Monday, May 19, 2008
S. Korea, the second time around
After I have gotten back from my fist trip to Seoul in 2006 I have dreamed of coming back to the chilly weather, the Buddhist temples, centuries old Korean architecture and colorful floral designs, fashionista Korean ladies who couldn't resist wearing mini skirts in freezing weather, drivers who follow traffic rules, hip stationeries and one of a kind journals that I couldn't order online, no thanks to the non-English websites. Then there's the FOOD! Ay, sya! Samgeopsal, bulgogi, bibimpap, kalbi! Let's just say EVERY thing. Except the kimchi. ;p
After more than a year of dreaming (of the food, mainly ;p) and hanging out at Korean online shops and this very tourist-friendly site, I got the chance to revisit end of April. In 4 days / nights, I
+ dragged my pinoy, taiwanese, and chinese workmates to e-mart for pasalubong shopping, where half of the time there was spent figuring out the correct price display;
+ spent 2 full days working, and trying to get connected to the company's wireless network, watched top level admins play kickball, got offered glasses after glasses of soju (kombei!), korean wine, and rice wine and whatever alcoholic drink was available, and got fascinated at the amount of Tagalog the Korean folks know. (Inuman tayo! Siyempre!);
+ spent one and a half days going around Seoul (& beyond). thanks to the efficient subway system, every corner of Seoul is accessible. Well, ok, the taiwanese engr had to teach me and gave me tips on how not to get lost and that somehow calmed me. That, and the tons of maps i carried and the tourist info centers. :)
+ took a lot of photos at Bongeunsa Temple, where strings after strings of lotus lanterns created a red sky in preparation for Buddha's birthday. If the day scene was lovely, I couldn't imagine the night scene I missed..
+ took the guided tour to Changdeokgung Palace, walked at Insadong (still one of my favorite places), passed Cheonggyecheon stream, then walked some more to Myeongdong - where my heart was broken to very tiny and sharp bits and pieces. The Kosney store - this one store where i was supposed to buy as much stationeries and journals as i can carry - has closed down. :( After that sad discovery i carried my heavy heart to the smaller Kosney store at Techno Mart and continued my search at COEX mall where I bought as much stationeries and journals as i can carry. It wasn't the same.
+ ate dinner at KFC, lunch at McDonald's, and had coffee at Starbucks. Whenever I'm overseas, fast food chains and convenience stores provide me a sense of comfort and security. Seriously? I was alone and I chickened out on ordering auth Korean food. So there. ;p
+ got fascinated by the cultural experience Korean Folk Village provided.
+ had a brush up on history, saw N. Korea through high mag scopes at Odusan Unification observatory.
Do I look forward to a third visit? Dangyunhaji! The third visit would be more fantastic too if i could go with my best friends. *crosses fingers*Labels: travels
11:16 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Monday, February 18, 2008
Namdaemun
Easily one of my favorite trips *ever* is my Seoul, Korea trip back in 2006. A kind friend brought me and Je to popular tourist places, including Namdaemun. Before the trip, officemates who've been to Seoul recommend Namdaemun market for the cheap merchandise. A perfect souvenir spot for sock-wearing office workers like us. When we got there, what attracted me more than the cheap socks is Namdaemun gate.
Here's a pic I took of Namdaemun gate back in 2006. Named as No. 1 National Treasure, this 600yr old structure breathes history and culture.
This is Namdaemun gate now.
[photo courtesy of popseoul.com]
It burned down Sunday, Feb 10 pm. A 69-yr old man confessed putting this treasure on fire due to grief over a decade-old land dispute.
Sayang naman. :/ 10:35 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Shanghai Baby - Part II
Day 2: 8-6 meeting + Dinner at The Tang Dynasty restaurant + Coffee at Pudong Riverside
Puxi as viewed from Pudong; Pearl Orient Tower | Sony DSC-H1
Larger versions of the images and the rest of the photos are at flickr.Labels: daily photo, travels
12:27 AM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Shanghai Baby
kgt_333: looks like the Taiwan fiasco was limited to.. Taiwan.
All the hoping and praying worked ;] Got to see more than Pudong Airport, Sheraton Hotel and ATC. And no greeedy drivers, too! Thanks to kgt & lara, kind souls who picked me up from my place and brought me safely to PAL C2 Terminal at Sunday 4am, and v.v. Wednesday night at 9pm.
Blurry in Shanghai | Sony DSC-h1
Day 1: Stalls/Shops outside YuYuan Garden + Divisoria-looking malls + Crab! + Nanjing Road & People's Square
So there I was, taking photos of the aged, arched roofs of *YuYuan Garden* just to find out later that they're not at all aged. ;p Arched, yes. The shops / buildings were added just recently. (The real) YuYuan Garden is a smaller structure at the center of all the stores / restuarants, waiting to show its ancient charm to anyone willing to pay ~200 pesos. Since my tour guide wasn't willing, a solo visit was mentally scheduled for Day 4. ;)
November to February are THE crab months. Yummy. There's nothing else to say really.Went inside all the malls along Nanjing Road in search for The 2008 Journal and some brush pens. Unfruitful search, but a good excuse to visit all the malls ;p and to later sit and watch all the lights blinking and shining restlessly.
This place obviously has a happy lively vibe.
11:08 AM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Friday, November 02, 2007
Alice's and Ruth's passport
ready to go! | sony dsc h1
Passport - Check. Chinese visa - Check.
Off to the land of tsinitos on Sunday. Let's all hope and pray for victory this time.Labels: daily photo, travels
5:13 AM | 1 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Lotus
lotus | sony dsc h1
Jim and Shanti's dashboard BuddhaLabels: baguio, daily photo, travels
1:46 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Seoul Night
November Window | sony dsc h1
View from my hotel window during my Seoul Korea visit - Nov 2006.
I miss Seoul. :\Labels: daily photo, Seoul Korea, travels
11:38 AM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Friday, June 08, 2007
No Victory Over Taiwan
It did not happen.
It is much too painful embarassing to admit. ;p
Did I really ride the plane to Taiwan just to come back 4 days later with nothing but memories of hotel breakfasts, duty-free-bought souvenirs, and the most annoying 2-hr cab trip from airport to apartment? No Taipei 101. No night market shopping. No culture-immersion.
No. Pictures.
Ugh.
At the very least, there were free authentic Taiwanese dinners. Our hosts went out of their way and took us for dinner despite the hectic work week. Surprising thing: the food did not even come close to the Chinese meals I am used to having. I find the Pinoy versions tastier, although almost everything tastes the same. I just realized that after eating over 10 varieties of dishes in 1 sitting on my first real dinner there. (My fake dinner is a tasty street food – squid morsel wrapped in minced veggie / flour mixture). Each dish brought an interesting feel to my soy sauce-hungry taste buds.
What is left to say about my first overseas travel alone? I learned that I should ask for flight schedules that would give me more time to enjoy the trip. I learned that I should start looking for other options for travelling back safely to my apartment without having too pay 800% more than the regular cab fare.
So there, learnings that are totally non-Taiwan-related. ;p 10:03 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Vigan's Burnay
Burnay ng Vigan | sony dsc h1
At Vigan's Jar Factory (Pagburnayan). National artist Fidel Antiporda Go gave us a demo on making a clay pot. It took him less than 5 minutes to finish a flawless product.Labels: daily photo, travels
3:54 AM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Bench along Crisologo St.
bench along Crisologo St. | sony dsc h1
Took advantage of the long weekend and went to a nice (but bitin) trip to Ilocos with Eloi. I love the old city of Vigan. Everything is charming and picture-worthy. :)
More pics at flickr.Labels: daily photo, travels
12:58 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
