Travellers are a different breed of people. They are musicians, artists, semi-pro snowboarders and surfers. Writers, archery masters and sometimes nudists?

Getting robbed is nothing but an inconvenience or a reason to just stay put in a city for a while longer and injuries are simply conversation starters into a good story. Cliffs are there to be jumped off.
Your poor physical appearance is... nothing a few beers and a dip in the pool can't fix. The sentence "I have a private room" is the sexiest thing a traveler can say to another. They run out of fires to dive into tidal waves. Know more languages than number of countries most have visited.

Some people save their money to spend on a nice house, car or their retirement. Travellers spend everything they have on experience, the now, the present. Sacrificing stability, possessions, relationships and financial security to invest in living, laughing, dancing, sweating, learning, searching and discovering the world and themselves.

A lot of travellers are considered unique in some way at home or others wild.
 So what a wild experience to get unique people from all over the world into one room where all of a sudden these individuals who are a different breed at home are now in a community of like-minded people. The traveling world is a community of its own. A family away from family. Everyone and everything is accepted and you are friends with everyone in the room by just walking through the door.

Which is the hard part of travel? It isn't the cold showers or sleeping on uncomfortable beds in a room with 10 other people. The bug bites, lack of cleanliness, or crowded buses. It is when it comes time to say goodbye to these people you meet. People who have loved you for just being yourself, inspired you to make happy decisions, shared an experience with you that no one else can quite understand without having been there. I'm having a hard time saying 'bye to people that I know I may not ever see again... but happy that I was lucky to meet them.

First school heritage tour in SKKU

It was the 6th day of my summer programme. FUN, FUN and MORE FUN! I went out on a Seoul city tour organised by the school today. We were due to meet in school at 8am! How early isn't it? With eyes like that =.= , Baby and I left for school. When we reached school, we bumped into Grace and Su Chan, our project group members. Not long later, I felt a tap on the back of my shoulder and saw Ting Wei, my primary school friend! He introduced us to his friend, Chao Lin and so the 6 of us took the same bus together and travelled together.

Assembled at the basketball court of SKKU

The first place that we visited was the Taekwando ring. There, we watched the TKD people perform their moves such as punches and kicks. Their moves were so sharp and crisp. They must have been practicing very hard and consistently to perfect their moves to that extent. Their kicks were powerful and they broke so many boards. They were jumping so high up to kick the boards that I acually feared for their safety should they not land properly. Their performance was very entertaining and they even did a dance for us while incorporating some TKD moves. TKD always reminds me of my first boyfriend, Justin. He used to be very into TKD when we were together and I even went to support one of the competitions that he took part in when he was in college!

Jump and take that!

 

Group photo

 

 

Let's fight!

 

Trying out our fighting skills

The next place that we went to was the Samsung digital building. As we all know, Samsung is like a God to Korea. Their brand name is everywhere in Korea and they have branched into almost every kind of industry; automobile, televisions, notebooks, cameras, washing machines, monitors, vacuum cleaner and the list goes on and on! There was this extremely interesting camera whereby we could take the photo and the image gets sent to the big screen. Baby and I took one photo and boy were we happy camwhoring over there! The whole Samsung digital building was so fun because we could try out all the gadgets that were available over there and play with them. Samsung is indeed amazing, with all their inventions in every industry.

Samsung digital building

Fanciful BMW motorbike

 

The amazing big screen

 

Tablet attached to a keyboard to act like a normal desktop

Following that, we went to the Seoul National Museum and we had a bento lunch. the lunch was good. I especially loved the beef and fruits. We then proceeded to watch videos and a presentation of korea (past, present and future). I really enjoyed myself throughout the whole presentation although I saw many people falling asleep! Tingwei was so funny. He fell asleep and his mouth opened and closed like some fish. HAHAHAHA!

Group picture at the Seoul National Museum

The bento lunch

 

I never knew that Korea had such a rich and turbulent history. I kind of knew a little of their history from reading Lonely Planet but I never knew the implications of their history and how it has shaped Korea to be what it is today. Korea is an amazing country and I must say that I was very impressed by her achievements till today and how it will continue to advance. I believe that everyone must have a niche to continue to progress and in Korea, you can see how she stands on the stage of technology, showcasing her niche in that sector. I wish Singapore could emulate Korea in that sense, how daring they are in testing the waters in sectors they are probably unfamiliar with.

Inside the Seoul National Museum, we were also able to try the traditional desserts and hanbok. It was so chaotic but I got a chance to try it in the end!

Traditional desserts

Trying on the Hanbok

 

From left to right: Ting Wei, Baby and Chao Lin

 

The last stop was to Gyeongbokgung, the main palace where the government in the Joseon dynasty held their parliament. A pity that there wasn't much time left for us to sightsee at the palace because we went in so late.

 

My day was concluded with dinner with some new found friends who took the same tour bus as us.

Seafood with crispy rice

 

 

 

Start of something new

After a project meeting for the module that I was taking in SKKU, our 'group leader' suggested lunch together. We call our group leader 'Oppa' because Korean guys love being called Oppa as it means dear or darling (when used in a Korean context) even though the literal meaning is big brother. I like our Oppa. Despite having some communication barrier at times, you can feel his sincerity in wanting to forge a friendship with you. He is so kind and will always be on the go, running from place to place to recee the venue, checking if there are available seats. He's very sociable and he makes me laugh so much with his perpetually confused face.

There were 9 of us and finding a place was difficult so we ended up going to different eateries before settling for the one that we ended up in because it could accomodate us. It was a place near school that served Dak galbi (닭갈비). I was dying to eat because I was so hungry!

Dak galbi is a dish made by stir-frying marinated diced chicken in a gochujang (chili pepper paste) based sauce, and sliced cabbage, sweet potato, scallions, onions and tteok (rice cake) together on a hot plate. Dak galbi appeared after the late 1960s as an inexpensive anju (안주 - food that is eaten while drinking) in small taverns, on the outskirts of the city to replace the comparatively expensive gui (구이 - dishes which are grilled over charcoal).

Dak galbi before it is cooked

 

Starving and wanting to start eating now!

 

Finally cooked!

 

Fried rice on the pan

It was a satisfying meal, but nothing to rave about. I generally like pan-fried dishes in Korea because I like to eat my food hot and continuously cooking the food in the pan allows it to remain hot for as long as I am eating it! The chicken was quite tasty but could have been more well-marinated. I wish that the fried rice on the pan could be more spread out so that it could have been more charred and they could have added cheese into it. What a pity.

All of a sudden, Oppa left the table and ran out of the eatery like superman on call. He returned back after a few minutes with a tube of 'Yakult'. Initially Baby and I thought that it was the original Yakult but Oppa later told us that it's the Korean version of Yakult and is much cheaper and tastes better than the original. Indeed it was really delicious!

Korean version of Yakult

 

After lunch, Baby went back to school for Korean class and so I left to do some sightseeing! Wow! Today marked the first time that I travelled alone in a foreign country. There was this initial slight discomfort when I left on my own, but I was very confident of where I wanted to go and how to get there. Very quickly, my confidence grew and the discomfort disappeared. Being in a foreign country on my own meant that nobody knew me and so I won't bump into anyone I knew and could do whatever I wanted!

After something like a 15-minute walk from school, I found my way to my destination -Changgyeonggung (창경궁). Changgyeonggung was a side palace which was built because the main palace, Changdeokgung (창덕궁), was getting too crowded. Changgyeonggung mainly housed the concubines, princes and dowagers during the Joseon era. Although it is supposed to be a smaller palace relative to its parent palace, Changdeokgung, it is still rather large. I can barely imagine how big Changdeokgung is.

Although only about 30% of what Changgyeonggung used to be remained, I must say that the conservation efforts of the palace must be complimented. The palace has managed to maintain it's beauty and charm. The exquisite designs on the roof remained intact and showcased the artwork of what it was like in the Joseon dynasty.

The moment I stepped into Changgyeonggung, I almost felt like I had returned in time. I conceived how the guards and kings and queens must have behaved in the palace and imagined how the guards standing at the sides of the walkway served the king sitting on the elevated seat of his. Ahh, the effect of too much traditional shows that I have watched on television.

I love taking photos of things and more so of myself and was so glad that I shipped in the traveller's tripod from the States because it became handy today! I was initially slightly embarrassed when I took the tripod out and started standing randomly in front of the different buildings of the palace to pose for the camera. Just as I was fixing the traveller's tripod to prepare for my first picture with it, a really nice ajosshi (uncle) who saw me using much effort to fix the tripod laughed at me and offered to help me take the photo. What an embarrassment! He was really nice that I could bear to tell him that the photo did not turn out as great as I thought it would but put a thumbs up sign when he asked if it was okay.

Thankfully it was a weekday and there weren't that many people in Changgyeonggung so I could camwhore on my own without any awkwardness or embarrassment. What a great day!

The gate of the palace

 

The 'runway' where the guards will line up to greet the Emperor

 

The Emperor's high seat

 

A pavillion

 

Elaborated roof design

 

Hwangyeongjeon - Sleeping quarters of the current king and his wife

 

Yanghwadang - The residential quarters of the empress dowager

 

A bridge to cross to go up to Changdeokgung

 

No! Don't stop me!

 

Punggidae - Stone pedestral to tell the speed and direction of wind

 

Taesil - Shrines where the royal family stored the placenta and umbilical cords of their children

 

 

Chundangji area - Ponds

 

The greenhouse

 

Changgyeonggung is really pretty and I wish that I could really go back in time and visit the palace during that time, or if better, be a princess during that lifetime of mine. =P

 

Changgyeonggung (Palace)

Hyehwa Subway Station (Seoul Subway Line No. 4), Exit #4,

Walk along Daeyeonggeory street to the end of the street,
Walk along Changgyeonggung-ro street for about 1 km or take bus 172, 162, 272 - 1 stop away

 

Done with sightseeing, I went back to school to look for Baby and we had dinner together near our hostel at a restaurant called Twoowy because she was craving for Korean fried chicken. Korean fried chicken is traditionally eaten as fast food, at bars, or as an after meal snack in Korea. It is not often consumed as a meal but that was what we did - eat it as dinner!

 

Korean fried chicken

 

Because Korean fried chicken is prepared in a way that removes the fat from the skin, the crust outside is thin and transparent. The fried chicken was crispy on the outside but juicy and tender on the inside. Because the crust on the outside was thin and light, I could go on eating the chicken without feeling uncomfortable. When I usually eat the usual types of chicken like KFC, the flour batter on the outside of the chicken meat will leave me feeling quite sick/nauseous after I am done with the 2-Pcs chicken meal. The crust on the outside of the chicken was also very well marinated, rendering the chicken tasty, but not too salty. The sweet chilli sauce went so well with the chicken and it is a must have. Finger-licking good!

 

Twoomy

Sungshin Women's University line 2

Exit 1

Turn right and walk into the street

At the second cross junction of the street, turn right

The restaurant is on your right

What I love to do - eat and shop!

It is the fourth day of my summer program right now and I am totally enjoying myself! I have to say that I am really excited about what in store for me in Korea even though I am getting so tired so easily.

It has been raining quite a fair bit and that's making me rather annoyed. I bought a brolly from Korea because I had no choice but to; the rain was getting too strong and too frequent. Also, because of the rain, I'd rather be back in the hostel than to be outside shopping or sightseeing.

We had lunch at this restaurant near our school called Biya. It was reccommended by the Korean in our project group. Biya sells the dish called Budae jjigae (부대찌개) a.ka. "army base stew" in english. It originated in Korea during the Korean American war. During and after the war, meat was scarce and people had little to eat. People made this dish by using the leftover hot dogs and Spam from U.S. army bases and anything else that was available to them at that point of time and boiled them in a traditional Korean spicy stew. Nowadays, Budae jjigae has become a more luxurious dish and incorporates ingredients such as instant ramen noodles, sliced American cheese, ground pork, sausages, rice cake, tofu etc. It's like a steamboat and you can basically throw anything you want in it.

The side dish was hashbrowns which were deep-fried so well that we kept refilling it. It was crispy and fragrant and yes, I love potatoes!

The Budae jjigae was so delicious and the soup tasty. I think whatever paste that they put inside to make the soup base made the whole dish so flavourful. We could continuously add much ramen as we wanted till we got full! The ramen would soak up the taste of the soup so well that it tasted so good with every mouth that we took. I also loved the onions that was over-cooked after we left them to boil in the soup for a long time. The soup base is spicy and it would be a great dish to have during winter when it's cold. It was so spicy that my nose was watering after eating dish for a prolonged period of time. But I guess that's what I like about this dish as well - the spicy soup base.

Budae jjigae before cooking

Budae jjigae after cooking

Delicious food!

 

YAYY! BIYA!

Biya (in Seoul)
Anam (Line 6), Get off at exit 2 and facing the intersection, turn right and keep walking for 5 minutes – it’s on your right.

Baby and I intended to go to the Korean War Memorial initially but because it rained non stop, we ended up going to Dongdaemun Market to shop. Dongdaemun Market is a shopping heaven with endless stuff to buy. It's where the locals go to to shop for their fashion. Dongdaemun Market can get a little confusing because it is massive but I suppose with the map, you can make sense of the direction easily. Section 1 (the left side of the below map) is where most of the malls (Doota, Migliore, and Hello apM) and retail stores are located. Section 2 (the right side of the below map) is where most of the wholesale shops are located. The stores here also sell things at retail, but they mostly deal with bulk sales.

I ended up buying so much in Dongdaemun Market and I only actually managed to make it as far as the shopping malls such as Miglore, Doota etc, because it was raining and the shops lining the streets weren't open.

Don't forget to bargain and try to visit that place with friends so that you can buy in 'bulk' and get a greater discount. It's basically 'the more you buy, the more discount you get'. Some shop owners can be really nasty and just chase you out of the shop when you bargain, but just do it. If the shop owners chase you away, you can always go to another shop and get something else even though the shops don't sell the same stuff.

What I liked about Dongdaemun was the fact that there was variety - shops don't exactly sell the same stuff. There is the outdoor and indoor sections, which means that you can still shop around that area when it rains!

Dongdaemun Market
Subway line 2, Dongdaemun stadium station exit #2 or 14

First lesson day in school

Day 3 in Korea marked the first lesson in school. The professor was really boring and the content itself was dry.

Its funny but people of the same country tend to associate together and move around together. I wish that i'd have the opportunity to talk more to the foreigners or locals. Singaporeans aren't exactly the most interesting people. Well, I can't say much about others because I haven't spoken much to them.

It has been quite a fun day today. After lesson, baby and I and some other CBE friends went for lunch at some western food restaurant. I guess everyone was getting very sick and tired of Korean food. I wasn't though. I love Korean food and I think that when you are in a country, you should try as much as possible to eat the local food. You have to try anything and everything once in your life and there are so many local dishes that you cannot find back in Singapore. Moreover Korean food in Singapore is expensive! Well, that's just typical Singaporeans for you. Lunch was pretty crappy in my opinion.

After lunch, baby and I headed off to take some neoprints at this shop. it cost us only 6000W, which is about 7 sing dollars. Cheap isn't it? We could even put on wigs, hats and hairbands which were so cute! It has been a long time since I last taken a neoprint. I remember taking loads of neoprints back in primary and secondary school. Many of us will try to squeeze into one neoprint so that it'd be cheaper for one person. Ahh, those were the days! We were such poor kids.

Baby and I trying out the wigs and hats before taking the neoprints

 

Our neoprints

We headed back to school after that and visited the traditional village (Free of charge). The traditional village consists of Seoul Munmyo, which is a shrine where the memorial tablets (wooden tablets inscribed with the name of the deceased) of Confucius and both the Korean and Chinese sages are enshrined, and where ancestral rites are observed, facilities such as Dongjae, Seojae, Jongyeonggak and Yanghyeongo. Dongjae and Seojae were the buildings where the students stayed. Jongyeonggak functioned as the library and Yanghyeongo was where the officials handled the income and expenditures of money and grain for educational purposes.

I am contemplating checking into a traditional house someday so that I can live with the locals over there. I love the traditional wooden houses and how the small and cute the doors are. You can sleep on ondols, heated floors with mattress which really excites me to try it one day.

Tradiational houses

The outside of the traditional houses

Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU)
Alight at Hyehwa station of line 4
Take exit 4, turn left at the exit and walk along the street (Daemyeong Geori)
When you reach Watsons, cross the street to the traffic light and cross that traffic light to Dunkin Donuts
Keep walking straight and SKKU will be on your left
Baby and I had quite some funny moments today taking photos. I was taking a photo of chrystal at the school gate and was so concentrated on taking a photo of her that I did not see a bus behind her. Then she asked, "Is there something big behind me?" I snapped out of my own world and then suddenly the bus went BOOOP BOOOP! Shocked, we ran to the side. HAHAHAHAHA! I totally did not see the bus at all! What a dangerous!

Baby dangerously going to be knocked down by the bus

We had dinner with Kian Beng and Joel at the BBQ restaurant near our university (SKKU) called Cozy & Grill Eatery. What a random occasion. I have never spoken to them before in CBE. When we were walking down the street, we saw them and surprisingly, I asked them out for dinner. They are actually really fun and interesting people to talk to.

BBQ meat dinner

Dinner was amazingly delicious and really cheap! All the meat were fresh and tasty and the beef was especially tender and juicy. We each paid about 10 000W and the meat that we ordered were all marinated very well. 맛있어요!

Cozy & Grill Eatery
Alight at Hyehwa station of line 4
Take exit 4, turn left at the exit and walk along the street (Daemyeong Geori)
When you reach Watsons, turn right to the traffic light and cross that traffic light to Daiso
Keep walking straight and Cozy & Grill will be on your right (You will pass by the bakery Tous Les Jours)