animated pictures of well-endowed female characters. We aren't terribly bothered by it, but I suppose other people might be. I would still recommend this place to people as it is so cheap and it is clean. We pay 3500 yen a night for the room. We don't have a curfew either.
Good night everyone!
-Sam ^___^
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Part 1: Jet Lag is for Newbs & Hitting the Clubs
The Last EPIC Journey Part 1: Jet Lag is for Newbs & Hitting the Clubs
Wed Thurs 3/10 - Thurs Feb 4/10
Air Canada Rating
Since we are flying with three different carriers, I decided to a rating of my own on them. The lady who checked us in was extremely nice. She helped us out a lot and poor dad had to trash three of his lighters and matches. We had thought that the rule about no lighters was only for carry-on and not check in. In addition, because he was transferring at Tokyo, we thought it was best for me to take his Johnny Walker's since he had purchased it on duty free and would most likely have to trash that too. The flight was smooth, the staff was extremely friendly and the food was not totally riddled with mushrooms. So I would probably give them a 3.5 out of 5. Watched The Invention of Lying and part of Love Happens on the plane. I basically narco-ed my way through the flight and ate and watched movies. Chris was worse than me and she was always using me for her pillow, so my ribs were a bit sore haha.
Journey to Koenji
We arrived in Tokyo and parted ways with Dad. We were instructed to go to separate customs officers even though we are related and we were fingerprinted and photographed. We picked up our luggage and headed to the exit where they were doing security checks. I was expecting them to open my luggage and rummage, but they didn't.
Its the Thought That Counts
We purchased a combo ticket - round-trip to the airport and a 2-day Metro line pass. We bought additional ones as well because we will be using public transit a lot. Then we waited for our limobus. Three guys who came from Toronto as well let us go ahead of them and one tried to help me, but I forgot to tell him that my luggage handle was broken. Poor guy thought he broke it! He apologized profusely but I told him it was fine. The limobus guy did the same thing. I need a luggage exchange soon.
Koenji
MISSIONS i tell you! Walking up and down the damn stairs with big-ass luggage filled with gifts is no walk in the park! We had to take a short train ride to our stop and it was quite the adventure. Suffice to say, we are cabbing it to shinjuku station and getting the limobus from there going back. When we finally arrived at Koenji station I called Toshi and Ryusaku picked us up. He carried my luggage up one flight and then suggested we stay on that floor ahahahah. Our room is reasonably sized, but the bed is big and takes up most of the space. Also music plays late at night but we're used to living beside a fire station so we don't care. Our room was icy cold, but we figured out how to use the heater!
Mellers calls
Mellers called Ryusaku to find out what happened to us. We got there much later than anticipated due to the craziness at Shinjuku station. I forgot to mention, that people thought we were weird for just wearing our hoodies and no jackets too. We talked briefly and she said we'd go clubbing that night hahahaah..jet lag is for newbs! We would call her at 9pm to find out where to meet.
Exploring Koenji - Shopping at the Daiso (100 yen shop)
Hit the daiso and bought a variety of origami paper. We also looked around at the shops. We're in a pretty cool place :) We also went to 7 eleven, since we forgot our shampoo and toothpaste kekeke. Got some snacks and drinks too.
Dinner
We got to Shinjuku station and looked around a bit. Finally reunited with Mellers at around 11pmish. We went to a Japanese restaurant where we had to take off our shoes and put them in a locker. There was a metal block at each locker and you take the metal slab with you and it locks. We ate gyoza, tompeiyaki, different types of yakitori and had alcoholic beverages..cassis with oolong and cassis with orange juice. Chris experienced a high tech toilet!
Clubbin at Lex
Mellers took us clubbing at Lex with her Abercrombie co-workers and models. All the girls were drooling over them. We also saw Akanashi Jin from KAT-TUN (j-pop band) and he was hanging out with this girl who was all over him. We had a fun time. Everyone was really into the music. It was hella crowded in there though and so hot. We had to take several breaks outside. We were crazy dancing, so much so, that I almost fell at one point haahaa. One of Mellers friends joined us and he almost fell too. Her friends are really nice and some talked to us. There were a lot of foreigner jerks who tried to dance with us, but none of us were having it. Chris, Mellers and I had fun doing some of the dances we knew.
I couldn't find my flat shoes so I ended up using heels and it killed me. My toes felt broken! I was basically hobbled out after clubbing. We left with Masayo and Kenichi and I treated for ramen. Then Masayo came with us to inquire about the passes we had bought. They aren't worth using so we will try to refund them when we get back to the airport.
We were so dead tired when we got back home at around 7amish. We got ready for bed and passed out. We woke up late the next day ahahhaa..I won't say what time but it was late! I'll tell you about it tomorrow and it will be a heckuvalot shorter than this one!!
Hugs to those who finished this email. Sorry if it doesn't make sense hahaah
Until the next one,
Sam ^___^
Wed Thurs 3/10 - Thurs Feb 4/10
Air Canada Rating
Since we are flying with three different carriers, I decided to a rating of my own on them. The lady who checked us in was extremely nice. She helped us out a lot and poor dad had to trash three of his lighters and matches. We had thought that the rule about no lighters was only for carry-on and not check in. In addition, because he was transferring at Tokyo, we thought it was best for me to take his Johnny Walker's since he had purchased it on duty free and would most likely have to trash that too. The flight was smooth, the staff was extremely friendly and the food was not totally riddled with mushrooms. So I would probably give them a 3.5 out of 5. Watched The Invention of Lying and part of Love Happens on the plane. I basically narco-ed my way through the flight and ate and watched movies. Chris was worse than me and she was always using me for her pillow, so my ribs were a bit sore haha.
Journey to Koenji
We arrived in Tokyo and parted ways with Dad. We were instructed to go to separate customs officers even though we are related and we were fingerprinted and photographed. We picked up our luggage and headed to the exit where they were doing security checks. I was expecting them to open my luggage and rummage, but they didn't.
Its the Thought That Counts
We purchased a combo ticket - round-trip to the airport and a 2-day Metro line pass. We bought additional ones as well because we will be using public transit a lot. Then we waited for our limobus. Three guys who came from Toronto as well let us go ahead of them and one tried to help me, but I forgot to tell him that my luggage handle was broken. Poor guy thought he broke it! He apologized profusely but I told him it was fine. The limobus guy did the same thing. I need a luggage exchange soon.
Koenji
MISSIONS i tell you! Walking up and down the damn stairs with big-ass luggage filled with gifts is no walk in the park! We had to take a short train ride to our stop and it was quite the adventure. Suffice to say, we are cabbing it to shinjuku station and getting the limobus from there going back. When we finally arrived at Koenji station I called Toshi and Ryusaku picked us up. He carried my luggage up one flight and then suggested we stay on that floor ahahahah. Our room is reasonably sized, but the bed is big and takes up most of the space. Also music plays late at night but we're used to living beside a fire station so we don't care. Our room was icy cold, but we figured out how to use the heater!
Mellers calls
Mellers called Ryusaku to find out what happened to us. We got there much later than anticipated due to the craziness at Shinjuku station. I forgot to mention, that people thought we were weird for just wearing our hoodies and no jackets too. We talked briefly and she said we'd go clubbing that night hahahaah..jet lag is for newbs! We would call her at 9pm to find out where to meet.
Exploring Koenji - Shopping at the Daiso (100 yen shop)
Hit the daiso and bought a variety of origami paper. We also looked around at the shops. We're in a pretty cool place :) We also went to 7 eleven, since we forgot our shampoo and toothpaste kekeke. Got some snacks and drinks too.
Dinner
We got to Shinjuku station and looked around a bit. Finally reunited with Mellers at around 11pmish. We went to a Japanese restaurant where we had to take off our shoes and put them in a locker. There was a metal block at each locker and you take the metal slab with you and it locks. We ate gyoza, tompeiyaki, different types of yakitori and had alcoholic beverages..cassis with oolong and cassis with orange juice. Chris experienced a high tech toilet!
Clubbin at Lex
Mellers took us clubbing at Lex with her Abercrombie co-workers and models. All the girls were drooling over them. We also saw Akanashi Jin from KAT-TUN (j-pop band) and he was hanging out with this girl who was all over him. We had a fun time. Everyone was really into the music. It was hella crowded in there though and so hot. We had to take several breaks outside. We were crazy dancing, so much so, that I almost fell at one point haahaa. One of Mellers friends joined us and he almost fell too. Her friends are really nice and some talked to us. There were a lot of foreigner jerks who tried to dance with us, but none of us were having it. Chris, Mellers and I had fun doing some of the dances we knew.
I couldn't find my flat shoes so I ended up using heels and it killed me. My toes felt broken! I was basically hobbled out after clubbing. We left with Masayo and Kenichi and I treated for ramen. Then Masayo came with us to inquire about the passes we had bought. They aren't worth using so we will try to refund them when we get back to the airport.
We were so dead tired when we got back home at around 7amish. We got ready for bed and passed out. We woke up late the next day ahahhaa..I won't say what time but it was late! I'll tell you about it tomorrow and it will be a heckuvalot shorter than this one!!
Hugs to those who finished this email. Sorry if it doesn't make sense hahaah
Until the next one,
Sam ^___^
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Last EPIC Journey Part 0: Prologue
The Last EPIC Journey Part 0: Prologue
Hello All,
It's that time again! No, not Christmas...it's travel journal spamming time! If you have received this email, it means I have left the country, abandoned my job (temporarily) and am off searching for a husband LOL! You all know that's a joke right? But if it actually happened would you be surprised?
Well the chances have gone up since I will be away on Valentine's Day kekeke...Valentine's Day/Chinese Lunar New Year! But seriously, I'm on my "last" epic vacation for a while, as I have applied to the East Asian Studies course at UofT and York, so no more crazy travelling for a while TT_______TT And I know you might be shaking your head with disbelief and perhaps the words "yeah right" come to mind or tumble out of your mouth...but yes...try to believe - as I am really trying, that this will be the LAST EPIC ADVENTURE!...for a while...
I am taking Chris with me this time. It is her birthday/Christmas/graduation gift that I have been planning for two years. So we will be embarking on this crazy adventure for around 4 weeks. This means GO BIG OR GO HOME! HAH! I'm going to live it up and you'll get to read about it..well most of it anyway ;) Us girls will be going to Japan and Korea and then meeting Papa Joe in the Philippines.
Here is the itinerary
Tokyo [Feb 4 - 11]
Seoul [Feb 11 - 18]
Manila [Feb 18 - Mar 5]
The fact that JAL airlines has applied for bankruptcy protection is only a small worry. I mean if the powers that be have decided that I should just stay in Asia...who am I to argue? We have already worked out a deportation plan, if the need should arise, but alas...we won't be able to go back anymore...so let's just cross our fingers! And while we are away, we will continue to cheer Canada on in the Olympics! We'll have an Olympics of our own...you know, the shopping and eating kind haha (am I the only one laughing here?). Ok, ok, so this was the prologue and on comes the real trip!
-Sam ^____^
Hello All,
It's that time again! No, not Christmas...it's travel journal spamming time! If you have received this email, it means I have left the country, abandoned my job (temporarily) and am off searching for a husband LOL! You all know that's a joke right? But if it actually happened would you be surprised?
Well the chances have gone up since I will be away on Valentine's Day kekeke...Valentine's Day/Chinese Lunar New Year! But seriously, I'm on my "last" epic vacation for a while, as I have applied to the East Asian Studies course at UofT and York, so no more crazy travelling for a while TT_______TT And I know you might be shaking your head with disbelief and perhaps the words "yeah right" come to mind or tumble out of your mouth...but yes...try to believe - as I am really trying, that this will be the LAST EPIC ADVENTURE!...for a while...
I am taking Chris with me this time. It is her birthday/Christmas/graduation gift that I have been planning for two years. So we will be embarking on this crazy adventure for around 4 weeks. This means GO BIG OR GO HOME! HAH! I'm going to live it up and you'll get to read about it..well most of it anyway ;) Us girls will be going to Japan and Korea and then meeting Papa Joe in the Philippines.
Here is the itinerary
Tokyo [Feb 4 - 11]
Seoul [Feb 11 - 18]
Manila [Feb 18 - Mar 5]
The fact that JAL airlines has applied for bankruptcy protection is only a small worry. I mean if the powers that be have decided that I should just stay in Asia...who am I to argue? We have already worked out a deportation plan, if the need should arise, but alas...we won't be able to go back anymore...so let's just cross our fingers! And while we are away, we will continue to cheer Canada on in the Olympics! We'll have an Olympics of our own...you know, the shopping and eating kind haha (am I the only one laughing here?). Ok, ok, so this was the prologue and on comes the real trip!
-Sam ^____^
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
SEOUL Searching Pt 10: Homeward Bound
DAY 10: SUN APR 19/09
Checking Out & Eating Out
Woke up around 9:30amish to take down some of my luggage and call home. I was pretty sure my luggage wasn't overly heavy, but decided to buy a duffle bag just in case. We checked out by 11:30am and went to get food. We went back to Myeongdong, as we had seen a noodle specialty restaurant we wanted to try. It was the one that had a long line-up.
The food was so awesome there. The noodles were really really good and so were the dumplings. I want to go back and will probably dream of it when I go back to Canada. It felt like comfort food. The noodles were refillable so we got two refills ahahah. Why not?!
Did a tiny bit of last minute shopping and then headed back. Anne convinced me to put some stuff in the duffle bag and helped me lug the stuff to the bus stop. We took some more pics until the bus came. The driver was in a rush and I barely had time to say goodbye to Anne boooooooo
Homeward Bound
Had a bit of trouble finding the Air Canada area, but finally did. Went to Duty Free and bought some soju and small Japanese wine. The 10 hour flight was alright... there was no space for my luggage, so they stored it in first class for me. Too bad they couldn't move me there too! I watched The Day the Earth Stood Still and Defiance. They were both okay movies and Defiance was a true story, so it made me like it a bit more. I had to fill in a customs form for Vancouver. I wrote down some price I supposedly spent when in Korea. hahahahaa. Don't ask me, b/c I won't tell you how much I spent ahahahahhaa.
I also realized on this flight that I was definitely sick. I also had a massive headache...and asked the flight attendant for tylenol. Luckily they had some. I was also a bit cold, even though I had a blanket and a few layers of clothes...not a good sign....the travel curse has struck again. I always seem to get sick on my last day!! I thought the curse had ended!! It strikes again!
Went in Vancouver I had to collect my luggage again and then check it back in...what a hassle. I told the customs dude that I bought music, make-up, clothes and souvenirs and then he said welcome back to Canada. I figured that it meant that I was good to go...but it wasn't as smooth sailing as I had thought. I was stopped for my soju...b/c it was apparently over the limit. It would have been nice to have been told that before I bought it...oh well... so the person told me to go back outside and see if they could retrieve my luggage to put it in there instead of carrying it on with me. Well, they said I had already checked in my luggage and they couldn't get it back. If I wanted to take it with me they would have to charge me an extra 50 bucks as extra luggage. No wayyyy! I had to chuck it. LITERALLY! I had to throw away a case of soju....luckily it wasn't that expensive...but still!!!!!!!!! That made me quite irritated and I had to go through the checks again. By this time, I just wanted to get hella home...
Van to T.O.
I was seated next to the emergency exit...though the thought crossed my mind that I'm like a narco on planes, so is this really a good idea? ahhaha. I was sitting next to a guy named Mac who had been in Korea too. He had just finished his second contract teaching English and was heading home before re-applying again. We had some good conversations and he asked a lot about the library. Eventually I told him I was sleepy and went into narco mode....I think I slept for most of the flight and woke up when we were descending into Toronto kekeke.
It was pretty fast after that since I didn't have to clear customs anymore. I just picked up my baggage and went to the airport express. The bus was already there, so I didn't have time to call Jos. Once I got to Royal York Hotel, a cabbie asked me if I needed a taxi with all my luggage. I said I needed to make a phone call first. He let me use his phone and I called home. Jos, Mom and Chris picked me up from downstairs and it was awesome to see them again.
I'm home now and off thank goodness. I'm sick, but I think I'll go to the doctor. There's no place like home.
Before I end this last journal, there's a few things I would like to recommend to you (in no particular order)
- Go visit Seoul...it is an awesome place to experience
- Eat Korean food! It is healthy and it is part of experiencing Korea
- If you go, at least learn how to say Annyoung Haseyo (hello) and Kamsamnida (thank you). They will appreciate that you are trying to communicate in their language
- Go see the Korean Folk Village and Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. It is an amazing experience!
- Experience the Cherry Blossom Festival in Yeouido
- Check out the amazing graffiti
- Visit Myeongdong, Namdaemun Market, Dongdaemun, Hongdae (Hongik University area), Ehwa Women's University, Insa-Dong and all those other areas. They all have their own charm. In terms of prices, you'll find that Ehwa Women's University is cheaper than Hongik University area....
- See a musical hahaa...even if you can't understand it...it gives you an appreciation for the talent koreans have...
- Enjoy yourself...don't limit yourself while you're there, or you might miss some amazing stuff!
Well there really is too much I would recommend to do in Seoul...you should just go there and experience it! Next year, I would like to also go to Jeju Island and perhaps Busan~
That's all folks!
-Sam ^___^
Checking Out & Eating Out
Woke up around 9:30amish to take down some of my luggage and call home. I was pretty sure my luggage wasn't overly heavy, but decided to buy a duffle bag just in case. We checked out by 11:30am and went to get food. We went back to Myeongdong, as we had seen a noodle specialty restaurant we wanted to try. It was the one that had a long line-up.
The food was so awesome there. The noodles were really really good and so were the dumplings. I want to go back and will probably dream of it when I go back to Canada. It felt like comfort food. The noodles were refillable so we got two refills ahahah. Why not?!
Did a tiny bit of last minute shopping and then headed back. Anne convinced me to put some stuff in the duffle bag and helped me lug the stuff to the bus stop. We took some more pics until the bus came. The driver was in a rush and I barely had time to say goodbye to Anne boooooooo
Homeward Bound
Had a bit of trouble finding the Air Canada area, but finally did. Went to Duty Free and bought some soju and small Japanese wine. The 10 hour flight was alright... there was no space for my luggage, so they stored it in first class for me. Too bad they couldn't move me there too! I watched The Day the Earth Stood Still and Defiance. They were both okay movies and Defiance was a true story, so it made me like it a bit more. I had to fill in a customs form for Vancouver. I wrote down some price I supposedly spent when in Korea. hahahahaa. Don't ask me, b/c I won't tell you how much I spent ahahahahhaa.
I also realized on this flight that I was definitely sick. I also had a massive headache...and asked the flight attendant for tylenol. Luckily they had some. I was also a bit cold, even though I had a blanket and a few layers of clothes...not a good sign....the travel curse has struck again. I always seem to get sick on my last day!! I thought the curse had ended!! It strikes again!
Went in Vancouver I had to collect my luggage again and then check it back in...what a hassle. I told the customs dude that I bought music, make-up, clothes and souvenirs and then he said welcome back to Canada. I figured that it meant that I was good to go...but it wasn't as smooth sailing as I had thought. I was stopped for my soju...b/c it was apparently over the limit. It would have been nice to have been told that before I bought it...oh well... so the person told me to go back outside and see if they could retrieve my luggage to put it in there instead of carrying it on with me. Well, they said I had already checked in my luggage and they couldn't get it back. If I wanted to take it with me they would have to charge me an extra 50 bucks as extra luggage. No wayyyy! I had to chuck it. LITERALLY! I had to throw away a case of soju....luckily it wasn't that expensive...but still!!!!!!!!! That made me quite irritated and I had to go through the checks again. By this time, I just wanted to get hella home...
Van to T.O.
I was seated next to the emergency exit...though the thought crossed my mind that I'm like a narco on planes, so is this really a good idea? ahhaha. I was sitting next to a guy named Mac who had been in Korea too. He had just finished his second contract teaching English and was heading home before re-applying again. We had some good conversations and he asked a lot about the library. Eventually I told him I was sleepy and went into narco mode....I think I slept for most of the flight and woke up when we were descending into Toronto kekeke.
It was pretty fast after that since I didn't have to clear customs anymore. I just picked up my baggage and went to the airport express. The bus was already there, so I didn't have time to call Jos. Once I got to Royal York Hotel, a cabbie asked me if I needed a taxi with all my luggage. I said I needed to make a phone call first. He let me use his phone and I called home. Jos, Mom and Chris picked me up from downstairs and it was awesome to see them again.
I'm home now and off thank goodness. I'm sick, but I think I'll go to the doctor. There's no place like home.
Before I end this last journal, there's a few things I would like to recommend to you (in no particular order)
- Go visit Seoul...it is an awesome place to experience
- Eat Korean food! It is healthy and it is part of experiencing Korea
- If you go, at least learn how to say Annyoung Haseyo (hello) and Kamsamnida (thank you). They will appreciate that you are trying to communicate in their language
- Go see the Korean Folk Village and Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. It is an amazing experience!
- Experience the Cherry Blossom Festival in Yeouido
- Check out the amazing graffiti
- Visit Myeongdong, Namdaemun Market, Dongdaemun, Hongdae (Hongik University area), Ehwa Women's University, Insa-Dong and all those other areas. They all have their own charm. In terms of prices, you'll find that Ehwa Women's University is cheaper than Hongik University area....
- See a musical hahaa...even if you can't understand it...it gives you an appreciation for the talent koreans have...
- Enjoy yourself...don't limit yourself while you're there, or you might miss some amazing stuff!
Well there really is too much I would recommend to do in Seoul...you should just go there and experience it! Next year, I would like to also go to Jeju Island and perhaps Busan~
That's all folks!
-Sam ^___^
SEOUL Searching Pt 9: Tic Tteok, Anne & Shopping, Nails, Sojuuuu, Noraebang bang
DAY 9: SAT APR 18/09
TICK TTEOK
This morning I went back to the Tteok cafe. I bought a bunch of things for me and Anne to try out. They had pumpkin, coffee, green tea, strawberry and other flavoured cakes and rice cakes (tteok). It was really delicious and different! I took some nice pictures of it. I ate a few that looked like rice balls and also rice cakes in the shapes of flowers. I wanted to take some to Canada for you guys, but I don't know if it will survive the flight!
ANNE & SHOPPING YET AGAIN
So, for some reason I had a bunch of trouble doing cash withdrawals on my bank and credit card and in frustration I kept attempting and blocked myself for invalid pin number. I don't know how that happened, as I was using the right number. I called VISA long distance and they said I would have to reset my pin number at an RBC branch. WTBum...so I could swipe but not withdraw cash...oh well...that card got a lot of swiping!
We went for Shabu Shabu at this restaurant and it was really good. We also ordered Pajeon (korean seafood pancake) yumyum! After we had finished the main shabu shabu part, they cooked noodles in the pot. Next came the rice porridge which looked a little like bibimbap at the beginning. The picture of it doesn't do it justice and it looks kinda gross but it was supergood.
While walking around, we saw a huge lineup for giant creampuffs. People were going nuts and taking a lot of pics too, so I decided to buy one for us to try...the cream is really good! We couldn't finish it and I was trying really hard to find a garbage to chuck it...there aren't a lot of garbage bins in Seoul. Many times I end up carrying my garbage around until I find a place to throw it. Finally I found a place and discarded it. Also, I don't think I mentioned this earlier, but there are constant filmings happening in Myeongdong...for the news and film industry...
We also went to this cool place called Cold Stone where they mix ice cream and fruits/chocolates together. It was quite good. Anne got I'm Berry Pine (blueberry, pineapple and pie crust) and I got Strawberry Banana Rendezvous (banana, strawberry, pie crust and white chocolate chip). We both got the "Love It" size which was a medium.
Myeongdong Underground Plaza
I visited Song's store again to buy the rest of the cds I wanted and said goodbye. Anne got a new phone! It is really nice and she can watch tv for free on it too. I so want one!
I did more shopping before we headed out to get our nails done. Anne took me to this Home Living Store called Kosney's and it was deadly. There were so many things that I wanted to buy there! I went a bit nuts hahahaahaa. I bought some things for my card business like an embosser and some other things. Lucky Anne was with me, because she discouraged me from buying EVERYTHING!
Nails & Restaurant in Apgujeong
We went to get our nails done at Namdaemun Underground Shopping Mall. After walking around a bit, we found a place that could accomodate the both of us at the same time. Anne got her nails painted yellow and I got pink (surprise, surprise). I had two people working on my nails and the main person working on me was sick with a cold. She was really nice and kept apologizing. I was trying to understand what they were saying in Korean to Anne, but I only caught bits and pieces.
After eating, we went to a restaurant on the 5th floor. Anne did the ordering and we had army stew, fire hot chicken, brown rice and two pitchers of yogurt soju. They also gave us coloured corn pops to snack on. We had a really good time there~
Noraebang BANG!
We went to a really fancy noraebang place called SU Noraebang. The rooms are really spacious and many celebs have frequented there. The receptionist has an ear pierce and there's a phone in the room that you can use to ask for service like ordering drinks, or extending your time, etc. They also had tamborines, maraccas (sp?) and plastic hammers hehehee. We had a great time and sang a range of songs. It was a really great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who loves karaoke.
We finished around 2am or 3am and headed back to the guest house. Anne stayed over and we watched tv and talked. I packed a bit more and then went to sleep.
I leave tomorrow..wahhhh why can't my vacation last longer?!?!?
-Sam ^__^
TICK TTEOK
This morning I went back to the Tteok cafe. I bought a bunch of things for me and Anne to try out. They had pumpkin, coffee, green tea, strawberry and other flavoured cakes and rice cakes (tteok). It was really delicious and different! I took some nice pictures of it. I ate a few that looked like rice balls and also rice cakes in the shapes of flowers. I wanted to take some to Canada for you guys, but I don't know if it will survive the flight!
ANNE & SHOPPING YET AGAIN
So, for some reason I had a bunch of trouble doing cash withdrawals on my bank and credit card and in frustration I kept attempting and blocked myself for invalid pin number. I don't know how that happened, as I was using the right number. I called VISA long distance and they said I would have to reset my pin number at an RBC branch. WTBum...so I could swipe but not withdraw cash...oh well...that card got a lot of swiping!
We went for Shabu Shabu at this restaurant and it was really good. We also ordered Pajeon (korean seafood pancake) yumyum! After we had finished the main shabu shabu part, they cooked noodles in the pot. Next came the rice porridge which looked a little like bibimbap at the beginning. The picture of it doesn't do it justice and it looks kinda gross but it was supergood.
While walking around, we saw a huge lineup for giant creampuffs. People were going nuts and taking a lot of pics too, so I decided to buy one for us to try...the cream is really good! We couldn't finish it and I was trying really hard to find a garbage to chuck it...there aren't a lot of garbage bins in Seoul. Many times I end up carrying my garbage around until I find a place to throw it. Finally I found a place and discarded it. Also, I don't think I mentioned this earlier, but there are constant filmings happening in Myeongdong...for the news and film industry...
We also went to this cool place called Cold Stone where they mix ice cream and fruits/chocolates together. It was quite good. Anne got I'm Berry Pine (blueberry, pineapple and pie crust) and I got Strawberry Banana Rendezvous (banana, strawberry, pie crust and white chocolate chip). We both got the "Love It" size which was a medium.
Myeongdong Underground Plaza
I visited Song's store again to buy the rest of the cds I wanted and said goodbye. Anne got a new phone! It is really nice and she can watch tv for free on it too. I so want one!
I did more shopping before we headed out to get our nails done. Anne took me to this Home Living Store called Kosney's and it was deadly. There were so many things that I wanted to buy there! I went a bit nuts hahahaahaa. I bought some things for my card business like an embosser and some other things. Lucky Anne was with me, because she discouraged me from buying EVERYTHING!
Nails & Restaurant in Apgujeong
We went to get our nails done at Namdaemun Underground Shopping Mall. After walking around a bit, we found a place that could accomodate the both of us at the same time. Anne got her nails painted yellow and I got pink (surprise, surprise). I had two people working on my nails and the main person working on me was sick with a cold. She was really nice and kept apologizing. I was trying to understand what they were saying in Korean to Anne, but I only caught bits and pieces.
After eating, we went to a restaurant on the 5th floor. Anne did the ordering and we had army stew, fire hot chicken, brown rice and two pitchers of yogurt soju. They also gave us coloured corn pops to snack on. We had a really good time there~
Noraebang BANG!
We went to a really fancy noraebang place called SU Noraebang. The rooms are really spacious and many celebs have frequented there. The receptionist has an ear pierce and there's a phone in the room that you can use to ask for service like ordering drinks, or extending your time, etc. They also had tamborines, maraccas (sp?) and plastic hammers hehehee. We had a great time and sang a range of songs. It was a really great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who loves karaoke.
We finished around 2am or 3am and headed back to the guest house. Anne stayed over and we watched tv and talked. I packed a bit more and then went to sleep.
I leave tomorrow..wahhhh why can't my vacation last longer?!?!?
-Sam ^__^
SEOUL Searching Pt 8: Chuncheon....and Hangin' with Robin
DAY 8: FRI APR 17/09
Early Morning & Choo-choo Train
Woke up really early to meet Agnes at Chungyangi station. Managed to finally reach Chris and chatted for a bit. Called Agnes and realized that I should be at Chungyangi TRAIN station, not subway. We both ran to meet each other and met halfway. Quickly got some snacks at ran like crazy. I really thought I was going to die...b/c I was having a slight asthma attack and of course, I didn't have my puffer with me!
We caught the train and talked. The scenery was nice, but many shots were foiled by window reflections.
The Road Not Taken
We arrived in Chuncheon - it took two hours. I slept a bit on the train...b/c I was really tired. We decided to visit a Buddhist temple. We just missed the ferry at the dam, so we hopped on a special boat for a tourist group ahhahaa. When we arrived, we walked towards where the temple should be. HOLY FREAKIN' H-E-double hockey sticks. THe hill was like a mountain that was steep and curved. The temple wasn't supposed to be so far. Every time we turned a curve, there was still more road and lots of sun..my face was starting to turn red. It was supersteep and I kept thinking...oh my god...I'm running out of water...where is this place?!?!?!? We walked for maybe 1 hour and a half to 1 hour and 45 mins. Finally Agnes stopped a car and asked where the heck this temple was and we came to the realization that we had gone the wrong way!! Well, don't YOU shake your head at me ahahhaha...the signs had been in Korean...ahhaa but it's okay. It was quite an experience. By the time we had realized this, we had LITERALLY walked to another village....over 20km...I really got my exercise. We managed to hitchhike down the mountain...thank god!
Buddhist Temple
We decided to try one more time to reach this temple. When we got there, it was really beautiful. There were many lanterns lining the paths and decorating the temple, b/c Buddha's birthday is approaching. I also saw a really nice statue of princess in a legend holding a snake, I drank ancient water to prolong my life ahhahaa. I also bought a lantern and wrote my family's names and some friends (that I could fit on there) to wish you good lives and health! It was a little expensive, but why not?
Market & Dak GALBI
Agnes is sooooo nice! She originally had another appointment, but she cancelled so we could spend a bit more time in Chuncheon. So we went to something like a farmer's market. Chuncheon is known for it's Dak-Galbi (chicken ribs) and they don' t have it in Toronto. We ate it at a restaurant and it was SUPERAWESOME. They also had water in a jug, but with jade stones. The water was very cool, clean and refreshing!
Grandma's medicine...
When I got back downtown Seoul I called Robin as we were going to meet up. I went to Itaewon to a place called Saigon Grill (i think). I got to see Filipino-Canadian Gus again! It was good times. A lot drinking again, gin and tonic, absolut peach drinks, cranberry and vodka and then yaegermeister (sp?) shots. Yeah...I was pacing myself...for sure... Robin also introduced me to some of his friends. One was Korean-French and the other was Korean-Belgian. There was also Sunny, who was quite nice and had visited the Philippines before. Afterwards we went for sam-gyup-sal (korean bbq bacon) and soju...pace pace pace. We had some really fun times and conversations and they made sure to put me in a cab back to the guest house. It was really nice to see them again!
One more full day in Seoul and then back to Canada~
-Sam
Early Morning & Choo-choo Train
Woke up really early to meet Agnes at Chungyangi station. Managed to finally reach Chris and chatted for a bit. Called Agnes and realized that I should be at Chungyangi TRAIN station, not subway. We both ran to meet each other and met halfway. Quickly got some snacks at ran like crazy. I really thought I was going to die...b/c I was having a slight asthma attack and of course, I didn't have my puffer with me!
We caught the train and talked. The scenery was nice, but many shots were foiled by window reflections.
The Road Not Taken
We arrived in Chuncheon - it took two hours. I slept a bit on the train...b/c I was really tired. We decided to visit a Buddhist temple. We just missed the ferry at the dam, so we hopped on a special boat for a tourist group ahhahaa. When we arrived, we walked towards where the temple should be. HOLY FREAKIN' H-E-double hockey sticks. THe hill was like a mountain that was steep and curved. The temple wasn't supposed to be so far. Every time we turned a curve, there was still more road and lots of sun..my face was starting to turn red. It was supersteep and I kept thinking...oh my god...I'm running out of water...where is this place?!?!?!? We walked for maybe 1 hour and a half to 1 hour and 45 mins. Finally Agnes stopped a car and asked where the heck this temple was and we came to the realization that we had gone the wrong way!! Well, don't YOU shake your head at me ahahhaha...the signs had been in Korean...ahhaa but it's okay. It was quite an experience. By the time we had realized this, we had LITERALLY walked to another village....over 20km...I really got my exercise. We managed to hitchhike down the mountain...thank god!
Buddhist Temple
We decided to try one more time to reach this temple. When we got there, it was really beautiful. There were many lanterns lining the paths and decorating the temple, b/c Buddha's birthday is approaching. I also saw a really nice statue of princess in a legend holding a snake, I drank ancient water to prolong my life ahhahaa. I also bought a lantern and wrote my family's names and some friends (that I could fit on there) to wish you good lives and health! It was a little expensive, but why not?
Market & Dak GALBI
Agnes is sooooo nice! She originally had another appointment, but she cancelled so we could spend a bit more time in Chuncheon. So we went to something like a farmer's market. Chuncheon is known for it's Dak-Galbi (chicken ribs) and they don' t have it in Toronto. We ate it at a restaurant and it was SUPERAWESOME. They also had water in a jug, but with jade stones. The water was very cool, clean and refreshing!
Grandma's medicine...
When I got back downtown Seoul I called Robin as we were going to meet up. I went to Itaewon to a place called Saigon Grill (i think). I got to see Filipino-Canadian Gus again! It was good times. A lot drinking again, gin and tonic, absolut peach drinks, cranberry and vodka and then yaegermeister (sp?) shots. Yeah...I was pacing myself...for sure... Robin also introduced me to some of his friends. One was Korean-French and the other was Korean-Belgian. There was also Sunny, who was quite nice and had visited the Philippines before. Afterwards we went for sam-gyup-sal (korean bbq bacon) and soju...pace pace pace. We had some really fun times and conversations and they made sure to put me in a cab back to the guest house. It was really nice to see them again!
One more full day in Seoul and then back to Canada~
-Sam
SEOUL Searching Pt 7: Palace, Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, Archery! & tons of Galbi
DAY 7: THURS APR 16/09
SUWON'S Hwaseong Hanenggung (Palace)
Woke up early so that I could go to Suwon again, but this time to the palace and the fortress. Got a riceball to eat, since I didn't know when I'd stop to eat. Everything was going pretty smoothly, since I was following the instructions that the tourism lady gave me. I got to the right stop and was searching for the fortress. For some reason I had thought it would be obvious to find. The map sure made it look that way! It isn't as obvious ahahha. I met two other tourists from Hong Kong and we walked to the palace.
The palace was very standard and I looked around. An interesting thing was seeing the traditional games that children played. I also went to the other grounds to see the King's portrait. According to Agnes, he was a very kind and good king.
GO GO PALACE WARRIORS!
I was fortunate enough to get there before the martial arts performance, so I got myself a good place to sit and was soon swallowed up by crowds of children who were there on a school trip. I watched kids being kids before the show started. They were throwing rocks, making mud balls, playing with bugs...yup...quite interesting lol.
I took some awesome shots of the martial artists. They were quite into it and on many occasions, had their weapons very close to the kids. Of course there were screams, most of delight. It was quite an experience. There were two female warriors too! YEA YEA!
SUWON's Hwaseong Fortress
I must say that the fortress is beautiful! Extremely beautiful and worth it's reputation! Of course on the way up, I had a conversation with myself as to whether I was completely nuts to put myself through the torture of climbing to the ticket booth. It might not be evident in my pictures, though it should be, that the hill is high and bleeping steep!!!
After a quick pitstop, I wasn't sure how to find the ticket booth and a kind man explained. I tried to follow his directions and then he came across me again and directed me again. What a nice guy! So I had thought I had arrived, but I still had to climb higher.
Bell & Archery!
I began my journey and one of the first things I saw was the giant bell. This bell was dedicated to fillial relations and one's love for parents. I paid to ring the bell three times. The meanings and such are in the pictures you will one day see keekee. Luckily the lady at the toll booth, noticed that I was alone and she offered to take pictures for me. YAY! So you get to see my slugging the bell!
The walk is really beautiful. Many of you who like walking and beautiful views would enjoy this and I highly recommend it. Another reason I recommend it, is there is also a spot where you can do archery!!
Doing archery is on my 25 List! I was finally able to do it!!! WOOHOO! On my way around the fortress another man saw me taking pics and offered to take one of me with one of the sights. I thanked him and we walked around part of the fortress together...each of us trying our best in an unfamiliar language. We had a nice conversation and eventually parted at where the next stop was. I was looking around and then realized it was the archery stop! So I went to pay a ticket and was being assisted by the lady when she started laughing behind the glass. Suddenly I saw a hand knock on the window. The same man was there and was saying hello :D
I bought a ticket for 1 round of archery (10 arrows). It was supposed to start at 3pm but the man let me do a one-on-one lesson. He has been doing archery for 15 years. After a few bad shots, I was starting to improve and wanted to continue. He told me I had to get another ticket, so I did. The lady had trouble understanding me, but with my handy dandy phrasebook I was finally able to get through to her. I went for a second round and the man gave me three free arrows and said it was service ahhaha yay! Another teacher came and helped me out a bit. I got a bullseye with his help!! (not unassisted though). It was so much fun! When I come back, I'm really going to try to join UofT's archery club.
Kalbi Feast
Because Suwon was known for it's kalbi (beef ribs), I tried to order them at a restaurant. The woman misunderstood and gave me kalbi-tang which is beef rib soup. I ate it b/c I was hungry, but I thought, what the heck lets try again. So I said kalbi please and tapped the bbq. I think they were surprised that I wanted to eat again, but they still prepared my food. Turns out they didn't have kalbi and the pic I saw was actually bulgogi stew which they made for me. I ate it anyway and the nice lady kept coming to cook the food for me. They were really nice and I felt quite comfortable there.
After eating, I headed to the washroom and it was nicely decorated. Then I left Suwon and headed back. I met up with SHR for a bit and then back to the guest house as I was going to meet Agnes at 7:30am at the train station to go to Chuncheon (outside of Seoul).
Ok, that's it folks...until the next one. I'm running late!! Byebye!
-Sam ^___^
SUWON'S Hwaseong Hanenggung (Palace)
Woke up early so that I could go to Suwon again, but this time to the palace and the fortress. Got a riceball to eat, since I didn't know when I'd stop to eat. Everything was going pretty smoothly, since I was following the instructions that the tourism lady gave me. I got to the right stop and was searching for the fortress. For some reason I had thought it would be obvious to find. The map sure made it look that way! It isn't as obvious ahahha. I met two other tourists from Hong Kong and we walked to the palace.
The palace was very standard and I looked around. An interesting thing was seeing the traditional games that children played. I also went to the other grounds to see the King's portrait. According to Agnes, he was a very kind and good king.
GO GO PALACE WARRIORS!
I was fortunate enough to get there before the martial arts performance, so I got myself a good place to sit and was soon swallowed up by crowds of children who were there on a school trip. I watched kids being kids before the show started. They were throwing rocks, making mud balls, playing with bugs...yup...quite interesting lol.
I took some awesome shots of the martial artists. They were quite into it and on many occasions, had their weapons very close to the kids. Of course there were screams, most of delight. It was quite an experience. There were two female warriors too! YEA YEA!
SUWON's Hwaseong Fortress
I must say that the fortress is beautiful! Extremely beautiful and worth it's reputation! Of course on the way up, I had a conversation with myself as to whether I was completely nuts to put myself through the torture of climbing to the ticket booth. It might not be evident in my pictures, though it should be, that the hill is high and bleeping steep!!!
After a quick pitstop, I wasn't sure how to find the ticket booth and a kind man explained. I tried to follow his directions and then he came across me again and directed me again. What a nice guy! So I had thought I had arrived, but I still had to climb higher.
Bell & Archery!
I began my journey and one of the first things I saw was the giant bell. This bell was dedicated to fillial relations and one's love for parents. I paid to ring the bell three times. The meanings and such are in the pictures you will one day see keekee. Luckily the lady at the toll booth, noticed that I was alone and she offered to take pictures for me. YAY! So you get to see my slugging the bell!
The walk is really beautiful. Many of you who like walking and beautiful views would enjoy this and I highly recommend it. Another reason I recommend it, is there is also a spot where you can do archery!!
Doing archery is on my 25 List! I was finally able to do it!!! WOOHOO! On my way around the fortress another man saw me taking pics and offered to take one of me with one of the sights. I thanked him and we walked around part of the fortress together...each of us trying our best in an unfamiliar language. We had a nice conversation and eventually parted at where the next stop was. I was looking around and then realized it was the archery stop! So I went to pay a ticket and was being assisted by the lady when she started laughing behind the glass. Suddenly I saw a hand knock on the window. The same man was there and was saying hello :D
I bought a ticket for 1 round of archery (10 arrows). It was supposed to start at 3pm but the man let me do a one-on-one lesson. He has been doing archery for 15 years. After a few bad shots, I was starting to improve and wanted to continue. He told me I had to get another ticket, so I did. The lady had trouble understanding me, but with my handy dandy phrasebook I was finally able to get through to her. I went for a second round and the man gave me three free arrows and said it was service ahhaha yay! Another teacher came and helped me out a bit. I got a bullseye with his help!! (not unassisted though). It was so much fun! When I come back, I'm really going to try to join UofT's archery club.
Kalbi Feast
Because Suwon was known for it's kalbi (beef ribs), I tried to order them at a restaurant. The woman misunderstood and gave me kalbi-tang which is beef rib soup. I ate it b/c I was hungry, but I thought, what the heck lets try again. So I said kalbi please and tapped the bbq. I think they were surprised that I wanted to eat again, but they still prepared my food. Turns out they didn't have kalbi and the pic I saw was actually bulgogi stew which they made for me. I ate it anyway and the nice lady kept coming to cook the food for me. They were really nice and I felt quite comfortable there.
After eating, I headed to the washroom and it was nicely decorated. Then I left Suwon and headed back. I met up with SHR for a bit and then back to the guest house as I was going to meet Agnes at 7:30am at the train station to go to Chuncheon (outside of Seoul).
Ok, that's it folks...until the next one. I'm running late!! Byebye!
-Sam ^___^
SEOUL Searching Pt 6: Helena & Agnes, Medical Treatment?! & Dracula: The Musical?!
DAY 6: Wed Apr 15/09
Beating the Rush
Because there is fierce competition for the internet here now, I woke up really early to do the journal. I tried to work on the ones I'm behind on, but a line started to form after a while... I called home. Nice to hear everyone, even Chris through Jos' cell phone~
The mosquito bite is still pretty irritated...stupid mozzie!
I decided to try packing some of the crapload of stuff I have bought during this trip...I may need another luggage or duffle bag at least? I started taking pics of all the things I bought and then I got ready to leave.
Lunch with Helena & Agnes
Helena is a friend that I met through KMP :D I've seen her all three times I've visited Seoul and she is supernice. Even though her schedule is quite busy, she always manages to fit me in. She also introduced me to Agnes, another friend. I brought a book over for Helena, as well as an extra book as a gift and I bought a scarf for Agnes.
I ended up in the same place I met Helena last time - by the telephones at the university where she teaches. I called her to let her know I was there at the school. It was cold and rainy today. Luckily I had brought two hoodies with me. After waiting a while I thought I saw someone that looked like her, but I wasn't quite sure. I hesitated and then called out her name. When she didn't answer, I tried her Korean name...but still nothing. I chased after her to make sure and it was her hahaa
We went upstairs to order shabu shabu (hot pot) while we waited for Agnes. We talked about different things with a mixture of Korean and English. I think Helena liked the gifts~ and she was surprised about the other book. Agnes arrived and it was nice to have a reunion. I told them all my news etc and Jos, they said hi and they miss you! I had many lessons while we ate on how to say things in Korean, but it is hard for me to remember them all.
Hospital?!
I also told them about the mosquito bite and showed them. They were quite concerned and Helena offered to let me see the school nurse. I was relieved as I would just like to get a second opinion on it. Unfortunately the doc's office was quite busy. I decided to just wait a few days more to see if it would recover by itself. My bites are always worse two days later...
Dae-hak-ro
Helena had to prepare for her class the next day and also for an upcoming conference and Agnes was free, so she took me to Dae-Hak-Ro which is a trendy area for school students. It is also where a lot music/stage theatres are located.
We decided to buy tickets for a musical (which we pre-purchased online) and watch it later on that night. We went around the different shops and then we ate jajangmyun (black noodles) ahhaa..since I didn't have any yesterday.
BBBUUURRRN!
While we were killing time we went to a cafe...the cream cheese cheesecake was SUPERAWESOME! Not too sweet, but just enough and it was lemon flavoured! After we drank coffee, I went to the washroom. I wasn't really paying attention to the tap and just lifted it...all of a sudden, I yelled out and felt pain. I looked down and there was steam coming out of the tap!! The water was literally boiling hot! I told Agnes and she was surprised too, b/c buildings don't usually have hot water during the hotter months. She told one of the employees, but he didn't seem to worried. My finger stings a bit, but it should be okay.
Dracula: The Musical?!
The tickets we bought were for Dracula: The Musical?! (that's how they spelt it) Our tickets were first row centre and it was a smaller theatre like the one I watched Footloose at. I'm a big chicken, so at first I was slightly worried it would be scary, but the poster looked comedic. I told Agnes that if it was scary, I would try to stay, but I might wait for her outside ahhahaa or if they grabbed me onto the stage I would speak really bad korean and tell them to take her instead lol.
The characters in the musical are: a father, a mother, two daughters, mentally insane son, the maid, dracula and Van Hellsing. The premise of the story is a love letter is delivered and the maid gives it to one of the younger daughter of the household. Dracula, however, is interested in her and keeps trying to put her under his spell. They are constantly interrupted. The insane son also has this power where he pulls everyone in and makes them dance in various styles. It is quite hilarious. Van Hellsing comes to kill Dracula and the older sister falls in love with him. The insane son wants to be a helper to Dracula or Van Hellsing. Even though it was in Korean and I could only understand 25 percent of the dialogue, I really really enjoyed it. Their voices were amazing...and Dracula was hottt! hhahaa I'm really glad that Agnes took me to watch it.
She dropped me off at my stop and I went to sleep pretty quickly.
-Sam ^__^
Beating the Rush
Because there is fierce competition for the internet here now, I woke up really early to do the journal. I tried to work on the ones I'm behind on, but a line started to form after a while... I called home. Nice to hear everyone, even Chris through Jos' cell phone~
The mosquito bite is still pretty irritated...stupid mozzie!
I decided to try packing some of the crapload of stuff I have bought during this trip...I may need another luggage or duffle bag at least? I started taking pics of all the things I bought and then I got ready to leave.
Lunch with Helena & Agnes
Helena is a friend that I met through KMP :D I've seen her all three times I've visited Seoul and she is supernice. Even though her schedule is quite busy, she always manages to fit me in. She also introduced me to Agnes, another friend. I brought a book over for Helena, as well as an extra book as a gift and I bought a scarf for Agnes.
I ended up in the same place I met Helena last time - by the telephones at the university where she teaches. I called her to let her know I was there at the school. It was cold and rainy today. Luckily I had brought two hoodies with me. After waiting a while I thought I saw someone that looked like her, but I wasn't quite sure. I hesitated and then called out her name. When she didn't answer, I tried her Korean name...but still nothing. I chased after her to make sure and it was her hahaa
We went upstairs to order shabu shabu (hot pot) while we waited for Agnes. We talked about different things with a mixture of Korean and English. I think Helena liked the gifts~ and she was surprised about the other book. Agnes arrived and it was nice to have a reunion. I told them all my news etc and Jos, they said hi and they miss you! I had many lessons while we ate on how to say things in Korean, but it is hard for me to remember them all.
Hospital?!
I also told them about the mosquito bite and showed them. They were quite concerned and Helena offered to let me see the school nurse. I was relieved as I would just like to get a second opinion on it. Unfortunately the doc's office was quite busy. I decided to just wait a few days more to see if it would recover by itself. My bites are always worse two days later...
Dae-hak-ro
Helena had to prepare for her class the next day and also for an upcoming conference and Agnes was free, so she took me to Dae-Hak-Ro which is a trendy area for school students. It is also where a lot music/stage theatres are located.
We decided to buy tickets for a musical (which we pre-purchased online) and watch it later on that night. We went around the different shops and then we ate jajangmyun (black noodles) ahhaa..since I didn't have any yesterday.
BBBUUURRRN!
While we were killing time we went to a cafe...the cream cheese cheesecake was SUPERAWESOME! Not too sweet, but just enough and it was lemon flavoured! After we drank coffee, I went to the washroom. I wasn't really paying attention to the tap and just lifted it...all of a sudden, I yelled out and felt pain. I looked down and there was steam coming out of the tap!! The water was literally boiling hot! I told Agnes and she was surprised too, b/c buildings don't usually have hot water during the hotter months. She told one of the employees, but he didn't seem to worried. My finger stings a bit, but it should be okay.
Dracula: The Musical?!
The tickets we bought were for Dracula: The Musical?! (that's how they spelt it) Our tickets were first row centre and it was a smaller theatre like the one I watched Footloose at. I'm a big chicken, so at first I was slightly worried it would be scary, but the poster looked comedic. I told Agnes that if it was scary, I would try to stay, but I might wait for her outside ahhahaa or if they grabbed me onto the stage I would speak really bad korean and tell them to take her instead lol.
The characters in the musical are: a father, a mother, two daughters, mentally insane son, the maid, dracula and Van Hellsing. The premise of the story is a love letter is delivered and the maid gives it to one of the younger daughter of the household. Dracula, however, is interested in her and keeps trying to put her under his spell. They are constantly interrupted. The insane son also has this power where he pulls everyone in and makes them dance in various styles. It is quite hilarious. Van Hellsing comes to kill Dracula and the older sister falls in love with him. The insane son wants to be a helper to Dracula or Van Hellsing. Even though it was in Korean and I could only understand 25 percent of the dialogue, I really really enjoyed it. Their voices were amazing...and Dracula was hottt! hhahaa I'm really glad that Agnes took me to watch it.
She dropped me off at my stop and I went to sleep pretty quickly.
-Sam ^__^
SEOUL Searching Pt. 5: Tteok Museum, ANNE, 1st Shop of Coffee Prince Set & Too Much Spending!
DAY 5: TUES APR 14
Today is Black Day..when single people eat black noodles~
Mosquitoes SUCK!
Guess who got a mosquito bite...darn Korean Folk Village...I knew it was too good to be true! Oh well! I have a bite near my left elbow and the affected area is HUGE and painful. Those who have seen the afteraffects of my past bites are probably cringing right now...one tiny bite and my whole arm turns into a Megaman gun... I made a mental note to ask Anne if she could help me get meds.
Tteok Museum
I am staying right near the Tteok (rice cake) Museum. The whole thing is actually quite small and I finished looking around in less than 15 minutes are so. It is really really pretty and all the models look tasty. Couldn't take pics :( but there is an adjoined cafe where they serve tea and different types of tteok as well. I will try to go have some before I leave, but the schedule is getting a bit tight!
Meeting Anne
Anne and I met through our love for the same music group. It was the first time we met and I had a great time. She asked me what I wanted to eat and I said Dak Galbi (chicken galbi) b/c Nick said it is awesome and they don't have it in Canada. We went to the Chuncheon restaurant to have it and it was delicious. Seriously awesome! Helena had told me to have that when I visited Chuncheon (outside of Seoul), but I didn't end up going so this was the next best thing. We caught up and talked about lots of stuff.
Competitive Streak
After eating, I came across an arcade. You know what that means right? I am supercompetitive and they had the claw game YEA YEA! Lets just say 10,000 won later, I had nothing to show for it. A few close calls though..boooo-urns... I had to make myself leave! Anne was angry for both of us ahahhaaa! Darn you Korean crane games! Why do you continue to elude me?!?!?
1st Shop of Coffee Prince
- Hide quoted text -
There was a k-drama I really enjoyed watching called 1st Shop Coffee Prince. I wanted to visit the set and it was near Hongik University, so asked Anne if we could go together. First we headed to the pharmacy to get me some medicinal cream and meds. Thank you Anne for helping me! The pharmacist told us to keep walking straight and finally we found it. I took pics like a fangirl and then we sat down for some coffee which was hella expensive, but it was an experience! I had an iced latte and Anne had a caramel machiatto YAY! ^___^
Balicat Cafe
Anne had to go to work, so I walked around...intending to do a bit of shopping. I came across a place called Balicat Cafe. It was full of collectible cats made of all sorts of materials. The owner's cats were also there and very affectionate. He let me take pics of the cafe and I also took a pic of the high-tech toilet ahahaha. There were cat paintings, wooden cats, a post-it wall display where people had left msgs. Seriously, it was really interesting. You'll see in my pics, when I upload them! I bought a few things as well~
Bitten By Another Type of BUG
I was bitten by the shopping bug. Of course since it was in a university area, there were a lot of trendy jewellery and fashion...so I kinda went a bit nuts and dropped some serious cash...the stuff was just too cute to pass up!! I was also taking pics of different grafitti around the area. I think I shopped enough for three days worth of shopping...yipes O_O....I'm on vacation..that's allowed! ahahahhaa I spent $100 in one store alone...oh my gosh, but it was worth it! My budget for the next two days is shot to h-e-double hockey sticks! I must do touristy things and save not spend ahhahahaa. I had dinner at Omuto Tomato...a Japanese restaurant. Yes, I know, I should have had black noodles...but it would really be too lonely since no one else would be there....
Tomorrow I'm meeting Helena & Agnes YAY! Hope you're all doing well!
-Sam
Today is Black Day..when single people eat black noodles~
Mosquitoes SUCK!
Guess who got a mosquito bite...darn Korean Folk Village...I knew it was too good to be true! Oh well! I have a bite near my left elbow and the affected area is HUGE and painful. Those who have seen the afteraffects of my past bites are probably cringing right now...one tiny bite and my whole arm turns into a Megaman gun... I made a mental note to ask Anne if she could help me get meds.
Tteok Museum
I am staying right near the Tteok (rice cake) Museum. The whole thing is actually quite small and I finished looking around in less than 15 minutes are so. It is really really pretty and all the models look tasty. Couldn't take pics :( but there is an adjoined cafe where they serve tea and different types of tteok as well. I will try to go have some before I leave, but the schedule is getting a bit tight!
Meeting Anne
Anne and I met through our love for the same music group. It was the first time we met and I had a great time. She asked me what I wanted to eat and I said Dak Galbi (chicken galbi) b/c Nick said it is awesome and they don't have it in Canada. We went to the Chuncheon restaurant to have it and it was delicious. Seriously awesome! Helena had told me to have that when I visited Chuncheon (outside of Seoul), but I didn't end up going so this was the next best thing. We caught up and talked about lots of stuff.
Competitive Streak
After eating, I came across an arcade. You know what that means right? I am supercompetitive and they had the claw game YEA YEA! Lets just say 10,000 won later, I had nothing to show for it. A few close calls though..boooo-urns... I had to make myself leave! Anne was angry for both of us ahahhaaa! Darn you Korean crane games! Why do you continue to elude me?!?!?
1st Shop of Coffee Prince
- Hide quoted text -
There was a k-drama I really enjoyed watching called 1st Shop Coffee Prince. I wanted to visit the set and it was near Hongik University, so asked Anne if we could go together. First we headed to the pharmacy to get me some medicinal cream and meds. Thank you Anne for helping me! The pharmacist told us to keep walking straight and finally we found it. I took pics like a fangirl and then we sat down for some coffee which was hella expensive, but it was an experience! I had an iced latte and Anne had a caramel machiatto YAY! ^___^
Balicat Cafe
Anne had to go to work, so I walked around...intending to do a bit of shopping. I came across a place called Balicat Cafe. It was full of collectible cats made of all sorts of materials. The owner's cats were also there and very affectionate. He let me take pics of the cafe and I also took a pic of the high-tech toilet ahahaha. There were cat paintings, wooden cats, a post-it wall display where people had left msgs. Seriously, it was really interesting. You'll see in my pics, when I upload them! I bought a few things as well~
Bitten By Another Type of BUG
I was bitten by the shopping bug. Of course since it was in a university area, there were a lot of trendy jewellery and fashion...so I kinda went a bit nuts and dropped some serious cash...the stuff was just too cute to pass up!! I was also taking pics of different grafitti around the area. I think I shopped enough for three days worth of shopping...yipes O_O....I'm on vacation..that's allowed! ahahahhaa I spent $100 in one store alone...oh my gosh, but it was worth it! My budget for the next two days is shot to h-e-double hockey sticks! I must do touristy things and save not spend ahhahahaa. I had dinner at Omuto Tomato...a Japanese restaurant. Yes, I know, I should have had black noodles...but it would really be too lonely since no one else would be there....
Tomorrow I'm meeting Helena & Agnes YAY! Hope you're all doing well!
-Sam
SEOUL Searching Pt. 4-2: Song & Jin, Galbi & Noraebang (Karaoke)
DAY 4 continued...
Briefly Namdaemun
I didn't want to waste time by going back to the guesthouse before meeting up with my friends, Song and Jin so I passed by Namdaemun Market. I wanted to check out the jewellery shops, but those stores were closing up by the time I got there, so I made a mental note to come earlier next time.
Myeongdong
Quickly went shopping at one of the stores at Myeongdong, since Song's cd shop (CT Records) is right around there. I bought a t-shirt and a hoodie. The girl who was working there was very nice. She was trying so hard to communicate with me as she thought I was Korean at first. She was very apologetic but I told her in my limited Korean that it was ok. I asked for her opinion on some of the clothes I was trying and she was quite helpful. Haha she told me I had pretty eyes and she gave me a baseball cap as a gift.
Galbi with Song & Jin
I met Song at his store and he asked me what I wanted to eat. I told him I had a craving for galbi and he said we would eat it then. Jin arrived shortly after and we headed off. When Jos and I were in Korea last time, we had ramyeon with Song and Jin and their friends. It was nice to see them again. Jin speaks really good English so he was translating a lot for Song hahaa... I kept teasing Song, b/c I know he knows some English, but b/c Jin is there he just asks him to translate all the time haha. Song had to go back to check on the store, since Jin Young was running it while he was out with us.
We had really yummy galbi and Jin and I drank Cass beer, but Song was working, so he didn't drink. We caught up and Jin told me how he is working for a tourism company right now. Song is still with his girlfriend :D We joked that he would be the first one of us married. They asked me about my quest aahahaha
Noraebang - Karaoke!!
I asked Jin if we could go for Noraebang and he agreed. Song said he'd check on the store and come meet us. ahhaa we ended up karaoking for over 2 hours!! Song came for a while and then had to go back. They both have great voices. They asked me what I wanted them to sing and they sang two songs for me! Bo Go Ship Da (I Miss You), which is like the only Korean song I know all the words to and Sarang Hamnida (I Love You). We sang a mixture of Korean and English songs. I sang a lot!!!...which I don't do that often b/c I'm usually in a group and the only place I don't care if I sing or not, is in the shower ahahaha. Jin had it right on the nose when he said Korea is my second home. It feels like it. I feel really comfortable and I'm so happy to hang out with the friends I made here.
Jin and I were so tired by the end of those over 2 hours hahahaha... Jin Young came to meet us and we went for drinks and snacks. They took me to a place that was famous for battered vegetables and we had korean pancakes again. We talked about work, relationships and other random stuff. Good times and a lot of laughter!! They are so awesome. They really treated me well! I didn't pay for anything the whole night, they always poured my drinks and put food on my plate! Why aren't these guys married?!?! ahahaha. They made sure I got home safe and came with me in the taxi and then headed out for more drinks, as I was too tired to continue ahahha...it had been a really long day!
I haven't even started packing my stuff away, since I want to take pics of everything! I had wanted to finish the next journal, but this one took a while and ppl are waiting for the comp. So i'm still two behind, but they will come eventually!
Later peeps! The next journal is about hanging out with Anne, too much shopping and my battle with my mosquito bite!! I hate bites!!
-Sam ^__^
Briefly Namdaemun
I didn't want to waste time by going back to the guesthouse before meeting up with my friends, Song and Jin so I passed by Namdaemun Market. I wanted to check out the jewellery shops, but those stores were closing up by the time I got there, so I made a mental note to come earlier next time.
Myeongdong
Quickly went shopping at one of the stores at Myeongdong, since Song's cd shop (CT Records) is right around there. I bought a t-shirt and a hoodie. The girl who was working there was very nice. She was trying so hard to communicate with me as she thought I was Korean at first. She was very apologetic but I told her in my limited Korean that it was ok. I asked for her opinion on some of the clothes I was trying and she was quite helpful. Haha she told me I had pretty eyes and she gave me a baseball cap as a gift.
Galbi with Song & Jin
I met Song at his store and he asked me what I wanted to eat. I told him I had a craving for galbi and he said we would eat it then. Jin arrived shortly after and we headed off. When Jos and I were in Korea last time, we had ramyeon with Song and Jin and their friends. It was nice to see them again. Jin speaks really good English so he was translating a lot for Song hahaa... I kept teasing Song, b/c I know he knows some English, but b/c Jin is there he just asks him to translate all the time haha. Song had to go back to check on the store, since Jin Young was running it while he was out with us.
We had really yummy galbi and Jin and I drank Cass beer, but Song was working, so he didn't drink. We caught up and Jin told me how he is working for a tourism company right now. Song is still with his girlfriend :D We joked that he would be the first one of us married. They asked me about my quest aahahaha
Noraebang - Karaoke!!
I asked Jin if we could go for Noraebang and he agreed. Song said he'd check on the store and come meet us. ahhaa we ended up karaoking for over 2 hours!! Song came for a while and then had to go back. They both have great voices. They asked me what I wanted them to sing and they sang two songs for me! Bo Go Ship Da (I Miss You), which is like the only Korean song I know all the words to and Sarang Hamnida (I Love You). We sang a mixture of Korean and English songs. I sang a lot!!!...which I don't do that often b/c I'm usually in a group and the only place I don't care if I sing or not, is in the shower ahahaha. Jin had it right on the nose when he said Korea is my second home. It feels like it. I feel really comfortable and I'm so happy to hang out with the friends I made here.
Jin and I were so tired by the end of those over 2 hours hahahaha... Jin Young came to meet us and we went for drinks and snacks. They took me to a place that was famous for battered vegetables and we had korean pancakes again. We talked about work, relationships and other random stuff. Good times and a lot of laughter!! They are so awesome. They really treated me well! I didn't pay for anything the whole night, they always poured my drinks and put food on my plate! Why aren't these guys married?!?! ahahaha. They made sure I got home safe and came with me in the taxi and then headed out for more drinks, as I was too tired to continue ahahha...it had been a really long day!
I haven't even started packing my stuff away, since I want to take pics of everything! I had wanted to finish the next journal, but this one took a while and ppl are waiting for the comp. So i'm still two behind, but they will come eventually!
Later peeps! The next journal is about hanging out with Anne, too much shopping and my battle with my mosquito bite!! I hate bites!!
-Sam ^__^
SEOUL Searching Pt 4-1: Suwon & Paper Making
Good Morning Peeps! It is 7:33am here...I woke up early to write this journal, since there is mad competition for the internet here! Ahhh the shopping plaza I recommended to you in the previous emails is called Ssamziegil and it is in Insa-dong. It is quite cold this morning and I have my hoodie on, but I'm sure it will warm up. I've been using up all my t-shirts.
I am two journals behind so here we go...this one (Day 4) is SUPERSUPERLONG...don't feel the need to read it all haha..
DAY 4: Mon Apr 13/09
Suwon, Here I COME!
Since this is my third time to Seoul, I decided it was time to branch out and try to get myself outside of the city for a day trip of some sort. I decided to go to Suwon, which is reachable by the Seoul subway system. There are three things in Suwon that I would like to experience:
- Hwaseong Fortress (apparently it takes three hours to go around the whole thing! & there's archery there!! Yea yea!! I really want to try it!)
- Korean Folk Village (self explanatory, no?)
- Suwon Galbi (the beef ribs are their specialty...I'm sure Sheppy would love it!)
The lady at the tourism office spoke English and was able to answer all my questions. She was extremely nice and also allowed me to check my email on the internet terminals there. I had an email from Anne to plan to meet up. For some reason, at the time, I thought it was already Tuesday and had already missed the opportunity to meet. I sent her an apologetic msg and realized afterwards that it was actually Monday...oopsalini!
The tourism office lady, unfortunately I don't know her name so I'll have to refer her as that, recommended that I go to the Korean Folk Village first as the buses left every hour and the 11:30 bus would be arriving soon. It takes half an hour to get to the village. She suggested I take the KFV guide and also helped to answer my questions for the Korean Folk Village receptionist, since the other lady couldn't really understand me. It costs 12,000 won (approx. $12) for adults and there is a free shuttle there.
CANADIANS, EH!
While I was on the bus to KFV, I was sitting near some other "foreigners". I heard them speak English and they were talking about how they should have gotten a guide as well. We started talking and they are Canadian too - from near Lake Huron. They were two sisters. One was teaching english to children in Suwon and the other was visiting. They also have another sister in Korea..so basically half the family is living there. Anyway, we had some good convos and then when we arrived, we wished each other a good trip and went our separate ways.
Performances; Equestrian Style
There were a number of performances happening at KFV, but I missed a bunch of performances. There were a bazillion kids there...no joke. Lots of schools having a trip there. I ended up going to the equestrian show and took some video which I will post at some point. I got a really good seat for the show and was sitting in between a bunch of kids and behind me were some pretty loud teens who reminded me of the ones that frequent the library sometimes. ahah..you know, the ones that make fun of everything?!
Just before they started, one of the horses got loose and was rampaging around where I was sitting. Some of the kids started screaming. I was pretty surprised and didn't think to videotape. I did take a pic though! It was quite entertainining...the show I mean keke. After the performance I walked for a bit and realized that I lost my KFV map and had to backtrack.
Movie Sets
I went to the sets of "Dae Jang Geum" (Jewel of the Palace) and "The King and the Clown." The former, was an epic Korean drama that helped to spur Korean tourism with its popularity. It was about Dae Jang Geum, the one and only female to be a King's personal physician. I highly recommend watching this as it focuses on the power struggles in the palace. The kitchens had a lot of importance and everything they served the royalty had some kind health-related purpose. The drama also features some pretty delicious food!
Blockbuster Korean movie "The King and The Clown" broke all previous movie records to become the all-time number-one hit following 112 days at the box office. By the final screening on April 18, 2006, The King and The Clown had drawn close to 4 million viewers in Seoul and over 12 million people nationwide.
Exploring, Eateries & A Kind Stranger
I walked around more..taking pics of the different types of houses, bridges, animals (including black pigs from Jeju Island). I started to get hungry after a while. All I had eaten so far was gimbap, which is like sushi. [Traditionally, the rice is lightly seasoned with salt and sesame oil/perilla oil. Popular protein ingredients are fish cake, crab meat, eggs, and/or seasoned beef rib-eye. Vegetables usually include cucumbers, spinach, carrots, and danmuji (pickled radish) - credits to Wiki]
I headed to the food court and bought meal tickets for Soon dubu chigae, a spicy silken tofu soup and leek pancakes. There were numbered stalls and once the ticket was purchased I had to go to the right stall number. I went to stall #1 and sat at a low table. The food was delicious and I took pics. I keep forgetting to bring my camera down to upload pics! There was another person sitting by himself and he was an older man. We left around the same time and ended up at the same stall the second time haha.
The leek pancake was so yummy, but GIGANTOR! It was too big and I couldn't eat the whole thing. You'll see why in the pics. I finished what I could and then started to write a bit of the travel journal when I noticed someone standing near me. It was a middle-aged Korean woman, who I had noticed sitting with another woman and two men. I assumed it was two couples. They had been eating oranges and I had thought to myself, why didn't I think of that. The nice lady tapped my shoulder and smiled. She gave me half an orange and told me to eat it. I thanked her and her friend. It was so sweet and tasty!
This might be a strange thing to people, but when I travel, I tend to bring some small gifts/candies, etc with me, in case I meet supernice people who help me out. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything with me at the time...except for origami paper. So I made two origami dolphins and gave them to the ladies before they moved on. I thanked them and they said the dolphins were cute. They thanked me as they left. It was a nice experience.
Making Traditional Korean Paper
I signed myself up to make Korean paper... Why not? It would be an experience :D So I went through all the steps...(and i have pics too, as the supernice guys there took pictures for me). I mixed the water and paper mix, then used something like a basket to lift the mixture into a rectangular paper shape. We lifted what looked like the bamboo sheet people use to make sushi and used our fingers to press the sheets ends down and then lifted the bamboo off of it. Next we put it on a heater to try and I had to brush it out. The last step was taking it off the heater and putting a print on it. Through all of these processes they took pictures for me on my camera and tried to communicate with my limited Korean. They told me their clothes were also made out of paper. I made them an origami dolphin and frog and they put it on display ahhaa....
I really wanted to stay longer, but I had dinner plans. I might go back now that I think of it because there are other workshops I would like to try. I didn't have time to do the fortress either, so I'm going back to Suwon on Thursday and then I'll be meeting SHR again. I thanked the paper people and then rushed off to my bus. On the way I took a picture of three old women who were diligently working on the beautiful garden. I even got them to pose for one of the pics! They were so sweet!
Ok, this is too long...I'm gonna split it up into two emails....
Are your eyes sore yet?
-Sam
I am two journals behind so here we go...this one (Day 4) is SUPERSUPERLONG...don't feel the need to read it all haha..
DAY 4: Mon Apr 13/09
Suwon, Here I COME!
Since this is my third time to Seoul, I decided it was time to branch out and try to get myself outside of the city for a day trip of some sort. I decided to go to Suwon, which is reachable by the Seoul subway system. There are three things in Suwon that I would like to experience:
- Hwaseong Fortress (apparently it takes three hours to go around the whole thing! & there's archery there!! Yea yea!! I really want to try it!)
- Korean Folk Village (self explanatory, no?)
- Suwon Galbi (the beef ribs are their specialty...I'm sure Sheppy would love it!)
The lady at the tourism office spoke English and was able to answer all my questions. She was extremely nice and also allowed me to check my email on the internet terminals there. I had an email from Anne to plan to meet up. For some reason, at the time, I thought it was already Tuesday and had already missed the opportunity to meet. I sent her an apologetic msg and realized afterwards that it was actually Monday...oopsalini!
The tourism office lady, unfortunately I don't know her name so I'll have to refer her as that, recommended that I go to the Korean Folk Village first as the buses left every hour and the 11:30 bus would be arriving soon. It takes half an hour to get to the village. She suggested I take the KFV guide and also helped to answer my questions for the Korean Folk Village receptionist, since the other lady couldn't really understand me. It costs 12,000 won (approx. $12) for adults and there is a free shuttle there.
CANADIANS, EH!
While I was on the bus to KFV, I was sitting near some other "foreigners". I heard them speak English and they were talking about how they should have gotten a guide as well. We started talking and they are Canadian too - from near Lake Huron. They were two sisters. One was teaching english to children in Suwon and the other was visiting. They also have another sister in Korea..so basically half the family is living there. Anyway, we had some good convos and then when we arrived, we wished each other a good trip and went our separate ways.
Performances; Equestrian Style
There were a number of performances happening at KFV, but I missed a bunch of performances. There were a bazillion kids there...no joke. Lots of schools having a trip there. I ended up going to the equestrian show and took some video which I will post at some point. I got a really good seat for the show and was sitting in between a bunch of kids and behind me were some pretty loud teens who reminded me of the ones that frequent the library sometimes. ahah..you know, the ones that make fun of everything?!
Just before they started, one of the horses got loose and was rampaging around where I was sitting. Some of the kids started screaming. I was pretty surprised and didn't think to videotape. I did take a pic though! It was quite entertainining...the show I mean keke. After the performance I walked for a bit and realized that I lost my KFV map and had to backtrack.
Movie Sets
I went to the sets of "Dae Jang Geum" (Jewel of the Palace) and "The King and the Clown." The former, was an epic Korean drama that helped to spur Korean tourism with its popularity. It was about Dae Jang Geum, the one and only female to be a King's personal physician. I highly recommend watching this as it focuses on the power struggles in the palace. The kitchens had a lot of importance and everything they served the royalty had some kind health-related purpose. The drama also features some pretty delicious food!
Blockbuster Korean movie "The King and The Clown" broke all previous movie records to become the all-time number-one hit following 112 days at the box office. By the final screening on April 18, 2006, The King and The Clown had drawn close to 4 million viewers in Seoul and over 12 million people nationwide.
Exploring, Eateries & A Kind Stranger
I walked around more..taking pics of the different types of houses, bridges, animals (including black pigs from Jeju Island). I started to get hungry after a while. All I had eaten so far was gimbap, which is like sushi. [Traditionally, the rice is lightly seasoned with salt and sesame oil/perilla oil. Popular protein ingredients are fish cake, crab meat, eggs, and/or seasoned beef rib-eye. Vegetables usually include cucumbers, spinach, carrots, and danmuji (pickled radish) - credits to Wiki]
I headed to the food court and bought meal tickets for Soon dubu chigae, a spicy silken tofu soup and leek pancakes. There were numbered stalls and once the ticket was purchased I had to go to the right stall number. I went to stall #1 and sat at a low table. The food was delicious and I took pics. I keep forgetting to bring my camera down to upload pics! There was another person sitting by himself and he was an older man. We left around the same time and ended up at the same stall the second time haha.
The leek pancake was so yummy, but GIGANTOR! It was too big and I couldn't eat the whole thing. You'll see why in the pics. I finished what I could and then started to write a bit of the travel journal when I noticed someone standing near me. It was a middle-aged Korean woman, who I had noticed sitting with another woman and two men. I assumed it was two couples. They had been eating oranges and I had thought to myself, why didn't I think of that. The nice lady tapped my shoulder and smiled. She gave me half an orange and told me to eat it. I thanked her and her friend. It was so sweet and tasty!
This might be a strange thing to people, but when I travel, I tend to bring some small gifts/candies, etc with me, in case I meet supernice people who help me out. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything with me at the time...except for origami paper. So I made two origami dolphins and gave them to the ladies before they moved on. I thanked them and they said the dolphins were cute. They thanked me as they left. It was a nice experience.
Making Traditional Korean Paper
I signed myself up to make Korean paper... Why not? It would be an experience :D So I went through all the steps...(and i have pics too, as the supernice guys there took pictures for me). I mixed the water and paper mix, then used something like a basket to lift the mixture into a rectangular paper shape. We lifted what looked like the bamboo sheet people use to make sushi and used our fingers to press the sheets ends down and then lifted the bamboo off of it. Next we put it on a heater to try and I had to brush it out. The last step was taking it off the heater and putting a print on it. Through all of these processes they took pictures for me on my camera and tried to communicate with my limited Korean. They told me their clothes were also made out of paper. I made them an origami dolphin and frog and they put it on display ahhaa....
I really wanted to stay longer, but I had dinner plans. I might go back now that I think of it because there are other workshops I would like to try. I didn't have time to do the fortress either, so I'm going back to Suwon on Thursday and then I'll be meeting SHR again. I thanked the paper people and then rushed off to my bus. On the way I took a picture of three old women who were diligently working on the beautiful garden. I even got them to pose for one of the pics! They were so sweet!
Ok, this is too long...I'm gonna split it up into two emails....
Are your eyes sore yet?
-Sam
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