My trip to Korea- Soul of Asia (Day 3- Jeju)

Morning again! Jeju looks really peaceful in the mornings. No traffic, screeching children and car horns blaring. Just the sound of the sea, it was raining, way to start the day. Breakfast in Jeju Palace Hotel is good, they have bibimbap even in the mornings. There were abalone porridge, kimchi soup, chestnut wrapped in bacon, prawn tempura, sausages, eggs and dumplings (Mandoo)! Such a wide variety of food for me to gorge in the morning.

The first place we went to was Seopjikoji (Beach) where the drama “All In” was filmed. I never watched the drama but it was a beautiful place to go to. The rain was pretty big when we arrived, the sea was also rough. We hike up to the church where the filming took place but it was closed for renovation. The rain made it hard for us to hike to the top and we were already out of time. Tsk… the annoying schedule of tour-you never get enough time. I spent too long taking pictures of the sceneries. I love the sea breeze brushing gently against my cheeks and the salty smell of seawater. I even saw Jeju’s traditional breed horses. They say it’s one of Korea’s national treasure and a symbol of Jeju. There’s a long history of these horses. They are short like ponies, maybe a little taller but still short and their heritage is mixed Mongolia and Korea.

A lone Jeju Horse

 It has been long known that men are more important than women in the olden days. Wives are like slaves to their husband so they have to treat them like Kings. Koreans in Jeju used to eat horses (I guess it was abundant then) but the husbands only get to eat the meat; the wives can only eat the bones of the horses. So they grind the bones into powder and ate them with rice, this made the women of Jeju to have stronger bones and lower risk of osteoporosis.

The rain was pouring down then, so we went back to the bus and the driver took us to a confectionary shop. I didn’t purchase any chocolate but I did try some orange chocolate. I didn’t like the flavor of orange and chocolate, to me, they should be eaten separately. The confectionary shop planted mandarin oranges trees around them, so I can only see and I can’t eat it. It was Autumn as I mentioned, so I was early on the mandarin orange season, it wasn’t ripe yet. Such a shame! I wanted to try their oranges. Jeju is the main supplier of oranges for Korea. They did sell some that are starting to turn a little orange but I’m not going to eat that, it’s definitely going to be sour as vinegar.

That there, is a pony and rows of mandarin oranges trees.

During our journey to our next spot, the tour guide told us interesting stories about Jeju. Did you know that the women of Jeju are called the sea women (Haenyo)? During war time, all the men in the village were sent away so it was left to women to do the work of men. So they went out to sea to catch fish and feed their family. Young girls as old as 11 years start to dive until they grow old. These women don’t use boats or transportation, they dive into the ocean with their spears and nets. This somehow became a tradition. There is a bunch of old ladies that still goes out to the sea and gather seafood. They can hold their breath underwater for more than an hour! Korean women during the olden times have my respect, they really are impressive.

There are 3 national treasures in Korea- the sea, the mountains and the dialect. If you listen attentively, Seoul language is usually heard around the world but the language in Busan is different, so is Jeju. They are Korea’s dialect, I find it amusing to listen to how they speak in dialect since I was so used to Seoul language. Annyeonghaseyo in Jeju is Annyeonghasuka, both meaning Hello. I try not to laugh while listening because they sound like they are either singing or complaining.

Additional Information: Not all Koreans ever visited Jeju Island because the trip there is costly. For some married couples that can’t afford an expensive oversea honeymoon, they will go to Jeju for their honeymoon. The lands in that island is very valuable and pricey, those that own properties (eg Land and Houses) in Jeju are mostly the rich people or they are originally from Jeju. So if someone from other than Jeju say they own houses and land in Jeju, you would know if they are well off.

We arrived at Seongsan Sunrise Peak. It is suppose to look beautiful there during sunrise but it was already 9am when we got there and the rain was still hammering down. The tour guide lied, he said Autumn rain doesn’t last long. It rained the whole day. Only a few of us wanted to hike up the mountains to the peak, the rest stayed in the bus. I was one of the adventurous few that took the challenge. Nah… No one wants to go with me so I stopped halfway to the peak- enough to snap some pictures. But no way was I going to waste my time in the bus when I get to see some amazing view. I didn’t regret my decision. I was annoyed that tourist was everywhere and I can’t get one picture without getting photo bombed.

Here’s a Jeju 101, the whole island is full of stone statue called Harubangs. They are carved from volcanic rocks and is also a symbol of Jeju. Mushroom like with a face- It is considered to be their deities and to ward of demons in the old generation. The guide told us not to miss out on the chance to touch it when we were in Jeju. Why? He told us this:

“Touch the ears and you get a baby girl, touch the nose and you get a baby boy. Touch the belly and you will get rich”

I don’t know how true was that but I touched the ears and belly anyway. No harm touching since everyone is doing it. I turn back at the intersection to the mountains. Time was scarce again so I took pictures of the sea. It was gorgeous and standing at the edge absolutely takes my breath away. You can’t see it from the picture but it was blue. There were a lot of small caves at the side of the mountains. The rain died down a little by then. Thank Goodness.

Let's touch the Harubang!

There was a temple nearby but my sister prefers to walk among the flowers and pretend she’s in a movie. Pfft~~~

 Taking the last picture in Seongsan Sunrise Peak, we were called back to the bus and it left for Seonyop Folk Village. It’s like time never changed anything. The village really looks like it came from the movies, old hut and houses made from wood and straws, rainwater collected from trees into pots and stone grinders. The only thing that changed was electricity and toilets.

This is where the famous drama Dae Jang Geum was filmed. We were greeted by a lady that lives there. Behind her was 3 wooden poles shaped like a stable gate. She told us that during the olden days, it was very safe so they don’t need gates to protect houses. The three poles serve one purpose- to inform people or neighbors if the tenants are home.

Interesting fact: Putting one pole up means that “I will be back soon, please wait for a while”, two poles up means “I will only be back in the evening, please come later”, three poles up means that “I won’t be back for a long time, please come another time” and if three poles are down, it means “I’m home, please come in”. 

The three poles

Water being collected from trees

The lady brought us on a tour in the village, telling us about the histories and the head of the village. Apparently, they are not shame about having mistresses and they tend to show off. Oh, she told us to be very quiet because the head doesn’t appreciate loud noises. She told us more about the horses of Jeju, the people during the good old days and of course Dae Jang Geum who sought refuge in that village.

Her main point was finally revealed when she brought us to a room with all the products that the village “produces”. First up was a syrup made from preserved berries from the mountains. I like it, it was sweet and sour like lemonade. She told us that it helps to identify health problems, a sip of the drink and if we taste sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness and sappy, we have different problems with our organs. I can’t remember exactly which and which but I remembered her mentioning that mine was unhealthy liver. Okay I admit, I sleep late, have insomnia and I eat a lot of unhealthy stuff. The drink was to help me improve my liver function. I was tempted to buy but I figured, stuff like that I might be able to get it at the convenient store at cheaper price. So I didn’t buy. Next, she introduced us honey made by their own bees.

“Interesting fact: If the honey starts to foams from the bottom, its fake honey because the bees are fed with sugar. If it foams from the top, it is genuine honey”

She introduced us calcium pills made of grind horse bones, she said the calcium level of one tiny ball was equivalent to 9 glasses of milk and it is a highly controlled product that you can’t find it out of the village. If we purchase it, the product would be packed, sealed airtight and delivered to the airport for you. But the price? I think it was about 1000 dollars in my currency. I ain’t got that much money with me! I’m still a student, even impossible to have a credit card. In the end, we didn’t buy anything from the village. The lady was disappointed, I can see.

Without paying attention to the time, it was lunchtime again! I was starving and the meal made my day. It was black pork sautéed in spicy sauce. We can eat it with rice or like a bossam (wrapped in a piece of leave). I took my time savoring the meat, it was tender unlike normal pork and there’s no porky smell. Mmm~~~ I also like the sea kelp soup. My sister loves the rice in Korea. She said it wasn’t sticky and it is short grained.

 With lunch done, it was raining really hard again. Our next visit was a Buddhist temple again but since it was raining, we changed it to the famous Teddy Museum (Teseum)! YAY!!! I wanted to visit that place since watching “Princess Hour”. Let’s be buried in cuteness and loads of fun!!! The entry ticket was paid exclusive of the tour since we changed the temple to museum but totally worth it. With each ticket entry, you get a free teddy! The teddy they say, is worth more than the entry ticket. How true? Nobody knows except the employees. Inside, you’ll see all kind of teddy bears in different position, doing different actions and reenacting famous movies and people like Tarzan, Gullivers Travels, The Beatles and others. They even have a series of teddies in Greek Gods series. Have fun!

 In Teseum, you must not miss out the chance to look at the world’s most expensive teddy bear. Behold Hera! Her tiara is made of diamonds and is worth millions. Talk about diamonds are girl’s best friend. And husband Zeus did not gave that to her.

Check out that bling!

I spent a long time in there. The entire bus was waiting for us. Ooops~~ Time really do fly when you’re enjoying yourself. Next up is another museum that promises a blast! The 3D trick art museum, is packed with a hell load of fun. Prepare to release that goofy and silly side of yours. The 4D and 5D exhibition is more expensive so we only went for the free 3D exhibition. I think Teddy Museum and The trick art museum is the most fun I had that day. I did crazy and silly poses that you can never see me do in public. I let loose that day. You had to or else there’s no point. Upon reaching there, we went into the ice sculpture museum. It was freaking cold there, I thought my nose was going to fall off. But the sculptures were amazing.

The point of this museum is to trick the naked eye. It looks really deceiving and I had fun.

Who sees a dragon?

The last destination to finish Jeju tour was to go to the mysterious road. The bus drives up to this hill and I saw a lot of cars in front of us slowly moving forward. I didn’t know what was happening but when the driver stopped at a point, he asked us: “Are we ready?”. We were confused as to what he meant. Then he shut off the engines and guess what? The bus crept up the hill slowly, without any help. Goosebumps out yet? It stopped after a few meters and the bus driver started the bus again and we’re off for dinner. Nobody knows how to explain this strange and creepy phenomenon. It’s like there was a force pushing up the vehicles, not wanting it to be there on their lands. All the vehicles can move on their own! (Screams) Well, it remained to be a tourist attraction.

Dinnertime at 6pm! What’s on the menu? Some black pig pork again, with steamed egg casserole (Gaeranjim), melon stew with pork and bean sprout (oh god!) but good thing there is some golden needle mushrooms (I like!). I stuffed myself like a chipmunk.

After dinner, back to the hotel again to prepare to leave Jeju the next day. I got bored just staying in the hotel again so I took a walk around the hotel. I love to see the fishes and shellfish in the tanks. I stopped in front of a restaurant to watch them prepare one of Korea’s weirdest dish of raw life octopus being chopped up. The tentacles were still squirming and the customers dipped them in sauce and eat it-raw and twitching! Ugh~~~ not for the weak stomach. I wanted to find that stall where I got my Soondae the previous night but we kinda got lost. So we wandered around and found an intriguing find - underground shops. It looks quiet and gloomy at the streets but if you take the stairs down ( Like in the subways) it’ll lead you to the ground full of apparel shops and it is cheaper. It kind of freaks me out to think that on top of me was a road with cars. The shops occupied a whole row/road. I walked the entire row from one end of the road and exited the other end. It’s funny.

Passage to underground shops

When we got out, we found the street but unfortunately, the stall was closed early. I settled for a 24 hours convenient store. It is really convenient. You can make your meals right then in the store with the microwave oven and a hot water dispenser. My stomach wasn’t feeling well and I was having sulphur burps (I hate it very much) so I skipped. Later, back to the hotel and catch some needed sleep. It was a long but enjoyable day. 

My trip to Korea-Soul of Asia (Day 2-Seoul & Jeju)

The thing about waking up and stepping on cold floor really irks me but in Korea, I don’t have to worry about it. The floor is toasty warm. :3 Breakfast was in the hotel where I’m not too surprised to find Kimchi being offered with porridge. For day two, I would be going to Jeju Island in the afternoon so we spend half the day touring Seoul.

First activity for the day was to knock on the doors of Kyongbok Palace. It wasn’t open when we arrived there. So we just stand outside and watch the morning traffic. I was eager to visit this place because it was the place that most of the Korean dramas were filmed including my favourite “Queen In Hyun’s Man”. It is the biggest royal palace built by the most successful dynasty of Joseon. My new tour guide (A Korean) reminded us to stick close to him because we can get lost. He wasn’t joking. The palace has many doors and gates that lead to other buildings in the whole palace. It is a labyrinth in there. 

The walkway leading to the royal court was once only allowed to be walked on by the Emperor himself. No other people can grace this stone path. I can’t really remember what the tour guide said but I remember him bringing us into the royal court to see the dragons engraved on the ceiling of the court.

“An interesting fact: Korean dragons have 7 toes because only China is allowed to have dragons with five toes. Plus, the Emperor of China is the only one that can wear yellow so the Emperor of Korea wears red instead. This shows how influential and powerful China was.”

We proceeded inside the palace to look at the Emperor’s office, chamber(bedroom) and his guard’s chamber. The room of guards surrounds the Emperor’s chamber to protect him. The Empress’s chamber is behind the Emperor’s and no men can enter the place. Behind the Empress’s chamber is a small garden, it used to be pretty and well kept not like the messy state it is in now. The Empress is forbidden to leave the palace grounds so the Emperor had a garden built behind her chamber so she won’t feel bored. But well, to modern day women like us, I can understand why the Empress and consorts tend to have secret lovers and sneaking out of the palace (or is it just in movies?). It must be awfully bored and lonely just staring at a small garden with no one to interact with but servant girls that fear you.

  We finished touring the palace but it’s not the end yet. The palace ground is huge.

They rebuilt the palace after the Japanese took over and destroyed part of the palace. Now there is an extra new wing behind the palace, the National Folk Museum. Inside is a whole exhibition full of Korean cultural display from clothes, historical house, medicines, cutleries, pots, musical instruments, traditional marriages, deaths and other important phase of life. You get the picture. It’s the perfect place to learn about Korean Culture. Everything you need to know is there. I spent too long inside to notice the autumn drizzle outside. I don’t remember the significance of this pagoda in the middle of a pond. It seemed important that the tour guide needed to mentioned it and encourage us to snap some pictures. Probably the Emperor loves to take a break and sip tea there with his Empress and consorts?

The palace ground as I mentioned is so vast and you can see small paths that leads to different parts of the palace. I can imagine the palace guards riding on their horses while patrolling the grounds, or the Crown Prince practicing sword skill and archery in the within the palace. It was nice to let my imagination run wild for a while. That’s the essence of visiting historical places, it gives me such joy. We end the tour of Kyongbok Palace by taking pictures of the Blue house (Looks green to me). It is where the prime minister stays (same function as the White House in USA). We can only see and take pictures but we can’t enter. However we did visited this exhibition centre or the Blue House museum (I think)? I took picture with the prime minister (She’s a lady) or a computer version of her, I can email the picture to my mail but so far I haven’t receive any mail from the “Blue House”.

Visiting the palace and Blue house took so much of our time, that it was lunch time. Let’s try the most classic dish- Bibimbap (Mixed rice). I had bibimbap many times before so I was a bit disappointed that I don’t get to eat bbq pork or beef instead. But we have bbq pork and broth too. The broth was a bit similar to the dinner I had the first night. It was also delicious, nothing can go wrong with meat!! Nothing. So here it is…..

After lunch we visited a more traditional street- Insadong. Less fashion shops and more traditional galleries, shops, tea houses and café. It is an art lover’s retreat because you can find paintings, sculptures and other fine arts being sold. As for me, I prefer to still visit the beauty product shops and souvenir shops. 

 I wanted to walk longer in Insadong but the time allocated to us was short and I was suddenly in need to use the washroom. I really hate my stomach at times, it always choose the wrong time to go wrong. Luckily, Korea public toilets are much clean and convenient to find. Thank the heavens. I thought I was going to die was pain. Again, I missed out on the street food. Then we left for Gimpo airport to board the plane to Jeju. Gimpo airport is a domestic flight airport while Incheon airport is an international airport.

While waiting for the flight to Jeju, my sister thought that the litter bins are cute so she snapped some pictures. It’s in the form of luggage bags. The plane we used to Jeju was Jin Air. Their service as okay, I guess it is Korean policy to smile 24 hours at guest. But the plane taking off and landing was a bit rough. Again, upon landing we had to fight our way to stick in a group because of the sea of China tourist arriving around the same time at Jeju International airport. 

They're litter bins!

Jeju Int' Airport

It was around 7pm when we check into the hotel and were whisk straight into the restaurant for dinner. Jeju was unbelievably hot compared to Seoul weather because they do not have seasons. The tour guide lied! He told us to wear warmly. Liar!!! It felt like home to me but I didn’t like the weather at home so I was actually begging to go back to the chilly air Seoul.

Since Jeju is a hot spot for seafood and famous black pig pork, our first dinner there was seafood stew with a varieties of shellfish and tones of beansprouts. I don’t know what’s the deal between Koreans and bean sprouts, they always have them and it’s not in small quantities (I don’t like bean sprouts) like KimChi to them. The way of eating this stew is to finish all the ingredients in the stew and leaving the broth last, throw in a piece of instant noodles and finish it like that. On the menu was also some mackerel like fish on the house (At least it tasted like mackerel). It was filling.

Seafood stew anyone?

Night came and there was nowhere else to go so we decided to return to the hotel but not before stopping by the convenient store to pick up some snacks. I predicted that I will get hungry soon. Funny thing about my eating schedules in Korea, I get hungry fast. Like I just had dinner at 7pm, I will be hungry before midnight again. Meh~~ My sister developed an obsession for their Banana milk and I don’t blame her, it’s addictive. You can’t get enough from just one bottle per day so we bought some back. We stayed in Jeju Palace Hotel, it’s near the waterfront. After refreshing, we took a walk along the seaside. The night wind was cooler so walking there was relaxing. I see plenty of youths still playing basketballs and cycling, while cute kids with tricycles passed by us with their poor parents chasing after them.

At the end of the path were rows and rows of seafood restaurants with all their fresh live sea catch in aquariums outside the shop. The restaurants were so brightly lit with neon lights that I can see it from a mile away. Some old men were fishing at the rocks, casting their lines in the dark waters with just a tiny LED light attached to the bobber. It’s interesting to see their activities at night. So unlike mine. Then again, their food source are majority from the sea, it is their job and their life. In Jeju, you must try their seafood, it is really as fresh as it looks.

Cool off by taking a walk.

 Some McDonalds ice-cream to gratify my itchy mouth. We saw a street called “Black Pig Street”, it is a small street full of restaurants serving black pig of course. From barbequed to sautéed, all types of black pork were served and you usually drink Soju while eating them. I was tempted to go in and try, I really do but no one wants to eat it with me. How sad~~ I had them the next day anyway. We saw many drunkards walking down the streets. Boy do they really live their life to the fullest. Envy? Not so. I am amazed at how everything is so real as in the movies and dramas. Before that it felt surreal, now it finally hit me. I’m in KOREA!!! Proceeding to another street selling apparels and accessories, I managed to get myself some street food!

Do you fancy some blood sausage and liver?

 Soondae is pork blood sausage and it is stuffed with noodles and rice mixed with pork blood, served with a side of pork liver and pickled radish. I like it although it can sound disgusting to some like my sis who refuses to eat more than two. I had to finish the whole thing- not that I mind. :D After that, retire for the night.

My trip to Korea-Soul of Asia (Day 1-Seoul)

Annyeonghaseyo from Korea. It has been a wonderful week for me because I just came back from Korea, a place which I always dreamt of going.Well, my dream has came true thanks to my parents. I really don’t know how to repay them with enough love and dedication. It was cute how they tried to hide it from me in case I got too excited that I can’t fall asleep. They are right, I did stay wide awake. Who wouldn’t? It’s like accepting an award for an outstanding performance, although I have no idea as to what I did to accept it. Okay, I do. It’s sort of like a present for my sister’s graduation and I was just happen to be there. It was an amazing experience for me and I enjoyed every minute of my 9 days stay in Seoul and Jeju Island. We took a tour package of course, since it was my first time there. We were suppose to meet another group in Seoul and we will go on this tour together. But until then, it is just me, my sis and my lonely tour guide. She’s a lovely lady.

I remember taking the 6 hours trip to Incheon Airport and boy was it torturing. I can’t sleep at all. I saw how some people can just sleep in any position in that hard seat, I envy them-A Lot. It was night time when I board the train, so I had a supper of croissant with wine, in hope that the alcohol and help me sleep. But NO, I still can’t sleep. I can’t exactly roll in the seat so I flipped here and there the whole trip. I hadn’t even managed to catch a wink when breakfast is served, at 4AM mind you! Then I gave up on the prospect of ever getting sleep. So yeah, I stayed awake for more than 12 hours if you count in the hours after my last sleep.

Day 1

I arrived at Incheon Airport around 7am. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of any Korean celebrities but meh, I didn’t see any. My sister for some reason was really grumpy, complaining about everything I do. I let my tour guide do her stuff- getting us transport and figuring out what and how to get to the city. The air was cool and I couldn’t be more grateful after being cramped in the airplane for such a long time. If my memory serves me correctly, it was 16˚C. Just good enough. At first we had problems finding the right airport bus to get to the city but after asking around we managed to get the right one. The staff’s managing the buses are kind enough to point out which place are we suppose to stop and haul our bags into the bus. I was pretty much knocked out for the entire journey in the bus. The journey to the city takes nearly an hour I guess. It was much more comfortable than the plane-smooth running engine so there’s not much noise, spacious seat and not bumpy road. It’s a haven for someone who’s deprived of sleep like me. The public transportation in Korea is so convenient and I find it impressive. The shuttle bus reports every station that they are approaching in 4 different languages- Korean, Japanese, English and Mandarin. The bus stops are build in the middle of the road and they have an entire map or route (in English) that each bus would take. So you can pretty much go anywhere easily. Unfortunately for us, we missed our stop but the kind driver made a round turn after dropping the last of the passengers. We still got off the wrong stop anyway. I was already so dead tired and I had to pull my luggage bags around streets to find the hotel. In the end, we took the taxi.

Under the maple tree~

Just one of the many coffee shops in the area.

I thought we could check into the hotel right away and I can finally catch some sleep but the hotel was full until after noon. I almost burst into tears. Reluctantly, we kept our bags in the storage area and went out for lunch. We didn’t know where to go since we’re all new (including my tour guide). It was pretty busy during afternoons, we sat under maple trees and just enjoy the breeze. It is just the beginning of Autumn, the tree’s were just turning a little red. I was a little disappointed actually because I was hoping to see the leaves fall in flames of red like in the Korean dramas. Then I can pretend to run along the trees playing peekaboo with God knows who. First thing I noticed about Korea? There’s a lot of Hyundai Sonata. Since Hyundai is their major automobile contributor so I don’t find it that astonishing, it just surprising how it’s all Sonata model. Moving on, I like their attitude towards others. I remembered a shop keeper bowing to me. It feels awkward but then again, it is their culture, so I bowed back. Then there’s a lot of small café’s and coffee shop. Looks like Korean’s can do without coffee. They like to just sit of the tables outside, sipping coffee and watching the world go by.

Feeling a little hungry later on, we went into a cozy little café named “Café Mum and Brunch”. The chef/owner is a really cute American raised Korean guy, I don’t know his name but he was lovely towards us. Of course I can’t miss this chance to promote to us his all organic and healthy cakes, pies, jam and juices. He’s a friendly guy, kept us occupied while he prepared the meal. I had pancakes and a blueberry smoothie; he even gave us banana jam on bread on the house. It was a lovely meal, until I paid the bills. Let’s just say I didn’t expect that amount but then again, he loves to emphasize on how it’s organic and free from magic powders (you get what I mean). Anyway, I promised him I’ll promote his shop.

 After lunch, I could finally check into the hotel. FINALLY! I can hear my head screaming for a good rest. But first thing to do when entering a hotel room is to of course, check out the room. It’s not exactly a hotel, the name is QV residence and the setting of the room is really like an apartment equipped fully with washing machine, stove, dresser and huge fridge. It even has a second floor for such a tiny apartment. The second floor is probably where some people lay out the futon and sleep on the floor, since the floor is installed with a heater. No cold feet! Yay. I love the automatic locks on the door, it’s so convenient for lazy people like me who leaves the door open after I enter. It also has intercom systems just like a modern higher end apartment. Apparently a lot of the apartments in Korea are like this. I’m loving it even more. A quick shower and then I went to take a long nap. In the evening, we met up with the main group for dinner. First dinner in Seoul was some barbecued pork belly and squid in some broth-I have no idea what it’s called. It was delicious plus you get unlimited refill for the side dishes. Yay for more Kimchi!! Oh by the way, their bean sprout is huge.

First activity after dinner was sightseeing in Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon stream next to Dongdaemun. It is a stream in the city itself, the water is clear and even walking along it feels really fresh. There are many people sitting near the stream just talking after a hard day’s work. At night, it is illuminated by lights. A nice place to take a break with nature while in the city.

Dongdaemun is one of the tourist areas, it is the biggest fashion town in Jung Gu. The roads are just filled with tourist buses and cars stuck in the after work traffic. Instead buying clothes and shoes, I indulged in buying beauty product from Korea. It is dirt cheap compared to the price I get in my country. Tony Moly, Etude House, Skin food, Face shop, Nature Republic, Missha etc you name it. All the beauty product are offered at a cheap price and they give freebies after purchase. Double hooray…. After buying all the stuff, I took to the streets which are also filled with tourist, mainly from China. I can see some street food that I was dying to try but then my dinner still wouldn’t digest so I just watched. How sad~~~

Since it was getting late and there is nowhere left to go, we went back to the hotel. On the way, we saw Namdaemun (aka Great Southern Gates), which is one of the fortress walls that protected the city during the Joseon Dynasty. A nasty fire set by a crazy man 5 years ago razed the building and it took the government $23 million to rebuild their precious national treasure. Now, you can see the walls, restored to its former glory. It’s even more beautiful during the night. It’s a shame we didn’t stop by to take a good picture.

Back to the hotel, splayed out my goodies and marvel at it. Lol~  just kidding, I slept like the dead but not before browsing through the numerous channels they have. I don’t understand what they are talking about but I can still watch.

Definition of a successful marriage: Sean and Jung Hye Young

     I have shown my concern regarding marriages nowadays because people don't seems to take importance in it. One silly conflict and they'll be up to the judges neck about a divorce. Therefore, there aren't much quality marriages these days. Young people are taking marriages for granted.
     I really admire married couple that manages to love each other everyday and take marriage as a sacred union. One that requires full commitment and responsibilities. In Hollywood, there's not much i can look up to. I heard that the Eastern culture are now overtaking the West in terms of divorce rate, i'm not sure how true is that. I think that Asian's are bound to cultures and traditions, so I don't think they are likely to take marriage as a joke. 

     That aside. I see some good examples of a successful marriage in some korean couples. I'm not saying all Korean are good partner material. It's just that I observed this particular couple and I admire their spirit. Yes, as the title suggested. It's Sean and Jung Hye Young. They are perfect as husband and wife. Harmoniously working together like a team to bring up their four children and still manages to do so much for charity. 9 years of marriage and still going strong, I say that's really impressive especially with 4 small kids on tow. If you don't call this a successful family then I don't know what is. If only the people nowadays still practice habits like this, divorces wouldn't be a global issue. <le sigh>

They look sweet don't they?

     But of course there is many other blissful marriages in the world but i chose this as an example because they just shine, through the works they are doing. Occasionally we will hear love stories about old couple that has been married for 50-60 years and still love each other very much and would die together too, well, that is a successful marriage too. If a husband and wife can be loving, committed and responsible in a marriage, the family they brought up are also successful.
    I consider Hollywood couple to be a bit unpredictable, they can look so happy one minute then divorce the next. Take for example Seal and Heidi Klum. I thought that is one couple that can last forever, then they disappoint me. I don't really know if it's because of media exposure or the desire to hog the limelight that caused a lot of Hollywood stars to get married hastily and divorce within a few months. The most horrible example is Kim K. I really hate her, not just her whiny attitude but she's vain. And an attention seeker.
     I think Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale is going pretty steady too. So hope they stay that way. As for korean celebrities, here are a few that looks promising. (Sean and Hye Young included) At least, i would say that, at least they don't really let the media influence their marriage, which i think are what mostly caused a marriage failure in Hollywood.
http://www.soompi.com/2013/02/14/happy-valentines-day-soompiers-top-10-married-celebrity-couples/

Personal opinion on Kara- Ji Young & Hara Controversy

     A recent hot topic in K-pop world revolves around what happened during the show "Radio Star" between two of Kara's members- Ji Young and Hara.
     As of what happen? I don't wanna mention, read it for yourself at
http://www.soompi.com/2013/09/05/karas-goo-hara-and-kang-ji-young-shed-tears-during-radio-star/
http://www.soompi.com/2013/09/06/karas-han-seung-yeon-and-mc-yoon-jong-shin-apologize-for-kara-and-radio-star-controversy/

     Reading all the comments of netizen bring me such satisfaction to know that at least people has the eyes and the brain to judge the situation without being blindly biased because of the girls. Don't get me wrong, i don't hate the group. In fact I like Nicole and Gyuri because they are such down to earth and modest people as i observed during shows. Seung Yeon I'm not sure but at least she's being smart when it comes to acting in public. As celebs, I agree that they should at least watch their attitude. 

Yes, that is a bottle Hara threw at him

     I don't hate Kara but I DON'T like Hara and Ji Young even before this controversy. For one, I could see that they are diva's and seriously, i think they are being brats most of the time. Other than faking their "nice attitude" during shows, the way these two speaks does sounds rude too.
     I agree with netizen on the way they react during the show. They are being childish and diva like. There should be a way to deal with the so called "Evil-prince" or host with a sarcastic mouth in a more professional way. They should know better than to throw an object at the host in a hissy fit. Even if the person is being too nosy for comfort, you could have counter it by telling them honestly and firm that the topic is close. AND it just ridicules me that Ji Young dares to cry because she is forced to do "Aegyo" which she does it so often its beginning to be a routine. She could have done a half hearted one and everything would be fine. Plus, it is absurd at how the other member, Seung Yeon is the one who apologize for their behavior instead of the crying brats that stole the show. Cry babies!
     They have been in reality show for so long, they should see this coming and deal with it like an adult. So what if people call you a "Relationship" idol? Dating isn't wrong. Look at Taylor Swift, and she's doing it with grace. Dating is a way to find the right person for you, its not wrong if your intention is right. Unless Hara has something to feel guilty at. I am really speechless about Ji Young crying over things like that, it's not like people are insulting you. 
     Yes, the host went overboard and they would be scorned by die hard fans of Kara. So? They were warned about the possibilities. The least they can do is be prepared. As some people say, being one of the top stars does spoil you. I quote someone who said about the girls "being held in a high position for so long it is turning them into diva's". Can't be more true.
     Overall, I am totally appalled at Ji Young and Hara's behavior. They manage to damage their reputation instead of promoting their new song "Damaged Lady". Well done I say, they really did tainted their image. I am just sad that Nicole and Gyuri (and seung yeon too) also get dragged into this mess because of two immature brats.
     The show producers try to make the entire conversation during the show look like they are jokingly squabbling with each other but everyone with eyes can see that there is tension during the entire show. Poor JYP chose the wrong time to be on that show cuz the attention isn't at all on him.