Busan & Seoul (Final)
It was time to be alone. I went sightseeing by myself before Kai Ling met me in the afternoon. We had cakes given by the housekeeper on behalf of the AirBnB host, as a sign of apology for the construction work going on next door. That unit also belonged to the host; the housekeeper said he bought all the 6 units in the block. Probably just collect rent and wouldn't have to work anymore. Pretty cool. I digress: Most Koreans, other than those in the service industry, are rude. No wonder a friend texted me "Experience China in a different language." on the first day I was there.
My first stop of the day was Lotte World Tower, currently the 5th tallest building in the world. I know many people choose to go up the Namsan Seoul Tower, overlooking the city. I've never been up there, but I strongly believed Lotte World Tower would beat it hands down. The observation deck, called Seoul Sky, offers a 360-degree view without obstructions. You can see notable attractions like the Lotte World recreational complex, the several bridges spanning across the Han River, high-rises sprawling across the city, and the continuous range of hills in the distance. Just be sure to go up on a clear day, and you'll be awed. I walked 2 rounds snapping pictures, and another 2 more rounds just taking in the views with my eyes. After that, I walked to the Olympic Park. I wanted to venture deeper but that would mean I'll be late for my appointment. The park should be a great place to cycle though. I went to a restaurant I saw on television, for the Korean rendition of Mee-Hoon-Kueh. It tastes similar to the good ones you find here, but the broth is the highlight. It has a generous portion of clams that makes it super flavorful. I've mastered being able to dine alone outside without feeling awkward (read: do not have to be engaged with my phone) but I realised I kept talking to myself. Haha, I guess that's how I cope with not having a companion to share my thoughts with. Oh and I should say, if Naver map fails you sometimes, you can always fall back on Google map. The major downside of Google map is that it only provides bus routes. However, if you know where you are, you can still use it as a map coupled with GPS to find your way to your destination.
After lunch, I went to a teahouse called "Moon Bird Only Thinks of the Moon" - long but interesting name. I absolutely love this place. I wanted to try the plum tea but it wasn't available back then. So I ordered a Cinnamon, and a Yuzu. Complementary snacks were provided depending on how many cups of tea you ordered (2 pieces for every cup). I would appreciate it if they could provide more, or make them a menu item because they were tasty! Let your eyes wander and admire the decor of the dimly-lit, quirky teahouse as instrumental music plays in the background. It was utmost relaxing. Kai Ling met up with me at that teahouse. I felt like ordering more but I was bloated and Kai Ling was rather full as well; the tea cup is quite large. I had originally planned to go to Kyung Hee University with my sister and her friend. They would probably follow, but deep down I know they wouldn't be that interested to go out of the way just to see a university. I picked Kyung Hee because it was ridiculously European and ornate for a university in Asia. It wasn't modern-looking but used ancient European styles, and modeled after buildings such as the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. We had mandu and naengmyeon for dinner. (All the restaurants were picked carefully beforehand, except when I say "randomly", like the bingsu place mentioned earlier). I love the mandu but naengmyeon was really not for me as it was difficult to chomp. We ended the day with a stroll down garosu-gil but man, it was boring. It was also not vibrant and bustling enough.
Another morning broke, and I followed the ladies to the traditional markets which they'd been to the previous day as part of their cooking class. It was truly an eye-opener as I saw many things that I've never seen in Singaporean markets. But of course, expect to be shoved by the aunties, uncles, grandmas and grandpas. You'll hardly see youngsters there, let alone anything in English. After that, we went to Gwangjang Market. Now that was a place that would appear on travel guides. They say you must try bindaetteok, and so I did. But I didn't like it. I could accept gimbap better. Well, it was a "safe" food. We went to a restaurant I had carefully selected, for samyeopsal. The staff helps to grill and cut the meat throughout; all you have to do is to eat. A timer is used for precision. They use charcoal, which gives the meat an additional scent. It was a gratifying meal and if I were a billionaire, I would've ordered double of what we ordered, because it was so good that even though we had our fills, it felt there was still space in my belly for more.
After that meal, we parted again, and I met up with Kai Ling at the National Museum. Honestly, it wasn't that impressive as it got kind of repetitive. I'd prefer Shanghai Museum, for example. Thereafter we went to Seodaemun Prison History Hall. It was really hard to imagine how torturous were the days of the prisoners, and that we were standing where they once stood. Or died. The tree outside the execution ground was the most poignant object to me. It is said that the prisoners howled with immense indignation and grabbed the tree as they were being dragged to be killed.
Dinner was at a pojangmacha. Perhaps you need to pick one carefully, but the row of pojangmachas that we were at, seemed alright in terms of hygiene. The food were mainly seafood. They were fresh, and prices were ok, around 12,000 won for a dish. It was a delightful meal and a wonderful experience. It was a Friday night and we took a bus to Banpo Hangang Park for a night bazaar. I had fried chicken with spicy sauce and it was super good. Had a grapefruit-ade too (like lemonade) but it was bad. If only they had milk tea...but nobody can do milk tea like the Taiwanese do. I returned to the AirBnB in high spirits and a round tummy.
Last day wasn't much. Ate at Myeongdong Kyoja, which was pretty ok, worth a try. Browsed some shops and bought a tee - sort of made up for not being able to find a le coq sportif polo I guess. We could check-in and deposit luggage at Seoul station because we were flying Asiana Airlines. The flight back to SIN was up to expectations, but the flight to ICN was garbage. The airplane was old, there was no in-flight entertainment, and food sucked. When you go overseas, sometimes you envy what they have, and sometimes it dwarfs the complaints you have of your home country.
My first stop of the day was Lotte World Tower, currently the 5th tallest building in the world. I know many people choose to go up the Namsan Seoul Tower, overlooking the city. I've never been up there, but I strongly believed Lotte World Tower would beat it hands down. The observation deck, called Seoul Sky, offers a 360-degree view without obstructions. You can see notable attractions like the Lotte World recreational complex, the several bridges spanning across the Han River, high-rises sprawling across the city, and the continuous range of hills in the distance. Just be sure to go up on a clear day, and you'll be awed. I walked 2 rounds snapping pictures, and another 2 more rounds just taking in the views with my eyes. After that, I walked to the Olympic Park. I wanted to venture deeper but that would mean I'll be late for my appointment. The park should be a great place to cycle though. I went to a restaurant I saw on television, for the Korean rendition of Mee-Hoon-Kueh. It tastes similar to the good ones you find here, but the broth is the highlight. It has a generous portion of clams that makes it super flavorful. I've mastered being able to dine alone outside without feeling awkward (read: do not have to be engaged with my phone) but I realised I kept talking to myself. Haha, I guess that's how I cope with not having a companion to share my thoughts with. Oh and I should say, if Naver map fails you sometimes, you can always fall back on Google map. The major downside of Google map is that it only provides bus routes. However, if you know where you are, you can still use it as a map coupled with GPS to find your way to your destination.
After lunch, I went to a teahouse called "Moon Bird Only Thinks of the Moon" - long but interesting name. I absolutely love this place. I wanted to try the plum tea but it wasn't available back then. So I ordered a Cinnamon, and a Yuzu. Complementary snacks were provided depending on how many cups of tea you ordered (2 pieces for every cup). I would appreciate it if they could provide more, or make them a menu item because they were tasty! Let your eyes wander and admire the decor of the dimly-lit, quirky teahouse as instrumental music plays in the background. It was utmost relaxing. Kai Ling met up with me at that teahouse. I felt like ordering more but I was bloated and Kai Ling was rather full as well; the tea cup is quite large. I had originally planned to go to Kyung Hee University with my sister and her friend. They would probably follow, but deep down I know they wouldn't be that interested to go out of the way just to see a university. I picked Kyung Hee because it was ridiculously European and ornate for a university in Asia. It wasn't modern-looking but used ancient European styles, and modeled after buildings such as the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. We had mandu and naengmyeon for dinner. (All the restaurants were picked carefully beforehand, except when I say "randomly", like the bingsu place mentioned earlier). I love the mandu but naengmyeon was really not for me as it was difficult to chomp. We ended the day with a stroll down garosu-gil but man, it was boring. It was also not vibrant and bustling enough.
Another morning broke, and I followed the ladies to the traditional markets which they'd been to the previous day as part of their cooking class. It was truly an eye-opener as I saw many things that I've never seen in Singaporean markets. But of course, expect to be shoved by the aunties, uncles, grandmas and grandpas. You'll hardly see youngsters there, let alone anything in English. After that, we went to Gwangjang Market. Now that was a place that would appear on travel guides. They say you must try bindaetteok, and so I did. But I didn't like it. I could accept gimbap better. Well, it was a "safe" food. We went to a restaurant I had carefully selected, for samyeopsal. The staff helps to grill and cut the meat throughout; all you have to do is to eat. A timer is used for precision. They use charcoal, which gives the meat an additional scent. It was a gratifying meal and if I were a billionaire, I would've ordered double of what we ordered, because it was so good that even though we had our fills, it felt there was still space in my belly for more.
After that meal, we parted again, and I met up with Kai Ling at the National Museum. Honestly, it wasn't that impressive as it got kind of repetitive. I'd prefer Shanghai Museum, for example. Thereafter we went to Seodaemun Prison History Hall. It was really hard to imagine how torturous were the days of the prisoners, and that we were standing where they once stood. Or died. The tree outside the execution ground was the most poignant object to me. It is said that the prisoners howled with immense indignation and grabbed the tree as they were being dragged to be killed.
Dinner was at a pojangmacha. Perhaps you need to pick one carefully, but the row of pojangmachas that we were at, seemed alright in terms of hygiene. The food were mainly seafood. They were fresh, and prices were ok, around 12,000 won for a dish. It was a delightful meal and a wonderful experience. It was a Friday night and we took a bus to Banpo Hangang Park for a night bazaar. I had fried chicken with spicy sauce and it was super good. Had a grapefruit-ade too (like lemonade) but it was bad. If only they had milk tea...but nobody can do milk tea like the Taiwanese do. I returned to the AirBnB in high spirits and a round tummy.
Last day wasn't much. Ate at Myeongdong Kyoja, which was pretty ok, worth a try. Browsed some shops and bought a tee - sort of made up for not being able to find a le coq sportif polo I guess. We could check-in and deposit luggage at Seoul station because we were flying Asiana Airlines. The flight back to SIN was up to expectations, but the flight to ICN was garbage. The airplane was old, there was no in-flight entertainment, and food sucked. When you go overseas, sometimes you envy what they have, and sometimes it dwarfs the complaints you have of your home country.
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