화이팅 hwaiting andy

Mainly tailored for tourist consumption, you can find K-drama themed confectionery at department stores in Seoul like Lotte and Shinsegae down in their food sections.  I picked up this box of Boys Over Flowers chocolates (though I haven't even seen the drama) at the Shinsegae boutique at the airport when leaving Korea to see what they were like.  They had ones for other dramas such as Jewel in the Palace and Winter Sonata as well. I finally got around to opening the box!  As it was just before the due date you can see the chocolates started to bloom (when they turn white...don't worry though, there's nothing wrong with them and they are just as edible).  While the boxes are K-drama themed, the actual chocolates on the other hand are very generic. If you're looking for some nice chocolate, I would pass on these but if you're a hardcore fan or looking for a neat gift for that K-drama crazy friend of yours, then this is probably for you!

Wow, it’s almost been 1 year since my trip last year…how time flies. I promised way back that I’d share the itinerary I made for my trip to Seoul in October 2010 so here it is!  I grouped the sites geographically as I wanted to be able to conveniently see what else there was to check out in a given area while I was there.  I included quick facts such as directions on how to get there by transit, open/close times and any costs.  The primary resource was my Lonely Planet’s Seoul City Guidebook and I supplemented that with info I got off the web.  When I got there, I found most of the info I gathered was accurate and when it wasn’t (I recall one of the palace guard ceremony start times and the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain start times were slightly off), it didn’t result in any real inconveniences.  I just had to wait around a little longer. I hope you find it helpful.  If you do use it, please double check things such as updated open/close/start/end times an...

We did most of our packing the night before which was suppose to have been an easy task until we tried to overstuff one our luggage bags causing the zipper to tear away from the fabric of the bag. With departments stores closed, our hopes rested on the luggage store in the Yeong-chun Market still being open and having a bag of the right size. My Aunt and I rushed down while my mom tried to repair the torn bag with stitching. Luckily for us, we caught the owner just as he was about to close shop. I got to see my Aunt’s bargaining skills at work as we were able to haggle the price of a large luggage bag from about 80,000W down to about 65,000W. First she lowballed him like at 55,000W using the old “I only have XXX amount of dollars” line and then proceeded to count her money with her back turned to the owner. It was funny to watch. I have to admit that I was skeptical about being able to find a good quality bag being a department store kind of guy (though desperate as we were, we...

I finally made my way back to the gate of Dongnimmun at the foot of Seodaemun Independence Park feeling a little tired and dirty from hiking Inwangsan. It was almost 2PM and I didn’t really have a lunch, unless you call a Snickers bar and a Gatorade a proper meal but I forgot about my hunger just like most days while travelling around the city. Where I was staying, it didn’t seem like there were any of the mega chains that I was accustomed to seeing around Seoul. There was a Pizza Hut (but unfortunately it was delivery only), Paris Baguette, and BBQues close by but the closest Lotteria and McDonald’s were down by Gyeonghuigung which was not really within walking distance from my Aunt’s place. The businesses in the area seemed more locally rooted, all anchored by the Yeong-chun Market. It struck me the number of merchants I saw who were seemingly senior citizens, selling produce like farmed vegetables in and around Yeong-chun Market (and in other parts of Seoul) and along the streets....

I finally made my way around to the East entrance to the Inwangsan and was happy to be in the right place to start my ascent. I could tell that this route was definitely open with the increased number of people heading up with me or passing me on their way down. On the right hand side just as I started my ascent, I found a military outpost and came across a foxhole/bunker further on up. I was reminded of the time I went for a walk with my Aunt through the hills near Dongnimmun Station and Independence Park. On the route, there’s a military output where my Aunt warned me not to take pictures. I thought my Aunt was exaggerating and laughed not taking her too seriously but found that I was the only one laughing. For a hike that I thought was going to be relatively easy, it turned out to be a lot more challenging than I expected. At the very beginning, the ascent is pretty easy going. It’s not too steep with the gradual incline in the terrain easily manageable and where it does get stee...

Sadly, Day 20 was my last day for sight seeing as tomorrow I was going back home to Canada. Like my trip to Tokyo, I deliberately bookmarked both ends of my trip with closer attractions so that I could get use to travelling around Seoul slowly at the beginning and then to give myself a break from travelling long distances towards the end. I wanted to do some sort of hike in Seoul and my guide book had several listed in and out of Seoul, one of which was at Inwangsan Mountain. Inwangsan, being relatively close by, was a daily sight for me from the balcony of my aunt’s condo every morning and evening. My aunt mentioned that she had gone up the mountain before and that the road to Inwangsan can get confusing. I decided regardless of whether I got anywhere near to reaching the top of Inwangsan or not, I wanted to attempt to climb it for myself. I think I really would have regretted not doing so if I hadn’t. Even though I really like my big city modern amenities, I do enjoy nat...

I awoke this morning with no solid plans as most of what was on my travels itineraries had been checked off by this time and what remained were a couple of museums and places outside of Seoul that I had already forgone. One I mentioned before was Palbong Bakery in Cheongju after hearing my aunt/niece’s unfavourable second hand opinions of the place. Another place that I was on the fence for much of the trip was Namiseom , the island Northeast of Seoul where some of the more famous scenes from the K-drama Winter Sonata were shot. There were several ways to get to Namiseom. The hard but more flexible way that allowed you to come and go as you pleased involved Subway > Train > Bus/Taxi > Ferry, which all seemed a little much for me. The easier way was taking the special shuttle bus from Insadong that departs at 9:30AM that went straight to the island and ferry. The problem with this option was that the returning bus to Seoul didn’t leave until 4PM meaning you had to spend...

Hanging out at Banpo Hangang Park on Day 6 and watching the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain and fireworks that night was what I enjoyed the most thus far on my trip to Seoul so I decided to return to the area on this day. My mom was looking for a place to visit so I recommended that hanging out in front of the Hangang River was a really nice and quiet and peaceful experience for a sunny afternoon. Usually my aunts would accompany my mom if she went out but today we decided to ditch them and go out ourselves. We grabbed a cab and headed out but not before stopping for some lunch first. As we enjoyed eating at Lotte Department Store so much the other day, we decided to return and have the same menu items as before: the Naeng Myeon/Guksu combo and a side order of mandoo. We were just here for the purpose of having lunch so we didn’t look around or do any shopping. It was just as good as the first time and naturally our conversation turned to how much better the food was on this side of the...

When I came back home from the National Museum of Korea and told my aunt about the lunch fiasco, she wanted to call the place up and give them an ear full.  Hahaha, don’t mess with my maknae aunt!^^  I told her it was OK and to forget about it.  It was getting close to dinner time and I had been putting off having McDonald’s for 17 days now and coupled with the mediocre lunch today, it seemed like the right time to spring for it.  There were opportunities to try McDonald’s earlier in my trip as I had passed the one in Jongno a couple of times and actually entered one to have an ice cream but I always put it off for something more local instead.  At home, I also tried to refrain from suggesting McDonald’s out of consideration for my aunts.  While they would have it, it’s not like they like fast food and McDonald’s in particular as I do.  They would probably be more content with eating a bowl of rice and some kimchi because that’s what they grew up on....

By this time in my trip, I had seen most of what I wanted to see in Seoul and the places that were left on my itinerary were mostly museums. I had several museums down on my itinerary but deliberately chose to visit them last because in Tokyo, I learned that I would much prefer walking around the city or riding the subways than walking around in a museum. There’s no substitute for the organic and lively experience of being around the people in the city and being able to feel it’s pulse. Museum’s have their merits, albeit more static and historic in nature, so I guess it all depends on personal preference. Some people find museums boring while others could spend an entire day looking around and still not get enough. I probably fall somewhere towards the former unless what’s being showcased interests me. Between the 3 museums I had down, the National Museum of Korea , the War Memorial and Museum and the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art , I ended of choosing the National Museum of Korea. Lo...