Stuffs that we eat here in Korea

We tend to think we have great experience eating Korea cuisine before we came on this trip. Why do I say that? Well, it is the fact that our office is near the so called Little Korea, where many Korean's hang around (due to the Korean Embassy at the vicinity) at this Ampang Point area.

Therefore, even before we came to Korea, we have some good idea what Korean food is all about. We know what we get when we order things like Bibimbab - Hot stone bowl veg mixed rice, Kimchi stew soup, Korea BBQ. And we even frequent the Korean grocery stores dotted the neighbourhood!

But it turns into a somewhat disappointment during around stay here in Korean. While some day we get fairly good food, but mostly they just taste so so. I tend to think this is the case as things are so expensive around Korea, it is rather impossible to dish out something lavish because of the costing involved.

While the Korean royalties gets food like this many decades ago...

Model at Jewel of the Palace

Model at the Korean Culture Museum

Are daily meal pretty much comprises of Steamboats...

Beef steamboat

Mixed steamboat

Veg steamboat

And side dishes... comprises of salad seaweed, Kimchis, anchovies and pickled radish.

And it gets a little worse when you are in the middle of the city

And the place goes underground, a little too close for comfort.

And since man power means $$, you will always need to cook your own food.

Korean stirr fried rice cake

So, you can't blame us for wanting to splurge a little trying other food outside.

Ice cream moulded into pearl like shape, very good.

Thank goodness there was tid bits and Korean ramen

The fried chicken stalls few blocks away from the Novotel was a savior on our night playing card.
There are stalls on the street all over as well. But it gets a bit repetitive if you walk around long enough.

BBQ sausages

Boilt stuffs - sausages, bean curd, fish balls.

Deep fried stuffs.

Last Day Korea : Around Korea, Buh Byee~!

So, it is our last day here.

Really it wasn't much. Early in the morning went to the Korea Hallyu pop museum, situated under the Korea Tourism Organization right smack in the middle of downtown.

Took pictures with some of our favorite singer, star, in cardboard of course. Me think they ain't even awake at that time on a Sunday!

Went to their toilet. Just like Japan, heated seat all complete with in-built bidet (They must be wondering why it took me so long in the toilet.

Also comes with this weewee silencer thingy that sounds like the thunderous river rushing through when pressed.

Bad breath? Help urself with a cuppa mouth rinse on this dispenser. Heh...

Right outside the Tourism Organization building, is a central business district separated by this wonderful stream--Cheonggyecheon that the previous mayor took much effort to restore it till what it was long ago. I thought it was marvelous to have such clean river running through the busy downtown district like here.

According to Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheonggyecheon

During the presidency of Syngman Rhee, Cheonggyecheon was covered over with concrete for roads and, in 1968, an elevated highway was built over it. In July 2003, then Seoul mayor (now President) Lee Myung-bak initiated a project to uncover and restore the stream. It was a major undertaking as not only did the highway have to be removed, but years of neglect and development had left the stream nearly totally dry and 120,000 tons of water had to be pumped in daily. The stream was opened to the public in September of 2005 and lauded as a major success in urban renewal and beautification. However, there was considerable opposition from the previous mayoral administration of Goh Kun, which feared gentrification of the adjacent areas that housed many shops and small businesses in the machine trades.

The restoration helped Lee become a nationally renowned figure, making him a serious contender for the presidency, but did not come without controversy. In May 2005, just a few months before the project was to finish, Seoul vice-mayor Yang Yun-jae and local politician Kim Il-ju were arrested on bribery charges related to the project.

So, there you go, an oasis in the middle of a busy city center. Should go again at night during Christmas season, coz apparently they've beautifully lit up the area with light bulbs.

Anyways, after lunch, we then toured the Yeouido Park shortly before we arrived at the airport. Not much here really, some funfair with sleazy looking food stalls. Then we boarded a short car ferry cruising around.

And of course, you can't possibly leave Korea without buying the Korean groceries can't you. We were sent to the tourism shopping place, and just selling the daily Korean grocery.

One thing for sure, although most people won't have half the clue on their language, Korean people have been very good promoting their lifestyle, food culinary fare, and even exporting movies and dramas. This is till a point that rival Japanese culture these days. I mean, who would've thought of selling daily bibimbab chilli paste to tourists per se, but the Korean did it, and have a place to teach the customer how to use their food as well.

The same thing just goes with the expensive ginseng powder. Expensive it might be, but as the tour guide made unassuming marketing strategy by letting us try her yogurt ginseng mark therapy, everyone just buy without even asking more questions. That itself is a very good marketing strategy lesson to learn.

Anyway, this really concludes my brief trip here to Korea. My next trip in line will be the most recent trip to Jiang Nan, China. That itself comprises Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai. Thanks for dropping by on a off to read about my humble ventures around the world all these days. Your frequest visit really has been a motivation for me to keep on writing. :-)

Day 4 Korea : Around Seoul... Tourist Must Do ?!

On our fourth day here in Korea, we finally make it back to Seoul for a proper city tour.

And first thing first, they starts all the shopping tour that anyone thought wouldn't come by since we assumed ourselves on this more expensive tour with Mayflower. But alas, the first thing our guide brought us to was the Korean ginseng shop, where you truly burn a hole in her pocket buying RM700 worth of powder and pills (still in the fridge now if you want to know).

I am sure the stuffs are good but it ain't good if you not eating them. Right?

So they claim lah, the powder were made from at least 6 year old ginseng root, thus doesn't have the heat effect after consume it. Whilst the American ginseng is too cold while the China one too hot, this is at the medium range, i.e. not too cold nor too heaty. I myself get confused later on what's really good or bad!

Anyways, after milking us at the most expensive place, it did not ended, we were chauffeured to more shopping places...

e.g. the so called KimChi school, where they dress you up like a Korean doll, then teach you about the variety of KimChis (more than 20 that is known now), and make you do the dirty job preping one!

Then to buy a 1kg bag, it cost something like USD16. Hmm... imaging paying USD16 for a bag of smelly cabbage, take that~! My colleague and I both bought a bag but it somehow doesn't taste quite right after we open them back in KL. We have had a lot better ones in Korea and in Malaysia. I somewhat reluctant to think that we were conned.

After lunch, we then came to the Gyeongbokgung Palace. In within Seoul, there are too many palace. So here we are at one of the many ones.

It seems that this whole place was burn down once, no wonder still much empty land around here. The palace guide says their government is slowly building them back one by one.

Dunno, I think it is not very important to built it back because no matter how much you try, it will never be the same. I mean, can you replace the finely crafted furnitures and delicately molded porcelain that gone together into ash? That's why I say, then the time comes, we should move on instead of dwelling into the past.

Dana says "Walking forward but looking back only trip yourself to the ground." Kih kih...

Anyway, we too went to the Korea cultural museum. Not too bad with nicely laid exhibitions that gives tourist a fast forward on Korea culture, both past and present.

Our days continued with going to a building's basement somewhere in Seoul where they purposely build a sub-zero bar out of it. I don't particularly find myself too chill to be there for long!

My god, even the glass is a big piece of ice.

Our night ended when we were let loose near Ewha Women's University shopping area. Nothing much for me at least, as everything seemed more expensive than I could probably afford.

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?