Anyeong Haseyo...!

I shall make that trip. I shall go to Korea. ~ Dwight David Eisenhower (34th USA President)

Phewwww!!! It's been a while since I updated my Travelogue. By right, I owe a couple of entries already. The 2009 US trip, for instance. The 2009 Bangkok trip. OMG! But then, I think there's nothing much to talk about where the former is concerned. Other than the ecstasy of shopping and ga-ga-ing over the super-sexy chippendales, what else is there to talk about? As for the latter, I can't remember much other than the sinfully delicious food and the bubbly Indian professor I met at a conference. Plus, it's not like it was my first time in Thailand.

I have been toying with the idea of visiting Korea for a long3 time. The reasons are plainly obvious:

1. I need a vacay!

2. KBS has romanticized Korea way too much!

3. I haven't been to the Far East!

4. Japan is way too expensive!

5. Aida has volunteered to be my traveling partner!

I am overly overwhelmed about the idea of writing this entry. I mean, how do I begin? Aida suggested I write based on Day 1, Day 2 and so on like I normally do. Sounds great but I'm sorry, buddy, I think life's catching up and my brain is not what it used to be nowadays. Maybe in future when I travel I'll need to bring a NetBook or something similar so that I can jot every little detail on a daily basis. So what I'm gonna do is: divide this entry into a few headings and hope that my memory will perk up...

Day of Arrival

We arrived at the Incheon Airport in the morning, around 7. Aida has booked an ensuite room at a guest house in Seoul, we followed the directions that I'd printed out (after consulting two not very helpful ladies at two info counters), and voila, we were on a bus! Incheon to Seoul was quite a distance and the ride took about an hour. No wonder the price of the tix was almost 10,000 won = RM 30sthing. We were lost when we got off at the specified bus stop, but thanks to the two Koreans we consulted, within minutes, Danny, the guy from the guest house, came to pick us up. The two guys were not hesitant at all about using their handphones to contact the guest house and speak on our behalf. The directions that I'd printed out did mention this fact, and I was impressed! While waiting for Danny at the guest house to fetch us, I looked around and saw mostly teens, hanging out at this place which we found out later was Hyehwa. It's a hip, trendy area that resembles/reminds me of Europe. In fact, when we had lunch later on that day, it hit me that if I combined Europe and Singapore, I'd get Korea.

The guest house impressed us. Well, initially anyway. There was this common area, the living room, where we could read and use the computers with free internet. There was the common kitchen which was pretty neat and equipped with phones. Danny gave us a lenghty explanation of how to get about in Seoul. But the ensuite room failed to impress us. I could tell from the look on Aida's face. She looked mortified. Hehe. But I didn't say anything. It was her idea anyway. Hehe. Prior to Korea, I've never, ever stayed in a guest house. I didn't even know what ensuite meant. The room that Aida had booked was really a basic room - two single beds and a small kitchen counter, with a basic bathroom. Aida had booked for two nights. Since Danny asked for cash, and the term of payment was only cash, we decided to upgrade to a hotel for the third night. This way, we could use the credit card and not the cash we'd brought. One night charge at the guest house was 75,000 won = RM 225! If we were to stay there for a week, we'd be burning big holes in our pockets. I mean, really big holes till we're left with no cash. Can't have that!

The funny thing about our first day in Korea was, we slept till noon! No kidding! Aida as usual had been working late nights, was really exhausted and was really3 in need of a long rest. Somehow I was tired too. So we slept for a couple of hours till noon...!

Our first meal in Korea was pizza and pasta. It was yummy and filling. I think it cost us around 20,000 won = 60 RM! We had no choice since Hyehwa is a very Westernised township and we dared not try Korean food yet. Plus, Korean food was nowhere in sight. After the late lunch, we decided to just hang around in Hyehwa. We wanted to take it easy. Plus, by this time, I had been sneezing badly. Like, every two to three minutes without fail. Aida, too, till we had to buy anti-sneezing-pills at the pharmacy. The room which we stayed could have allergents that were responsible for our condition, come to think of it. Consumed with paranoia, I prayed really hard that I won't get sick the rest of the trip. That night, we didn't waste time and so sat in front of the computers, frantically looking for hotels in Seoul, much to the chagrin of Chang, a staff at the Guest House, who was sitting at the computer table next to ours...hehe. But he was a nice, friendly chap. Even though his English was broken, he tried very hard to answer my questions. He was also quite curious about Malaysia :)

Sight-seeing

Korea is a beautiful country. I've always thought so. Those images that I'd seen on KBS simply came alive as the airport bus blasted through Incheon. We did a lot of sight-seeing too when we took a bus to get to Gapyeon, from which we took a ferry to Namiseom or, Nami Island. There's a lot of hype about this island since they filmed Winter Sonata. So yeah, we spent half of the day there, just walking around the island, enjoying every bit of the lush and romantic scenery. It's been like 10 years I think since they filmed Winter Sonata there so the island was like really3 commercialized but it's still beautiful and serene. The trees were magnificent!

Getting to Nami was a bit of a problem since the guys we consulted at the hotel didn't really give us step-by-step directions. Googling helped but by the time I got a very clear sense of how to go there, I was exhausted! I was also worried that it was going to be another wild goose chase, like when we hunted for the supposedly cheap-but-nice brooches (I'll get to this point later). Accounts about trips to Nami were plenty but they were not detailed enough and I really had to put two and two together and come up with exactly four. So, I'd like to take this opportunity too, to detail out how to get to Nami. I hope this would be helpful to future Nami enthusiasts who have nothing to guide them except Google:

Take the train to Gangbyeon station (Line 2). Dong Seoul Bus Terminal is just next to this station. That is where you will be heading as soon as you get off the train. The bus terminal looks like a mall, seriously, and nothing like a bus station, so don't be alarmed. Buy tix to Gapyeong. It should cost about 6100 Won. It takes about an hour to get to Gapyeong so in the mean time, enjoy the view. When you reach Gapyeong Intercity Bus Terminal (it's a small town bus terminal so don't expect anything fancy), take a cab. Just say you want to go to Nami and the taxi will bring you to the Naminarian jetty. This takes about 5 mins. At the jetty, take the ferry to Nami and you can start crooning the Winter Sonata song...

Truth be told, I think we did a lot of sight-seeing in the subway, since this was our main mode of transport in Seoul. Hehe. In the train, we were like the odd ones. Population on the train was homogeneous so once in a while we were stared at (mostly by the elderly). Not in a condescending way, but more like in a way that said i-wonder-what-you're-doing-here-kid?. Talking about the elderly, we noticed that elderly women in Korea had more or less the same haristyle..short and permed. Aida and I deliberated a lot on this and summed up that they probably thought that it's the ultimate answer to their receding hairline! We hoped that we won't have to resort to the same method once we grow old. Hehe. Majority of the Koreans dressed well, nothing too kinky or sexy. But the young adults really3 favour high heels. I don't know how they survive those numerous stairs at the subway. I surely can't. That would be comitting suicide...

On a more serious note, we practically went to every place Danny had suggested. Itaewon, for instance. A Korean version of Bangsar, no doubt. Anyways, we were pleased to see a mosque at Itaewon. Aida said the Malaysian government had donated some money in the 70s to help with the construction of the mosque. Well done! We didn't really get to see the mosque up close but we saw its dome and towers. It looked like a big mosque.

Myeongdong. It's a very hip, hectic and happening place. Kinda like the Orchard Road in Singapore. You don't see anything here except shops, malls and restaurants. During the last few days in Korea, this was the place we frequented for meals because all kinds of restaurants can be found here. Whilst at this area, it became apprent to us is that Korea has a lot of its own make up brands such as Skin Food, The Face Shop, Nature Republic and so on. These make up shops line practically every street in Myeongdong. Competition is really stiff! These brands use famous male artists in Korea to endorse them e.g. Rain for Nature Republic. That guy from Winter Sonata for The Face Shop. Kinda weird since I don't think men's skin and women's skin are similar biologically, but it's interesting, nevertheless, because you'd normally see male artistes endorse products for men, female artistes for women products, you know, each to his/her own. But not in Korea :)

The trip to the museum near the Geongbok palace was mindblowing. I really3 enjoyed it. I've always liked history anyways. It's been ages since I went to a museum and whatever knowledge and experience I got from visiting museums were forgettable. The Koreans really took the pains, I think, to house their museums with artefacts and memeorabilia of the nation, as well as full accounts of the history of the Korean people, combining these with technology, producing among others, reconstructed multi media presentation of what it was like hundreds of years ago. Bravo! I really have to admire their record keeping agility, too. Plus, the two museums we'd visited had so many informative, interactive kiosks that serve to enlighten visitors. It was through one of these interactive facilities that we learnt the history of kimchi, how to make kimchi, the nutritional benefits of kimchi, and so on. The list is endless! There was also a kiosk where you could learn simple, functional expressions in Korea such as 'sarang hamnida' = I love you :)

At the royal museum, I found myself relating whatever historical info that I saw and read at the museum with whatever I can remember about The Iron Empress, a histroical drama that I'd watched religously on KBS. The drama now made more sense :). We went to two museums, one was the National Palace Museum of Korea (the royal museum) and the other one was the National Folk Museum of Korea. The royal museum houses everything related to the royal family whilst the folk museum hoses evertything related to Korea as a people. We spent hours in each museum and hours too, at the Gyeongbok palace. I really enjoyed the intricate and colourful carvings and artworks on the ceilings and beams. I wouldn't mind having a house with such. Those histrical dramas that I'd watched on KBS simply came alive :). The palace was built when the Joeon dynasty was founded in 1392. Somehow it has survived time. It was burnt down by the Japanese during the 16th century and even destroyed during the Korean war in the 1950s. Restoration works began in the 20th century and is still carried out until now. We discovered that a fortress wall was built around the palace area, as part of the capital defenses, which extended to about 18.9 kilometres across Seoul. It has a few gate entrances, one of which is located right next to our guest house! It's the Hyehwamun! It then dawned on us that the Seoul fortress wall was really3 long! Hyehwa, where our guest house is located, is really3 far from the palace!

We also went to Seoul Tower. It is not as high as the KL Tower but the view was magnificent, nevertheless, especially at night. The bus would not really take you to the tower. Rather, you'd have to walk up the slope that leads to the tower for a good 10 minutes! At the observatory deck, padlocks and keys lined up the railings. We weren't sure what the purpose is, maybe to give the tower a cutting edge or something, but when we saw couples locking padlocks onto the railings, it then dawned on us that those padlocks are like markers/ symbols for the people/couples who left them there.

What strikes me delighfully is that Korea is a cycling-friendly country. I could see cycling lanes in some parts of the city and especially in the outskirts. Awesome since those lanes in the outskirts are parallel to the rivers. Magnificent!

Food

We were lucky we got to sample some Korean food. Thanks to my ex-student who's Korean, Ha-neul. We met up with her on the second day. We tried dduckpokki. Not sure if this is the right spelling but when you pronounce it, it sounds like dek-puki. Hehe. It's like a steamboat kind of thing. Veges, nooodles, rice cakes and seafood were all thrown in in a reddish soup in a big pot placed on a hot plate at the centre of the table. When the soup boiled, we digged in! It was marvelous! After that, we had kimchi cheese. Whatever little soup left in the pot were mixed with rice, kimchi, cheese and a few other stuff. It was yummy! I've always seen this done on KBS, and thought that it had to be yummy since everytime this is shown on TV, people just go berserk . Now I know why. The best part, according to Ha-neul is scraping the bottom of the pot and eating it with whatever is left in the pot. She was absolutely right!

Well, other than these, we would normally have breakfast at Holly's Coffee, which is a familiar coffee hangout in Korea. You see more of Holly's than Starbucks in Korea. Breakfast set at Holly's comprised of a bagel with cream cheese and a mug of cofee. 4500 Won. When it's lunch, we'd be looking for Italian food, namely pasta and pizza, because these are the only stuff that we could eat! Italian restaurants are abundant in Seoul. In Myeondong and Insa-dong especially, you see one Italian resto after another. I think Koreans are really3 fond of Italian food.

At one time, we took a train all the way to Itaewon to sample some food there. Danny said this place is an international place, famous among the expatriates. True enough, it's almost like Bangsar, with all kinds of restaurants - African, Arabian, Indian, Pakistani, to name a few. Plus, Aida had heard that we could find halal food there. True enough. This place would make a perfect model for a global village. We opted for a Pakistani resto since it had a halal logo. I ordered na'an bread with chicken masala and I was extremely satisfied. The masala was so awesome! The best masala I'd ever tasted! Other than the masala, we once had lunch at an Indian resto in Insa-dong. I had Indian fried rice and it was awesome! Though it reeked of cumin, I didnt mind. It was still awesome!

Shopping

Is not that cheap. Really. Well, maybe stuff like locally-produced make up are cheap. Naturally. Skin Food products, for example, are 50% cheaper than in Malaysia. I had no idea that Skin Food is actually a product of Korea. Until Aida bought some Skin Food stuff for her friend. I've seen one or two Skin Food outlets in KL but I've never felt compelled to try it. Since it's cheaper in Korea, I bought some. Again and again. There's something about the products that just make you go back and buy again and again. Even at the airport, just before departure. Must be the price. Now that I've tried them, I think the products are not bad, they had more or less the same concept like The Body Shop. They just need to improve on three things: English, product description and product usage. They suck in all three departments.

We spent the second and third day shopping. Aida thought that it was a good idea to shop for souvenirs and such so that we could clear shopping from our budget. Plus, at that point, we were not sure how much we would need to spend on other thigns like hotel and food. So, with shopping kicked out of our to-spend list, it would make life easier for us. Malaysians who'd been to Korea always said that you could easily get nice, cheap brooches in Korea. Not so, to our dismay. When we went to Dongdaemun, we didn't find any brooches. Instead we found hats, and shoes and clothes. Dongdaemun is lined with really3 long clothing malls and markets, I 've never seen such long malls and markets. The next day, we went to Namdaemun. We were excited when we saw jewelery markets and stalls there but strangely enough, there were no brooches. Zilch. Null. We went back to Dongdaemun and spent hours tracking every nook and corner looking for brooches but to no avail. It was exactly like a wild goose chase. We were broken hearted, really. Aida ended up buying a blanket for her mom. Blankets and beddings seem to be synonymous with Korea's cottage industry. At this point, I wasn't enchanted with the blanket. But upon staying at Amourex Hotel and seeing that even hotels are adorned with this type of blanket, I began to admire it. It's not as thick as the comforter and not that thin either. I've also seen this blanket, too often as props and settings for most Korean dramas. I began to see its beauty and felt compelled to buy it. Which I did, on our last day in Korea. Yup, we went to Namademun again just to buy the blanket. A funny thing happened. We came across a few stalls selling brooches. We were shocked! We'd spent our money on so many other things, which translates to = not much money left. We were further shocked when the sellers told us they sell in bulk. Wholesale. Forget it, we thought.

Souvenirs are ok, price wise. I got some like the forever-must fridge magnets. Some pencil cases. And a few other stuff for the people I care about. Clothes and shoes are plenty, and quite cheap too but they're not really my taste. They either cater to teens or the elderly. Souvenirs are sold everywhere in Seoul, but to get really nice ones and if you're into paintings and handicrafts, Insadong is the place. It's kinda like Ubud in Bali, I guess.

Seoul also has plenty of sports shops. They're practically every where!

Transportation

Is superb! For someone who doesn't take the public tranpsort in Malaysia simply because it is too awful, I was impressed! All you need is a T-Money Card, kinda like the Touch N Go card here, only much2 better. It can be used on the bus, train and at family marts (Family Mart is Korea's own 7-11). The buses are efficient, on time, and have automated announcements of each stop, which was really3 helpful for people like us. They stop at designated stops and these stops are listed at the bus stops and in the bus! Awesome!

The subway system in Seoul is awesome too! I used to think Singapore has an exemplary subway system but now that I think about it, it can't beat Seoul's. No way! Seoul has 10 train lines and these lines are extremely well-connected. There are plenty of stations where you can change trains. Like the buses, the trains are efficient, punctual and have automated announcements at each stop. The digital signages in the trains are awesome too.They even have announcements whether you should alight on the left or the right side. Plus, from one stop to another stop is not that far. I think the distance between one station to another is less than 1 km. It's like everyone is not deprived of the subway. You can live anywhere and there would be a train station nearby. The only thing that disturbed us a lot was the staircases! Especially at those stations where you could change trains. There are just too many staircases and too few lifts and escalators. Aida counted the number of staircases we have to go through in order to exit the station near our hotel, Wamgsimni. There were 8 altogether! Each time we ascended or descended the stairs we kept on thinking: this is not elderly-friendly, this is not elderly-friendly. Those with knee problems and what not would have difficulties in taking the stairs.

I must admit I was totally clueless about the subway and what not. My map-reading ability didn't help much, too. Aida takes the LRT everyday so she's had a lot of training. And her sense of direction was brilliant, not like mine. Hehehe. But it's not like KL has a wonderful subway/LRT system that is worth mentioning, anyways. But that's enough as a training ground for Aida, I suppose. She trained me well with the subway in Seoul. So she said. Hehe. After 4 days of train rides, my sense of direction was sharpened. I was telling Aida where we should go instead of the other way around. I was proud of myself! Hehe. I'm sure Aida was proud, too. Aida told me that one of the proofs that a country is developed is its transportation system. Looking at the superb subway system in Seoul, I couldn't disagree more! And hey, did I tell you that one of the train stops was called Bangi? I smiled inside everytime I thought of the familiar name :)

Another thing that amazed me was the fact that the train stops at almost all of the universities in Seoul. I think Korea has many universities, they're everywhere! I used to think that Malaysia has too many universities for its own good but when I saw the names of the universities in the map Danny had given to us, Malaysia's universities are just peanuts!!!

Hotels

Are bloody expensive. A standard room in a 3 star hotel would cost 80000 Won = 240 Rm. We stayed at Amourex Hotel after checking out of the cash-only Guest House. It was awesome because there's a really huge flat screen TV in the room and a desktop with free internet access! We couldn't believe our eyes!!! The first night when we checked in, we were given a room with a kingsize bed. We were overwhelmed when we saw the room! It really looked like a honeymoon suite rather than a standard room! It would be a sin if we complained! The second night we had to move to another room, with two single beds. We were not impressed, though the room had the same romantic decor and ambience. It was still nice and comfortable, nevertheless. We found it odd that the bath and toilet are now separated and the sink is located in the room! The bath has a wide window glass which was frosted in the middle so that you can't see the body of the person shwoering in the bath, except the shoulders and the head! It was weird! Anyone taller that 5' 3" would have difficulty showering in the bath woithout having most of their top seen. I had to remind Aida (and vice versa) to not look or glance at the glass window whilst I was showering. I suppose whoever came up with the idea of this kind of glass window had nothing but seduction in mind!

On Departure

By the time we checked out from the hotel to leave for the airport, my right foot was hurting really bad. I had no idea why. I wasn't walking normally. I guess walking non-stop around Seoul and what not had taken its toll on my right foot. But why only right? I was truly baffled.

Nevertheless, I was kinda leaving Seoul with a heavy heart because I don't think I could get enough of Korea. There are so many places that I haven't covered. The charming country side, for example. Jeju Island. Plus, I dreaded the thought of going back to work, which was an inevitably sucky feeling. In a way, I was glad that most of the things that are must-sees in Korea are located in Seoul so we didn't really have to venture out too far. As someone who's passionate about history, culture and literature, I was satisified with the places that we'd covered. Thank God Seoul was and has been the capital of Korea's adminisration and high culture for centuries. I really3 admire the heritage left. The combination of modernity and culture that Seoul offers to its visitors makes it interesting to visit. Plus, once in a while, it's nice to see and experience a culture that is non-Southeast Asian, non-Indian, non-Chinese, non-European and non-American. Korea, sarang hamnida! I don't mind coming back :)!

p/s: Maybe it's just me, but I find uploading photos on this entry a FEAT. I don't know how I did it last time. There are just too many photos now, and I really3 have no idea how to upload all of them without losing my mind! So maybe you can refer to the photos in my FB. I've yet to upload the scenery pics and the like, so maybe I'll have to do that (which would be another FEAT) and write some captions so that everything I wrote here would drive some sense...