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 ^___^
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
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
SEOUL Searching Pt 3: Cherry Blossom Festival & Apgujeong-ing
Before I tell you about Day 3, I just wanted to say that I didn't really do Insadong justice in my previous entry. The place I bought my earrings is in plaza full of amazing works by a number of artists. Visitors write on the walls, artists do caricatures, there are many displays of different art expressions. It really is an experience!
DAY 3: SUN APR 12/09
The Camera Dilemma
Last night I had every intention of finishing the day's travel journal, but was exhausted from the long day. I realized this morning that the adapter I had brought was actually the wrong one!! alsdjfkalsdfja So I thought to myself what would be easier..finding an adapter...or buying a new camera altogether? dot dot dot...what do you think I did?
I got in touch with Helena, a friend introduced to me by Keonmi, and we made plans and she suggested the Yongsan Electorics market. So I headed there and on the way I stopped by a grocery store. A boy of around 8 years of age saw me waiting for help and then rang in my purchase. I didn't really know what to think of it. He's so cute, but that's like child labour, though it is a family owned supermarket.
Got to Yongsan electronics and was helped as soon as I got through the door. Did you guess whether I bought a new camera or adapter? They are also having a clothing sale, but I refrained...I don't want to blow toooo much cash-os.
The Path to Cherry Blossoms is filled with Obstacles
Nick and I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival by Yeiounaru subway station. It was a quick reminder that Seoul has a ridiculous amount of people....O_O It was like a human wave...really not a place for agoraphobics (sp?). The mob started from the second we stepped off the subway. There are so many steps in this one station...so everyone must really want to see it. People either brave the bazillion (and I really mean bazillion) or wait forever for the escalator which is exploding with ppl. That station is really really underground...we had to go up over three levels to get to the exit.
Once we escaped that we were stuck behind the masses headed to the entrance of the festival which was like 15-20 mins away. ACK! We had to do it all over again on the way back. Luckily we came and left when we did as it just got more and more crazy!!
Cherry Blossoms: The Prettiest Trees Ever
The cherry blossoms were beautiful and so graceful. I really think people should experience it at least once - seeing cherry blossoms fall from trees. They are very soft and have this calming affect.
On the way to the main area, which was blocked, we grabbed some foodage. Neither of us had eaten yet, so we had some deep fried potatoes, octopus and other veggies. Then we also bought two orders of pork and of kimchi mandoo (dumplings) and frozen water.
We did some people watching too. Here's a list of the interesting stuff we saw. I have a few pics to prove it (for the most part)
- dude with diarrhea coloured hair
- two young guys linked together with what looks like deflated balloons and a bag of snacks?!
- a family with three kids, all dressed in the same print in different outfits
- a girl using a rolling cooler like a stroller - her dad (i think) was pulling it
- some interesting flower displays
- couples wearing matching clothes...seriously...a lot of them!
- some cute dogs
- people climbing cherry trees for their pictures
- some dude standing on the wall with a guitar performing and perhaps doing comedy as well
- misspelled and bad grammar shirts...but some are charming in their own way...case and point is one of the pics Nick spotted first...and then I also took a pic of it
Nickster pointed something out about how much money people have spent on cameras and how much worth of cameras were at the festival. I never thought of it, but yeah, there was a HECKUVALOT of cameras with HUGE lenses. We took some really pretty pics with our planish cameras, which i'll post at some point. I tried several times to take pictures catching the cherry blossoms flying. It is quite difficult, but I did get a bit of video. People were cheering and wahhhhing... We walked to the end and then rested for a bit to people watch. Nick had to meet up with a friend, who was going to let him hitch a ride to Pohang (sp?) I headed to Apgujueong to do some shopping.
Apgujeong - Rodeo St.
Apgujeong is a shopping district which is extremely trendy and fashion forward. The music store that was there before...i could not locate. Oh well...I shopped and bought a few things and also had an ice cream dessert from the Haagen Daaz cafe. Yummy! I window shopped and left a few things on the racks so that if I had money left over, I could come back on another day and get them. This shopping area was around 20mins from the subway. I didn't go to the Galleria dept store even though it was closeby.
I was so dead tired after all this activity, so I headed home. I wanted to go back to see the cherry blossoms being lit by different coloured lights, but it was too much work... I've been walking a lot here and trying to make the most of my days without overdoing it, but sometimes I forget that my body needs rest keke
Tomorrow I'm going to go to Suwon to check out the Korean Folk Village and Hwaseong Fortress.
Pls excuse the misspellings and bad camera (grammar)...ok I'm falling asleep typing this...
I'm still down today's journal...I'll aim for two tomorrow.
DAY 3: SUN APR 12/09
The Camera Dilemma
Last night I had every intention of finishing the day's travel journal, but was exhausted from the long day. I realized this morning that the adapter I had brought was actually the wrong one!! alsdjfkalsdfja So I thought to myself what would be easier..finding an adapter...or buying a new camera altogether? dot dot dot...what do you think I did?
I got in touch with Helena, a friend introduced to me by Keonmi, and we made plans and she suggested the Yongsan Electorics market. So I headed there and on the way I stopped by a grocery store. A boy of around 8 years of age saw me waiting for help and then rang in my purchase. I didn't really know what to think of it. He's so cute, but that's like child labour, though it is a family owned supermarket.
Got to Yongsan electronics and was helped as soon as I got through the door. Did you guess whether I bought a new camera or adapter? They are also having a clothing sale, but I refrained...I don't want to blow toooo much cash-os.
The Path to Cherry Blossoms is filled with Obstacles
Nick and I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival by Yeiounaru subway station. It was a quick reminder that Seoul has a ridiculous amount of people....O_O It was like a human wave...really not a place for agoraphobics (sp?). The mob started from the second we stepped off the subway. There are so many steps in this one station...so everyone must really want to see it. People either brave the bazillion (and I really mean bazillion) or wait forever for the escalator which is exploding with ppl. That station is really really underground...we had to go up over three levels to get to the exit.
Once we escaped that we were stuck behind the masses headed to the entrance of the festival which was like 15-20 mins away. ACK! We had to do it all over again on the way back. Luckily we came and left when we did as it just got more and more crazy!!
Cherry Blossoms: The Prettiest Trees Ever
The cherry blossoms were beautiful and so graceful. I really think people should experience it at least once - seeing cherry blossoms fall from trees. They are very soft and have this calming affect.
On the way to the main area, which was blocked, we grabbed some foodage. Neither of us had eaten yet, so we had some deep fried potatoes, octopus and other veggies. Then we also bought two orders of pork and of kimchi mandoo (dumplings) and frozen water.
We did some people watching too. Here's a list of the interesting stuff we saw. I have a few pics to prove it (for the most part)
- dude with diarrhea coloured hair
- two young guys linked together with what looks like deflated balloons and a bag of snacks?!
- a family with three kids, all dressed in the same print in different outfits
- a girl using a rolling cooler like a stroller - her dad (i think) was pulling it
- some interesting flower displays
- couples wearing matching clothes...seriously...a lot of them!
- some cute dogs
- people climbing cherry trees for their pictures
- some dude standing on the wall with a guitar performing and perhaps doing comedy as well
- misspelled and bad grammar shirts...but some are charming in their own way...case and point is one of the pics Nick spotted first...and then I also took a pic of it
Nickster pointed something out about how much money people have spent on cameras and how much worth of cameras were at the festival. I never thought of it, but yeah, there was a HECKUVALOT of cameras with HUGE lenses. We took some really pretty pics with our planish cameras, which i'll post at some point. I tried several times to take pictures catching the cherry blossoms flying. It is quite difficult, but I did get a bit of video. People were cheering and wahhhhing... We walked to the end and then rested for a bit to people watch. Nick had to meet up with a friend, who was going to let him hitch a ride to Pohang (sp?) I headed to Apgujueong to do some shopping.
Apgujeong - Rodeo St.
Apgujeong is a shopping district which is extremely trendy and fashion forward. The music store that was there before...i could not locate. Oh well...I shopped and bought a few things and also had an ice cream dessert from the Haagen Daaz cafe. Yummy! I window shopped and left a few things on the racks so that if I had money left over, I could come back on another day and get them. This shopping area was around 20mins from the subway. I didn't go to the Galleria dept store even though it was closeby.
I was so dead tired after all this activity, so I headed home. I wanted to go back to see the cherry blossoms being lit by different coloured lights, but it was too much work... I've been walking a lot here and trying to make the most of my days without overdoing it, but sometimes I forget that my body needs rest keke
Tomorrow I'm going to go to Suwon to check out the Korean Folk Village and Hwaseong Fortress.
Pls excuse the misspellings and bad camera (grammar)...ok I'm falling asleep typing this...
I'm still down today's journal...I'll aim for two tomorrow.
SEOUL Searching Pt 2: Adventures with Nick, Tequila, Dawn & the Police
and so begins a long entry...don't feel the need to read it all, but brownie points for those who do ^__^
DAY 2: SAT APR 11/09
REUNION
Nick and I had the most hilarious conversation on the phone when he got off the bus in Seoul. He arrived around 1am and couldn't find the subway station. So I heard him talking to people in Korean and when he finally did find it, it was closed :( He decided to take a taxi and I met him at Anguk stn. It was so awesome to see him again. This is yet another instance where Korea brings people together. I hardly see Nick in Toronto, if at all, and now we can hang out all weekend! SCORE! Last time Jos and I came to Korea, we hung out with our cousin Janelle more frequently than back home too.
So we walked back to the guest house and drank some HITE beer, then headed out to meet his friend Matt in Hongdae. We stumbled across some crazy graffiti throughout the night. Of course, no one knew where Club Saab was - which was our destination. So we spent a lot of time walking around and finally we found it. Matt hooked us up, so we didn't have to pay cover. Shweet!
OH TEQUILA...
All I can say is that there weren't a whole lot of girls there hahaa. Nick bought us some drinks and he caught up with Matt. They introduced me to their other friends, Aaron and some other guys. I guess I can say that I danced the night away?! I was having a great time and everyone was dancing. I was never able to escape the dance floor as I kept being pulled back on...probably because there weren't too many other girls haha. Then came the tequila shots...dot dot dot. Let's just say that when I woke up this morning I was greeted by sunshine and a wicked headache. Sadly, I could not find the aleve/advil that I thought I brought with me. Anyway, back to it...at some point we moved to a bar and Nick played darts while I talked with some other people. We also took pics of the graffiti inside. I believe we were out past 5am haha - the sun was coming up. Nick told me that several guys approached him checking to see if I was his girlfriend and he assured them we were just friends. Haha good times, good times.
THE RISE OF THE DAWN & INSADONG
The next morning, I woke about 10:30amish and woke Nick up around 11 something or other. I went to the store to buy to cans of the Dawn, which is like a hangover drink. I also ordered delivery of black noodles and dumplings for us, as it was around lunch time. I asked about the English tours for Chandeokgung Palace, as Nick has never been there and we planned to go a little later. We decided to go to Insadong first. The weather is beautiful! We were walking in the right direction but then we took some detours ahhaa...we ended up asking different people for directions and they all gave us totally opposite directions ahhaa
We finally arrived and we shopped around. Nick bought a paintbrush and postcards. I tried to stop myself from spending all my money... good thing I divide my money into daily budgets! We took some fun pictures while we were there (with funky shades and cut out magazine ads where you put your face in) and wrote on the walls like everyone else did. I was able to go back to Nani Show, which is a jewellery store and the woman running it remembered me. Sunny says hi, Jos. She gave me good discounts and a few freebie buttons yea yea. Because I'm not sure what my schedule is like, I didn't make any concrete plans with her. If we don't hang out this time, it will be next time for sure. She was quite smitten with Nickster and would not believe me that he is just my friend. kekeke...what the heck ppl, we're just friends! She was totally teasing us and asked him to teach her English.
NICK THE CELEBRITY/WANGJA
Nick is like a celebrity/wangja (prince) for the Korean girls ahaha... So many of them take pictures of him. He's supertall and stands out, so girls are always turning their heads. There was this one hilarious moment when a group of school girls asked him to take a picture and he was getting ready to take it for them and they were like no, we want to take it with you. He's like "alright" and he lifted his arms and they seriously mobbed him. They had their arms around him and were posing. I couldn't stop laughing and one of the girls dragged me into the pic too. It never occured to me to use my camera too, so after we had walked away, I walked back and asked them if I could take another one. One girl thought I meant just her and Nick and she was ecstatic and then she realized group pic...I think she was a tad disappointed..lol. They were so happy to take another photo with him.
When we left that shopping centre, we witnessed a live dance performance for dancecal (like a dance/musical?) Wickedawesome b-boys! After that, we ran into Nick's friend SHR. We walked with her and her two friends. They are extremely nice and easy to talk to. While we standing there talking some little girls came by and asked Nick for his autograph! As he was signing people walking by kept looking at him like they were trying to figure out which celebrity he was! AHAHAHAHA... the rest of us were also asked for autographs, but Nick's signing caught the most attention.
ITAEWON
We went with SHR and her friends to Itaewon, because one of them left something at a restaurant and because Nick wanted to buy shoes. We made plans to see SHR later on and I will also meet up with her on Thursday. They went back and Nick and I went shopping for his shoes. We tried Athlete's Foot - their equivalent to Athlete's World and they didn't have his size. I suggested we ask them to check at one of their other stores, but he said it was fine. We left the store and within 10 steps, we see the Reebok store and they happened to have the size he wanted. SCORE! So Nick has new shoes and he bought a new shirt too. We ran into a couple that Nick knows and we chatted on our way to Anguk.
SURROUNDED BY POLICE
We went back to the guest house to drop some stuff and I made a few phone calls. I'll be seeing my friend Robin Thursday night and he will be bringing his friend Gus, who I met last time with Jos. Nickster and I headed to Myeongdong for food and a bit of shopping. As soon as we arrived we saw a crazy amount of police everywhere. They looked ready for a riot! Nick noticed that some of them looked even younger than us. There was some form of demonstration going on and people were sitting with signs and then began to sing a song in Korean. They really inconvenienced everyone because there was no room to walk and we were all squished into a walking moshpit. Luckily we got out of it without too much trouble.
We decided to do seafood korean bbq. Nick had a great idea that we should both eat something we haven't had before. I ate some new things...anemone I think and some other things I'm not sure of...as well as shrimps, mussels, etc etc. The food was alright, not the best..but then the seafood pancake came...oh my gosh...so goood! We had soju and makkoli as well...we quickly fell under the spell...again...haha. Nick schooled me in some Korean and also taught me two drinking games which we played. I won, but we both drank. I'll teach you guys when I come back ahah. Good times.
The Korean woman who owns the restaurant was talking to me in Korean. She asked me where I was from and then told me that I look Korean and that I'm beautiful. I laughed and waved my hand saying no, but thanked her and she smiled. We walked around for a bit, but the store I wanted to go to was already closed so I'll have to go back. I decided not to go out tonight as I'm still not feeling all that ready to party again. I told Nick to go on without me and I wandered around for a bit before going back to Beewon guest house. I crashed...so tired...I woke up around 2amish..watched a bit of TV and then tried to phone home, but the card didn't work...so I'll have to try again another day. I came downstairs to write the travel journal, but I'm gonna go back to sleep.
Good night. Pls forgive misspellings and bad grammar...I'm still drowsy...
-Sam
DAY 2: SAT APR 11/09
REUNION
Nick and I had the most hilarious conversation on the phone when he got off the bus in Seoul. He arrived around 1am and couldn't find the subway station. So I heard him talking to people in Korean and when he finally did find it, it was closed :( He decided to take a taxi and I met him at Anguk stn. It was so awesome to see him again. This is yet another instance where Korea brings people together. I hardly see Nick in Toronto, if at all, and now we can hang out all weekend! SCORE! Last time Jos and I came to Korea, we hung out with our cousin Janelle more frequently than back home too.
So we walked back to the guest house and drank some HITE beer, then headed out to meet his friend Matt in Hongdae. We stumbled across some crazy graffiti throughout the night. Of course, no one knew where Club Saab was - which was our destination. So we spent a lot of time walking around and finally we found it. Matt hooked us up, so we didn't have to pay cover. Shweet!
OH TEQUILA...
All I can say is that there weren't a whole lot of girls there hahaa. Nick bought us some drinks and he caught up with Matt. They introduced me to their other friends, Aaron and some other guys. I guess I can say that I danced the night away?! I was having a great time and everyone was dancing. I was never able to escape the dance floor as I kept being pulled back on...probably because there weren't too many other girls haha. Then came the tequila shots...dot dot dot. Let's just say that when I woke up this morning I was greeted by sunshine and a wicked headache. Sadly, I could not find the aleve/advil that I thought I brought with me. Anyway, back to it...at some point we moved to a bar and Nick played darts while I talked with some other people. We also took pics of the graffiti inside. I believe we were out past 5am haha - the sun was coming up. Nick told me that several guys approached him checking to see if I was his girlfriend and he assured them we were just friends. Haha good times, good times.
THE RISE OF THE DAWN & INSADONG
The next morning, I woke about 10:30amish and woke Nick up around 11 something or other. I went to the store to buy to cans of the Dawn, which is like a hangover drink. I also ordered delivery of black noodles and dumplings for us, as it was around lunch time. I asked about the English tours for Chandeokgung Palace, as Nick has never been there and we planned to go a little later. We decided to go to Insadong first. The weather is beautiful! We were walking in the right direction but then we took some detours ahhaa...we ended up asking different people for directions and they all gave us totally opposite directions ahhaa
We finally arrived and we shopped around. Nick bought a paintbrush and postcards. I tried to stop myself from spending all my money... good thing I divide my money into daily budgets! We took some fun pictures while we were there (with funky shades and cut out magazine ads where you put your face in) and wrote on the walls like everyone else did. I was able to go back to Nani Show, which is a jewellery store and the woman running it remembered me. Sunny says hi, Jos. She gave me good discounts and a few freebie buttons yea yea. Because I'm not sure what my schedule is like, I didn't make any concrete plans with her. If we don't hang out this time, it will be next time for sure. She was quite smitten with Nickster and would not believe me that he is just my friend. kekeke...what the heck ppl, we're just friends! She was totally teasing us and asked him to teach her English.
NICK THE CELEBRITY/WANGJA
Nick is like a celebrity/wangja (prince) for the Korean girls ahaha... So many of them take pictures of him. He's supertall and stands out, so girls are always turning their heads. There was this one hilarious moment when a group of school girls asked him to take a picture and he was getting ready to take it for them and they were like no, we want to take it with you. He's like "alright" and he lifted his arms and they seriously mobbed him. They had their arms around him and were posing. I couldn't stop laughing and one of the girls dragged me into the pic too. It never occured to me to use my camera too, so after we had walked away, I walked back and asked them if I could take another one. One girl thought I meant just her and Nick and she was ecstatic and then she realized group pic...I think she was a tad disappointed..lol. They were so happy to take another photo with him.
When we left that shopping centre, we witnessed a live dance performance for dancecal (like a dance/musical?) Wickedawesome b-boys! After that, we ran into Nick's friend SHR. We walked with her and her two friends. They are extremely nice and easy to talk to. While we standing there talking some little girls came by and asked Nick for his autograph! As he was signing people walking by kept looking at him like they were trying to figure out which celebrity he was! AHAHAHAHA... the rest of us were also asked for autographs, but Nick's signing caught the most attention.
ITAEWON
We went with SHR and her friends to Itaewon, because one of them left something at a restaurant and because Nick wanted to buy shoes. We made plans to see SHR later on and I will also meet up with her on Thursday. They went back and Nick and I went shopping for his shoes. We tried Athlete's Foot - their equivalent to Athlete's World and they didn't have his size. I suggested we ask them to check at one of their other stores, but he said it was fine. We left the store and within 10 steps, we see the Reebok store and they happened to have the size he wanted. SCORE! So Nick has new shoes and he bought a new shirt too. We ran into a couple that Nick knows and we chatted on our way to Anguk.
SURROUNDED BY POLICE
We went back to the guest house to drop some stuff and I made a few phone calls. I'll be seeing my friend Robin Thursday night and he will be bringing his friend Gus, who I met last time with Jos. Nickster and I headed to Myeongdong for food and a bit of shopping. As soon as we arrived we saw a crazy amount of police everywhere. They looked ready for a riot! Nick noticed that some of them looked even younger than us. There was some form of demonstration going on and people were sitting with signs and then began to sing a song in Korean. They really inconvenienced everyone because there was no room to walk and we were all squished into a walking moshpit. Luckily we got out of it without too much trouble.
We decided to do seafood korean bbq. Nick had a great idea that we should both eat something we haven't had before. I ate some new things...anemone I think and some other things I'm not sure of...as well as shrimps, mussels, etc etc. The food was alright, not the best..but then the seafood pancake came...oh my gosh...so goood! We had soju and makkoli as well...we quickly fell under the spell...again...haha. Nick schooled me in some Korean and also taught me two drinking games which we played. I won, but we both drank. I'll teach you guys when I come back ahah. Good times.
The Korean woman who owns the restaurant was talking to me in Korean. She asked me where I was from and then told me that I look Korean and that I'm beautiful. I laughed and waved my hand saying no, but thanked her and she smiled. We walked around for a bit, but the store I wanted to go to was already closed so I'll have to go back. I decided not to go out tonight as I'm still not feeling all that ready to party again. I told Nick to go on without me and I wandered around for a bit before going back to Beewon guest house. I crashed...so tired...I woke up around 2amish..watched a bit of TV and then tried to phone home, but the card didn't work...so I'll have to try again another day. I came downstairs to write the travel journal, but I'm gonna go back to sleep.
Good night. Pls forgive misspellings and bad grammar...I'm still drowsy...
-Sam
SEOUL Searching Pt 1
note: How did I not realize that I didn't post my previous travel journal emails from the last time I was in Korea?! So I will post them now, until the most recent journals are experienced and written!
original date written: April 10/09
Yes, you know what this means...the subject of this email is a clear indication that Sam is travelling...again!!! You know the drill, if you would rather not get the emails, pls let me know and I shall cease to harass you (and no hard feelings)...
This is actually the first time, I'm going completely solo on a trip! Hopefully I don't cause too much trouble! Get well soon Melbs! now...on to the adventures...
Airport Shananigans
As soon as I got off the airport bus, I realized that one of my luggage handles broke off. I found a stain on my jacket and have no idea how it got there and this reminded me that I had forgotten my tide pen...boo-urns! What else? I went to the wrong gate in Vancouver, but I noticed that pretty fast.
I made a new friend on the flight to Seoul. His name is John and he was studying in Victoria. He's very nice and we had some good conversations. He has been with his girlfriend for 9 years and hopes to move to United States to be a vet and start his family. We might hang out for a day next week :)
Smouldering Seoul
As soon as I got off the plane I was greeted with a bright sun and heat. The pilot had told us the weather is 19 degrees celcius. SHWEEET! Good thing I packed a lot of short sleeved shirts in case the weather was nice. It took me more than an hour to get to Beewon Guesthouse where I am staying. My room is on the third floor, so I had to carry my luggage up with the help of the receptionist.
I checked my facebook and noticed there were msgs from my friend Melbs and Nick, my friend who worked at HPL with me when I was a Page. Nick is teaching in another part of Korea and is meeting me in Seoul to hang out for the weekend. We managed to find him accomodations here, so when he arrives he'll be staying in another part of the guesthouse. It takes him 4 hours to get to Seoul and the earliest bus he could take was the 9pm one.
Spending like a Spendthrift
I went to Myeongdong (a shopping district) to kill time. I also checked to see if my friend Song, still owned the music store I would frequent every time I visited. I found another store and bought a few things...I continued to walk around and found his store! I guess my other friend was mistaken when he told me the place closed down @_@ Anyway, he recognized me right away...I wasn't sure if he would and we made plans to have dinner on Monday night. I shopped around his store and he gave me discounts and a ton of posters to go along with it. I also made sure not to go too crazy shopping, because I can easily blow all the cash in my wallet.
Bought two pairs of earrings and some random stuff and window shopped. I plan to go back before I leave. The stores are calling me!
Too HOT to Handle
I was getting a bit hungry and decided to have some vendor food. I like eating dukbokki, which is rice cakes in hot sauce...the dukbokki the lady makes is WICKED SPICY. I really tried my best not to make it obvious that I was starting to sweat and my tongue was burning! I tried to drink a little of my flavoured water but alas, it did not cure it. I had to politely ask the lady if I could pay and come back to finish my food. She was very nice and I got to a store and bought some milk tea. Ahhh the cure of all woes....I love milk tea. It saved me...
After eating I walked around more and at midnight, I headed to the subway to go back to the guesthouse. I don't know what time the subways close but I didn't want to take any chances. So here I am...writing the travel journal and waiting for Nick to arrive. We'll be hanging out the whole weekend, which is the most we've seen each other since I left High Park. It seems to be a trend...I hang out with people out of the country than when we are in the same city...
Until tomorrow,
Sam ^__^
original date written: April 10/09
Yes, you know what this means...the subject of this email is a clear indication that Sam is travelling...again!!! You know the drill, if you would rather not get the emails, pls let me know and I shall cease to harass you (and no hard feelings)...
This is actually the first time, I'm going completely solo on a trip! Hopefully I don't cause too much trouble! Get well soon Melbs! now...on to the adventures...
Airport Shananigans
As soon as I got off the airport bus, I realized that one of my luggage handles broke off. I found a stain on my jacket and have no idea how it got there and this reminded me that I had forgotten my tide pen...boo-urns! What else? I went to the wrong gate in Vancouver, but I noticed that pretty fast.
I made a new friend on the flight to Seoul. His name is John and he was studying in Victoria. He's very nice and we had some good conversations. He has been with his girlfriend for 9 years and hopes to move to United States to be a vet and start his family. We might hang out for a day next week :)
Smouldering Seoul
As soon as I got off the plane I was greeted with a bright sun and heat. The pilot had told us the weather is 19 degrees celcius. SHWEEET! Good thing I packed a lot of short sleeved shirts in case the weather was nice. It took me more than an hour to get to Beewon Guesthouse where I am staying. My room is on the third floor, so I had to carry my luggage up with the help of the receptionist.
I checked my facebook and noticed there were msgs from my friend Melbs and Nick, my friend who worked at HPL with me when I was a Page. Nick is teaching in another part of Korea and is meeting me in Seoul to hang out for the weekend. We managed to find him accomodations here, so when he arrives he'll be staying in another part of the guesthouse. It takes him 4 hours to get to Seoul and the earliest bus he could take was the 9pm one.
Spending like a Spendthrift
I went to Myeongdong (a shopping district) to kill time. I also checked to see if my friend Song, still owned the music store I would frequent every time I visited. I found another store and bought a few things...I continued to walk around and found his store! I guess my other friend was mistaken when he told me the place closed down @_@ Anyway, he recognized me right away...I wasn't sure if he would and we made plans to have dinner on Monday night. I shopped around his store and he gave me discounts and a ton of posters to go along with it. I also made sure not to go too crazy shopping, because I can easily blow all the cash in my wallet.
Bought two pairs of earrings and some random stuff and window shopped. I plan to go back before I leave. The stores are calling me!
Too HOT to Handle
I was getting a bit hungry and decided to have some vendor food. I like eating dukbokki, which is rice cakes in hot sauce...the dukbokki the lady makes is WICKED SPICY. I really tried my best not to make it obvious that I was starting to sweat and my tongue was burning! I tried to drink a little of my flavoured water but alas, it did not cure it. I had to politely ask the lady if I could pay and come back to finish my food. She was very nice and I got to a store and bought some milk tea. Ahhh the cure of all woes....I love milk tea. It saved me...
After eating I walked around more and at midnight, I headed to the subway to go back to the guesthouse. I don't know what time the subways close but I didn't want to take any chances. So here I am...writing the travel journal and waiting for Nick to arrive. We'll be hanging out the whole weekend, which is the most we've seen each other since I left High Park. It seems to be a trend...I hang out with people out of the country than when we are in the same city...
Until tomorrow,
Sam ^__^
Monday, January 4, 2010
And so the travelling begins...yet again
It is less than a month before I am off to Asia again. This time, it is for relaxation before 8 years worth of school and a birthday/christmas/graduation for two years gift to my sister Chris, who I call My-chan. We will be in Japan (mainly Tokyo) from Feb 3rd - 11th, Korea (mainly Seoul) from Feb 11th - 18th and last but not least Philippines from Feb 18 - Mar 5th! I am SUPEREXCITED!!
Normally, as you have probably noticed from previous entries, I just pack the day/night of or just before I leave. It's because I am absent-minded and just know that if I pack early, I'll forget something or will keep packing and unpacking, etc. For some reason, I feel a little bit of finality in this trip - like it's going to be the last big one for a while. Most likely I'm feeling this way, as school is a giant thing looming over my head. I'm going back for something I'm interested in, so I'm happy about that but it will be for soooo long. It'll be worth it in the end I'm sure, but it's a huge thing for me to give up travelling so often. Travelling is my S-A-N-I-T-Y.
With that said, I will eagerly anticipate my trip and fully live by the notion: "GO BIG OR GO HOME"...translation: exactly what it says...I'm not going to not do something because I don't want to spend so much money, etc...I'm going to enjoy this trip!! (like I always do)...but more so because it will be the last EPIC adventure for a bit!
I always like to try something new...so a few things I'm thinking of (and also keeping in mind that my sister's budget is smaller)are: visiting Yokohama, *gulp* trying out a ryokan - i need a lot of courage for that one... I'm still thinking of other things. It would also be nice to cross something off my 26 List, so I'll see what I can do
Normally, as you have probably noticed from previous entries, I just pack the day/night of or just before I leave. It's because I am absent-minded and just know that if I pack early, I'll forget something or will keep packing and unpacking, etc. For some reason, I feel a little bit of finality in this trip - like it's going to be the last big one for a while. Most likely I'm feeling this way, as school is a giant thing looming over my head. I'm going back for something I'm interested in, so I'm happy about that but it will be for soooo long. It'll be worth it in the end I'm sure, but it's a huge thing for me to give up travelling so often. Travelling is my S-A-N-I-T-Y.
With that said, I will eagerly anticipate my trip and fully live by the notion: "GO BIG OR GO HOME"...translation: exactly what it says...I'm not going to not do something because I don't want to spend so much money, etc...I'm going to enjoy this trip!! (like I always do)...but more so because it will be the last EPIC adventure for a bit!
I always like to try something new...so a few things I'm thinking of (and also keeping in mind that my sister's budget is smaller)are: visiting Yokohama, *gulp* trying out a ryokan - i need a lot of courage for that one... I'm still thinking of other things. It would also be nice to cross something off my 26 List, so I'll see what I can do
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