Korea, Day 5

This is our last "day" in Korea since we'll be flying home on the 12th of May. We needed to shop for souvenirs and pasalubongs as well as check out the ever-famous Namdaemun (Great South Gate).
We woke up early, meaning to be out by 9am...a bit apprehensive that someone "unwanted" might want to join us. Thankfully, he was quiet and distant.

We took the subway this time. Our feet couldn't take another long walk...On the way, Jed and I talked about what happened the previous night.

Namdaemun turned out to be like, again, Divisoria...the Ilaya, Tabora etc. part. Compared to DDM, Namdaemun was busy, noisy, crowded and cheaper...or perhaps, it was because it's daytime.
I bought several small items for pasalubong...mostly bookmarks for my colleagues and Ginseng Tea for my dad. Still apprehensive about losing my luggage at an alien airport, I didn't want to buy anything too pricey. Furthermore, the clothes were pretty much the same as in Manila, so I wasn't tempted to buy anything. Jed, however, is a jacket/coat addict, so with her haggling skills, managed to buy some clothes and slacks.

We had lunch at a little side-steet restaurant. This time, we weren't so adventurous, so we opted for good ol' kimbap and the only ramyeon we could read...it turned out to be spicy.

We got a little lost on our way home, since we couldn't remember which way we came from. So we asked for directions from a passer-by and she told us Seoul Station was just around the corner. Seoul Station is pretty impressive. From afar, it resembled Manila City Hall..teehee.

We rested for a while, packing our things, trying to fit everything in our luggages. Jed and I have become a bit sad...knowing that it was our last day.

We were to meet Louise and Julia (remember her colleague who also visited us last year?) at the CoEx Mall at 6:30, and Louise said the subway trip is around an hour long. So after a brief rest, off again!

Seoul's CoEx Mall is to the Philippines' Glorietta. It was the only mall we were able to visit, actually. He he. The internet says it's suppose to be the largest underground shopping and entertainment mall. Having extra money now to spend (because I haven't bought anything for myself yet) I bought a shirt at Giordano...because of Jang Dong Gun. I was hesitant to ask if they give out posters...but what the heck, it was our last day...but they don't have posters to give...sigh. Disappointed...

Jed and I visited the Bandi & Lunis Bookstore and spent almost an hour getting lost there. Woah! I love this bookstore. By the way, books are less expensive in Korea than in Manila, and the quality is better, too. I bought a book to help me with my Korean grammar (I wish they were selling miracles, too!).

We met Julia and Louise outside the mall and had samgyetang (chicken soup, made of ginger and chicken stuffed with rice, Seoul's version of our arroz caldo). After dinner and a short stop at a cd store to buy Bambie's cds, we had dessert (yogurt ice cream) at Red Mango. It was getting quite late and we had to pack out stuff and sleep early, so after a series of goodbyes and several pictures beside DaeJang Geum's Lee Young Ae's milk ads, we took the subway back to Anguk-Dong. We took pictures of the most memorable subway station and said our silent goodbyes to the police (one was quite a looker, actually...). Jed and I were feeling a bit sad so after a while, we went out again to stroll at Insadong, check if Missa's still open and if there's still sweets sold on the streets. It being almost 10 pm, Insadong was lonely but still charming...and I could remember that on our first day, it was filled with students, tourists and what-have-yous.

I had ice cream to perk me up and Jed had milk, on the way home. We stopped by the small grocery store in front of SEBPs to buy ramyeon, wishing we had visited a sauna or public bath. There were so many things we still wanted to do, but time was really not enough. And here Louise was saying five days in Seoul is toooo long.

We had a brief chat with new comers in the dorm before we had to call it a night, and I couldn't help but feel wishful that I could be like them...work for two years and then take a vacation anywhere...Sigh...

Korea, Day 4

Wednesday night, we called up Louise to ask if plans to go to Icheon would push through. She had promised us that she'll accompany Jed and me to an out-of-town trip.

Surprise, surprise, she said she'll be taking us to Nami Island instead, where Winter Sonata was shot. To those who still live in the Dark Ages, Winter Sonata "launched" the Hallyu (Korean wave) with Choi Ji Woo and Bae Yun Jung riding the waves...I still haven't seen this sad series, so "toink" me later.

Anyway, Jed and I woke up early on Wednesday since we'll be meeting Louise at Anguk-Dong Station, exit no. 1. It was drizzling a bit outside and we had no umbrellas, but the weather was still fantastic compared to humid Manila. There was a store in Anguk-Dong station selling umbrellas, but it was expensive (for our budget) at 5000 won, so we decided to skip it and pray the weather would clear up soon.

We almost missed Louise again, because we were waiting at the wrong exit...How the..!! Anyway, we called her up at her mobile and met up at the right exit.

After a short stop at a convenience store, we rode a subway to Cheongnyangni where we bought train tix to Chuncheon. The trip was well worth the two-hour ride mainly due to the scenes of mountains and lakes. I took pictures here and there while catching up on old times with Louise. Jed, on the other hand, slept. ^^

A short taxi ride from Chuncheon train station brought us to Naminara Republic dock where we took a ferry boat to Naminara Island. Naminara wasn't what I expected. First, I have never seen Winter Sonata so I was kinda expecting a rural setting. But it was beautiful. Even teeming with students on field trips and ladies on a herbal-gathering conference, the place had the serenity and peace of a secret garden.

After visiting the UNICEF-funded book exibit (where there was a little booth for the Philippines), taking pictures of a diorama of Louise' hometown, watching the so-called National Folk Dance Group of Egypt (which we seriously doubted was really the national folk dance group of any country, the way they were dancing), buying souvenirs from the shop and taking pictures of kimchi houses, we walked off to a pretty secluded spot by the lake. It was so picturesque that Jed and I couldn't help ourselves but take pictures. I felt like a professional photographer. You could point your camera anywhere and just click and it would be a wonderful picture. Anyway, we sat there for a while, contemplating the beauty of the surroundings, eating peanut butter oreos and chocolate chip cookies while students riding bicycles passed by. Occassionally, a speed boat and jet ski would roar by and we'd wave.

Much as we would like to live there, we needed to return to the real world. The real world, however, was a ferry boat ride away, and we had to fall in line behind throngs of school children equally excited as us. Some of them were very precocious, warming up to tourists like us, dying for a little english conversation. The confident ones would try to grab as much attention as possible, while the more bashful ones would just look on and laugh. On the ferry boat, I took pictures of some of them as they tried to imitate Rose and Jack in Titanic. They were very eager and took pictures of me as well..."Pretty, pretty". I absolutely adore these kids! They have good taste! ^^


We rode a taxi and a bus to Chuncheon and had dakgalbi. By this time, we were famished and in bad need of nutrition. It was also close to 5 pm and we neither had a proper breakfast (just a piece of toast for me and I barely finished it. I was used to a hearty rice-viand-chocolate drink fare at home) nor a decent lunch (I wouldn't call a pack of cholocate cookies "lunch"). The lady (Eonni, Louise insisted, and not Ajumma, because it wasn't too polite to call a someone "old lady") who served us was very warm and even Louise was surprised that we get nice treatment from Koreans. Jed and I told her that so far, everyone we've encountered had been gracious and kind to us... so maybe the story about Koreans being unfriendly was just a myth.

We strolled around, but after a while, it became apparent that no amount of thrills would encourage our tired bodies to go further. I got a little shut-eye on the train-ride while Jed and Louise teamed up. It was blissful two-hour ride and I felt well-rested after that. We got a little mixed-up at the subway station but still managed to arrive home.

It was too early to call it a day (10 pm), so after a brief rest, Jed and I managed to summon our last ounce of strength to hurl ourselves out of bed. We decided to check out Dongdaemun Market. Jed invited Benye and he tagged along.

Spring nights in Seoul are like December nights in Baguio for me. It was chilly that I was almost glad for the long long walk to Dongdaemun. Almost. I wondered what masochistic tendency made me want to check out Dongdaemun after an entire day walking in Nami Island.

It was like Tutaban cluster mall, only a tad more organized. I had nothing particular in mind to buy, maybe a few souvenirs for family back home...But even in it's "cheap" bargain mode, it was pricier compared to goods sold at home.

Benye offered to buy me a bag. He said I could choose any type I wanted and he'd buy for me. This made me feel kinda weird, and I of course refused. He was sort of offended and wasn't a good company for a while until he paid for some purchases Jed and I made. While Jed was looking for shoes, he asked me a rather shocking question that led to a very uncomfortable situation the rest of the night.

Anyway, the trip to DDM was okay, except that some of the shops were closed. We were actually disappointed that there wasn't too much attraction. We got a bit lost on the way home (which added to my "misery") and was glad to call it a day then.

Backtrack ... Korea Day 3

Our itinerary: Changdeokgung and Deoksugung Palace, squeeze in some museums and tea with Henry at around 7 pm.

Woke up early...actually, I wasn't able to sleep much. I woke up sweating at dawn. My tummy was again funny...like I was on a roller coaster. Nervous stomach. Nervous??? About what?

Our first on the list, Changdeokgung, was just a 5-minute walk away from the Seoul Backpackers where we were staying. But you have to be on a guided tour to get in, and the next one (English) was at around 10:30. We decided to take the 3:30 tour instead, and head off to Deoksugung first.

Walking by now has become our mode of transportation, as we felt everything was within walking distance anyhow. We were armed with maps and guides and the knowledge that a Tourist Information Center was just around the corners...

We passed by Myeongdong Cathedral so we stopped there first to say the rosary. The Cathedral was splendid! Inside, there were flat-screen monitors and songbooks (in Korean) in every pew. What was notable also was the lack of "luhuran" or kneeling pads...We took pictures outside and lighted a candles by the "garden". Jed and I were trying to recall if Love So Divine (first few scenes) was shot here...

Anyway, I stopped to take some pretty pictures of flowers by the steps...Seoul in springtime is full of colors!

Then off to Deoksugung Palace. Sadly though, there wasn't anything new to see. All the structures looked the same inside and outside. As expected, the place was crowded, teeming with students on field trips and tourists. Some more pictures here and there...Jed got frustrated that the museum was closed, it would have made up for the lack of other attractions in the palace grounds.

We wanted to visit another palace, but it was already past lunch hour and we couldn't ignore the fact that we need really proper sustainance. We wanted to go to Seoul Museum of History, though so we decided to grab lunch on the way. We deciced to test the small "restaurants" in the district, ordered kimchi rice and sniffed our way through lunch. The kimchi was spicy! But it was also my first time to eat raw radish...actually, it was my first time to eat radish. Hehehe. In fairness, it didn't taste bad. It was kinda sweet.

Then off to the Seoul Museum of History. Entrance fee here was cheaper than the palaces, and it was bigger than expected. However, taking pictures inside was prohibited (though I managed to snap a few before I learned of this sad fact). The most impressive pieces were the excavated traditional clothes and the mummy (of a little boy, Jed said) on display.

Changdeokgung Palace was another story. The Palace grounds was breathtaking. It was worth the 3,000 won entrance fee, if only for the serenity due to the absence of school children running around and tourists swarming the area. My favorite spot was the secret garden and the Lotus Pond (I'm still unsure of the name...). Our tour guide spoke good english, Jed said she could be a flight attendant. We managed to strike a conversation with her and take photos.

We decided to head home and rest for our evening tea with Henry. I had planned to grab some internet time, but fell asleep once my back hit the bed. ^^

We went to Insadong and tried porridge at a small side street restaurant "Gr___". The food reminded me of my mom's porridge/arroz caldo. I think I was missing traditional Filipino fare. After dinner, we went to a tea house where we had "exotic" flavored tea (Mine was cinnamon, jed's was pear and Henry had five something...). We compared palms and some intelligent conversation (I think my only contribution here was my listening skill) Then off to a nearby Buddhist temple. It was closed, but we were able to see the many unlit lanterns prepared for Buddha's birthday.





By the time we got home, I was ready to plunge into blissful sleep. Ahhh, bed!

Skip to Now...

And we're back...Jed and I arrived on a 4:30 pm Cathay Pacific plane yesterday. And Jed's luggage, along with several others, were again left in Hong Kong. Fortunately, HK to Manila trips are frequent, so we just waited for an hour to get her bag. ^^

Miss Seoul already. Today's MPA class was cancelled due to bad weather, and now I wish I didn't have to go home yesterday. Wish I could have stayed just another day to roam around and say annyeong to the policemen at the station we frequently pass by...Or buy street-made candies and sweet at Insadong...Or try my luck in haggling at Dongdaemun...Or try drinking soju at night with Jed, feasting on tokkpogi sold along the tent-lined streets of Insadong...Sigh...I'm still kinda in my Korean mode. I still go.."chamkaman" whenever I want to take a pause...or bow and smile at older people I meet on the streets.

I've many stories, but unfortunately, so very limited internet time. Hopefully I'll get to provide some of my adventure tales with pictures to make them more interesting.

Korea Day II

Got our luggages at around 8 am. Finally, clean clothes! My beloved toothbrush!

Had breakfast at the hostel. Chalked up a conversation with Henry, the German guy. Last night, we made friends with Benye, the guy from Madagascar. Also, at around 1:30 am, Japanese tourist Yoko came to check in, and we opened the door thinking it was our luggage...so we had to turn her away and refer her to the nearest hotel...To our infinite relief, she's back, well-rested. ^^ None the worse for wear.

Went to 경복궁 (Gyeongbokgung Palace) and was able to watch the ceremony of the changing of the royal palace guards. Had some pictures taken, too. The insides of the palaces (or the many buildings inside the palace) were splendid!






Visited the museum, where we had more pictures taken...I almost lost Jed in the chaotic mix of students (Jed and I think it's field-trip day) and tourists. Bought souvenirs at the museum.







Home to rest..just a few blissful minutes of putting up our dead-tired feet and trying out the free internet to send chikka messages to our families. Oopps, had to call Louise, too. We agreed to meet at Baskin's near exit 4 of Hyehwa Station. Rather than take the subway, we asked the tourist info center for directions, and was advised to take bus number 150. He also gave us a piece of paper to give to the bus driver. That helped a lot...But then, there were two Baskins at that place, and Jed and I waited at the wrong one. I could die of embarrassment when Unni reminded me of exit 4. Miane, chingu!



We had dinner with Louise and Unni Yun Jeong (Louise's best friend who works at Russ - lucky lucky girl!) at a traditional Korean restaurant with traditional Korean music and the works. Then they took us up to Mt. Namsan Tower for a spectacular view of Seoul...365 degrees! Brr, cold weather!



The Namsan Tower...and the two tourists who went "oohhh and ahhh" at the top.



It was also the first time of Unni Yun Jeong to come up Mt. Namsan. Chingu Louise was at first apprehensive about going to Mt. Namsan at night.

Home at around 12. My feet were alien to me!

Hay, This is life!

For more pics, visit my flickr site...

Korea Day 1

The story for this day would be toooooo long to tell now. The summary is: Cathay "lost" our luggages at the HongKong airport and we didn't have enough money to ride a subway. We ended up eating a 4,200 won KFC meal using credit cards.

Savior of the day was Louise. I'm so embarrassed that we got her so worried about our bad news that she had to send the police patrol to look for us.

Here are pics...I'm not so good with story-telling since I have a memory the size of a pea...so hopefully, pictures will tell more than what I can manage to remember...

I had a window seat so I had a very good view of...the airplane's wing...I swear, I have shots of them from all angles as we chaged planes 4 times in our trip.

The view of Hong Kong International Airport from my seat...Spectacular. All water and mountains...

A wall in Insadong is lined with sketches of local artists...See how many you can recognize...

At the Korea National Tourism Office. We got there by chance, and it was pretty late. The office was already closed, but we charmed our way in and the gracious lady inside let us in for five minutes. The biggest pic there was of Dae Jang Geum.

And of course, my reason for being in Korea....hahaha. Actually, his face was the first to greet us at Incheon International Airport. His face is literally everywhere. Panalo! This one was at the KNTO. Jang Dong Gun, saranghaeyo!

Korea...here I come!!!

I'll be leaving on Sunday a.m. on a 6:30 flight with a Hong Kong stop over. Hopefully, I'll tick-off some items in my checklist first before I go..

• Finish my portion of our MPA-Public Fiscal Ad report on Enhancing Revenues of LGUs
• Print a map of Seoul
• Plan a semblance of an itinerary
• Print a website updating/uploading manual
• Photocopy important documents (e.g. passport, travel authority, visa)
• Get my money from Mom's vault
• Get enough sleep.
• Borrow my sister's digicam
• Pack more shirts

It's already Thursday night...Wahhh! I pray our MPA class on Saturday will get cancelled...it's my only hope of surviving!