Korea series: Food Trip

It felt that this particular trip had been a blur. Looking back, my sister and I had rare sit down dinners in Seoul. It is also our fault that every time we see something interesting we stop and look. Most of the time we ended up snacking. When its time for a proper meal, we are not in the mood and sit down for another bout of bottomless meal. I kid you not.

To get an idea of how a typical restaurant meal, it starts with a ban-chan. It is a small side servings, a bit more hearty than an appetizer. It really depends how generous the host gives you but it typically has a side of kimchi and other spicy and fermented greens. Often times, these sides do complement with the meal you have ordered.

This was our first sit down meal since we landed in Seoul. We found this place about walking distance from the Main Palace. This is what I consider as a generous portion since they gave us a fish side dish. The lady that served us our meal came up and try to make pleasant conversation. We didn't understand what she said but we understood that she is telling us to try the fish. She sounded like a typical Grandma asking us to give it a try. I indulged her by picking a piece with a chop stick and tasted it. I nodded in agreement. She seemed to be satisfied and left us to enjoy our meal.

This is from a restaurant in the Myeongdong area. We met up with someone my sister knew from college. He treated us to this nice meal. It is also refreshing to have someone translate and order for us. This time they gave us a side of boiled egg and tofu. The photo below is our main meal, a seafood stew.

Among generous hosts there also stringent ones like this noodle place in the middle of Insadong. The clam soup is nothing to write home about so is the small portion of kimchi. And no, they didn't do any refill.

Street food finds...

We don't have any expectations but those are very tasty barbecue. They grill the meat then broil it for a few minutes then grill it back again putting that heavenly sauce. The meat had a soft texture and added with the sweet sauce, just perfect. We like it a lot that we ended coming for seconds. It is cheap too.

They make hotdogs that are coated in dough. It did look popular with the locals. We pass on this one since there are other options.

Looks like a sweet pancake. We passed on this one too.

 Another hotdog concoction.

Dried squid. I was surprised that they make it sweet unlike the Japanese salty version.

I think this is something of a spam like meat. I passed on this one.

Sugar coated sweet potato. I give this stand high marks for presentation. I noticed this cart right away. I passed on this one too. We are getting too full from sampling other foods.

This is a typical street food cart in Seoul. It has fried foods in front of anything tempura. The one in the middle are rice rolls soaked in (very) spicy chili sauce. It is so spicy that we didn't get far from one sample bite. I might have drank a gallon of water after. I draw my limitations from here.

The last but not the least, our favorite street food. It is corn bread with eggs benedict on top. A whole meal in one. We always stop and eat one whenever we pass a vendor selling it. The photo below was the first time we tried it. They smell so good too!

Hope this made you hungry as I was writing this post. I still have a couple more entries coming on the Korea series. It turns out I have a couple incoming post. Stay tuned.

Grandparents Day

A snippet of Madison's art skills. And Grandpa has hair! Haha.



My A to Z travels: The Restless New Yorker

My first ever guest post from my cousin Kristine. I would find it interesting to see her response to the A to Z travel questionnaire. She has been consistently travelling to various exotic locales these past few years. Every time she posts her travel photos, it makes me want to go there. I won't be surprised if she decides to take a year off to roam around the world.

Age you went on your first international trip.I left for a month-long study abroad trip to Argentina in December 2003, about a week after turning 21. It was my first international trip by myself, not knowing anyone else in the program. I've been hooked ever since. 
 
Best foreign beer you had and where.
I'm not much of a beer connoisseur, but my favorite beer-related memory has to be in Sapa, Vietnam. Exhausted after trekking all day in the heat through the rice terraces, we were surprised to find a river just a few meters from our homestay. We jumped in, bringing our beer with us to a big rock in the middle of the river. So awesome.

 

Cuisine (favorite)
Vietnamese. To me, no other cuisine can match it freshness and variety of flavors. And I love how the street food culture is so strong that fast food chains have never caught on. 

 Destination (favorite, least favorite) and why.

My favorite area of the world is probably Southeast Asia, for the food, the beaches, the sites and the friendly people. Even bargaining with vendors is a pleasant experience. Also, I go to Miami every year, because it's such a fun, easy and cheap weekend trip.
 
I haven't been anywhere that I disliked enough to vow never to return, but my least favorite is Montego Bay, Jamaica. We couldn't walk one block without being harassed by really pushy people trying to sell us beer, weed or trinkets. They wouldn't take no for an answer and if you tried to ignore them, they would get really insulted.

 
Event you experienced abroad that made you say "wow".
In the Serengeti in Tanzania, coming across lions hunting down and subsequently tearing apart a gazelle. Amazing!

 Favorite mode of transportation.
The train, hands down. I've taken all sorts of trains, from the local metros to super high speed trains to rickety overnight sleepers, in Europe, Brazil, Morocco, Thailand, India, Peru, China, Vietnam and Egypt. They have wildly varied in speed, cleanliness and services, and I enjoyed each one. I wish the US was less car centric and had more long distance train routes.

 
Greatest feeling when traveling.
Knowing that you have x number of days ahead of you to do nothing but explore and see, do and eat something new.


Hottest place you've travelled to.
Jordan in July, hiking through Petra in 100+ degree weather under the noon sun with no shade.
 
Incredible service you've experience and where:
At the Old Cataract Hotel, a former presidents' palace overlooking the Nile in Luxor, Egypt. I went in for a drink and just to see the grounds, and I must have had five or six people serve me, from the guys opening the door to the guy taking me to my table, to the bartender, the waiter, etc. I actually found it way over the top, and I felt uncomfortable sitting there, drinking a cocktail that cost more than what all my servers made all day.

 Journey that took the longest 
It took about 40 hours door to door to get from my hotel in Zanzibar back to my apartment in New York. My itinerary involved three different airlines, going from Zanzibar to Nairobi to Paris to New York. I had a 7.5 hour layover in Paris during the day, so I capitalized on it and took the metro to see the Eiffel Tower, walk along the Seine and pick up brunch at a local patisserie before boarding my next flight. When I finally got to JFK, I was pleasantly surprised that my bag, with its handwritten luggage tag (in pencil!) made it through the long journey.

Keepsake from your travels.
Thousands of photos. And a few new friends from around the world.


Let down site and where
Chichen Itza. The pyramid looked bigger and more impressive in the photos. The vendors on the grounds of the ruins yelling out to the tourists to try to sell their junk took away from the "sacredness" of the place. The 4-hour bus ride to get there didn't help, either.

Moment where you fell in love with travel
I remember flipping through National Geographics when I was kid, thinking how lucky those photographers must be to see all those places. I never thought that I would have the opportunity to do so myself.

Nicest hotel you've stayed in.
I've stayed in a few nice hotels (mostly for work), and I've found them to be generic and never worth the money. One of my favorite places that I've ever stayed is the Posada Amazonas Lodge in the Peruvian Amazon. The lodge is literally in the middle of the jungle, with all rooms without walls, completely open to the wilderness. There's no electricity, and there's a beautiful bathroom in each room but no hot water. With no "amenities," there's nothing to do but take guided walks through the jungle, lounge in the hammocks, chat with guides and other travelers and occasionally discover fuzzy, feathery or scaly visitors on the lodge grounds.

 Obsession. What are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?
Food, markets and trains.

Passport Stamps. How many and where?
I haven't counted, but enough to get additional passport pages and fill them up.

 
Quirkiest attraction you've visited and where.
Probably the "World Erotic Art Museum" in South Beach, Miami. It's a whole gallery floor full of naughty images, sculptures, toys, etc. from around the world, all collected by one little old lady.


Recommended site and where.
Anywhere that seems interesting to you, especially if it seems like a "once in a lifetime" trips. I think a lot of people put them off, because they seem to daunting to plan, too far away or too expensive, but a lot of countries are surprisingly accessible.

 
Splurge. Something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling.
Trying anything new, like hot air balloon rides in Jordan and Egypt, paragliding in Nepal, hanggliding in Hawaii, scuba diving in Mexico. Also, airfare, especially long leg direct direct flights...so worth it.

 
Touristy thing you've done.
Lots of stuff, maybe the most touristy of which was a luau in Oahu. And a gondola ride in Venice.

Unforgettable travel memory.
Too many to count. 
 
Visa. How many for where.
From memory... Brazil, Cambodia, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Nepal, Jordan, China, Vietnam and Egypt. About $600 total and totally worth it, although I think it's silly that there are any fees at all for <30 day tourist visas.

 
Wine, best glass while travelling and where.
Best red was in Argentina. It was literally cheaper than water and was usually accompanied by an amazing, medium rare steak. Best white was in Montepulciano in Tuscany.  

 
eXellent view and from where.
Watching the Hana coast from a rented convertible in Maui, the Nile from a felucca in Luxor, Tuscan vineyards from atop an old castle in Poppiano, the peak of Everest from a prop plane, the sun rising over the dunes of the Sahara.

 
Years spent travelling
I haven't taken off a year to travel (yet).

Zealous sports fan and where.
Not much of a sports fan, but I got to watch a soccer/football game in Argentina. The stories are all true - the security checks, the barbed wire fences between each opposing team's cheering section, the armed police. No riots that night though, luckily.


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Thanks Tin. I hope you find time to update your blog so we could follow you on your travels.

Listen to your heart

I usually point a song with stages in my life. This song first came out when I was in high school with a gorgeous boyfriend. Now that it had a remake, does it mean that I am old. Just saying.

Korea series: Random Notes

I had accumulated a handful of random photos that are too short for a single post. I thought to share you some random quips and photos that were taken from the trip.

I am not shy of admitting that I am a huge fan of Korean pop culture. I also scare myself knowing that I recognized all the celebrities on this billboard. I might not know all their names but I have seen them on television dramas. My favorite is the guy with the ugly tie. He is currently away on mandatory military service.

Those cloth wraps are common to handover as gift and often contains home made food.

One thing I notice about in Seoul is that packaging is everything. We ordered dumplings for take out and they pack those neat dumplings in a nice box and gave a fancy shopping bag to go with it.

We saw these guys in Myeongdong. My sister Vicky got a little curious.

Vicky: What are the free hugs for?
Dude:  To spread the love.
Vicky: Ok. Peace out!

  
This traditional house is taken in Bukchon Village where it used to be the home of high ranking government officials during the Joseon era. Although now it is privately owned, it is still interesting to see these cluster of houses in the middle of high rise buildings in the area.

We are now in the bus on the suburban area about one hour away from Seoul. The screen above was the list of stops on the bus route. It takes out the guessing game of how many stops to your destination. Take notes New Jersey Transit!

Taken outside while walking outside the Coex Mall. My maps says that we are in the Gangnam vicinity which is an equivalent of a Downtown Business District. I was wondering if that building on the foreground looks fancy on the outside how does it look like on the inside.

This was the entrance of another Buddhist temple in Seoul. Oddly situated in front of the Coex Mall, one of the biggest underground mall in the city. Don't you just love that contrast? It is also situated on a busy downtown area where you see locals in business suits stopping by before they head home.

The best mochi. Ever. And I really mean it. These were premium ice cream mochi that we tried in Shinsegae department store. It costs about $2 each and worth every penny. It is really different from the ones we get from the supermarket. It is more flavorful and it has that crunch in the middle. It didn't hurt that there are a lot of flavors to choose from. Too bad we tried these on our last day in the city. Amazingly, we still talk about eating these every now and then.

We are on the airport heading back home. We have to stop and listen to the sopranos. They are amazing. You got to love Incheon Airport.


The Korea series will be wrapping up soon. Till then.

My A to Z travel

This list seem like questions you get on a job interview. I know, it is designed to get to know you better. But just like the job interview, you want to make the best of it. So here we go:

Age you went on your first international trip.

I started travelling by myself after college and my first destination was to visit my college friend in Toronto, Canada. It was the first time I fell in love with a city. I love that you could get anywhere with public transportation. Food is cheap. It had the best Chinatown where I had my first taste of bubble tea.


Best foreign beer you had and where.

Hands down on the beer hall in Munich, Germany. I ordered the large mug of light beer. There was a refreshing taste that I can't shake it in my memory. The beer wasn't bitter and best paired off with grilled chicken and scalloped potatoes. The cranky butch looking bar maid adds to the charm.

Prost!

Cuisine (favorite)

I am always partial to my comfort foods. It has to be something simple and easy like the lunch plates they serve in Hawaii. To me it is the best food to have when you picnic by the beach.

Corn beef hash with rice and eggs + homemade salsa = yummy!

Destination (favorite, least favorite) and why.

My favorite destination has always been Las Vegas, Nevada. We even decided to have our destination wedding there. And no, it wasn't a drive thru wedding.

I haven't found a least favorite yet. So far all the places I have been are all memorable to me. I haven't encountered a place and vowed not to step on it again.

Event you experienced abroad that made you say "wow".

We were on a road trip with Contiki tour and our stop on that particular day was in Rome. The guide mentioned that there is a possible Papal audience at the Vatican if we are interested. There is no way we would pass this opportunity. It was easy to get a pass if you know where to get it. In our case, we asked a Papal guard (those on yellow and purple uniforms) and he told us to follow and handed over 2 tickets to the viewing.

Favorite mode of transportation.

The train. We had the opportunity to back pack our way around Europe and we only relied on our Eurail pass to get around. There is something relaxing around train travel and Europeans seem to perfect this mode of travel. Also the best thing about it is the main train station is always located in the town center. The photo below on the AVE train heading for Seville.

Greatest feeling when traveling.

It should be the anticipation to getting from point A to point B. And the feeling of going back home knowing you have found something marvelous that you want to share it to the world.

Hottest place you've travelled to.

Las Vegas in the middle of summer. Temperature reads at an average of 115 degrees F. Way too hot for me.

Incredible service you've experience and where:

I would say Seoul, South Korea. I love the way they serve you at restaurants where they cut your meat in front of you. Great thing about it is that you don't have to worry about tipping. Eating out is such a joy there and definitely worry free.

Journey that took the longest

The journey from North America to Asia is always the longest for me. I am not sure if it is the long haul plane ride or the anticipation. Or the jet lag. Maybe all of the above.

Keepsake from your travels.

I usually take a lot of photos but hubby like a more tangible souvenir like a small replica of the Chichen Itza or the Eiffel tower. They are all displayed on our living room.

Let down site and where

For me that might be Nice, France. The water is gorgeous but the beach is full of small pebbles. You could not even sit on it comfortably with just a towel. One thing that bothered me while walking through the small streets were dog poop everywhere. The French Riviera seem over hyped.

Moment where you fell in love with travel

Growing up I always knew I want to explore the world. It is just a matter of when will it happen.

Nicest hotel you've stayed in.

We are such frugal travelers which meant that we usually don't fork out a lot of money when it comes to accommodation. We make it up on having a time share unit that we can use around the country. My favorite was the penthouse unit in the middle of Waikiki that accommodated the rest of my family comfortably.

Obsession. What are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?

Ever since I started a blog that I became obsessed with taking photos of everything. Food photos should be way up there on that list.

Passport Stamps. How many and where?

I recently changed passports since I have to change my name. I only have 2 stamps from trips to Seoul and Cancun.

Quirkiest attraction you've visited and where.

It should be the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas. It was an out of the way attraction from the Las Vegas strip but it was the quirkiest at best. Too bad it closed down early last year. The photo below is one of the usual costumes that Liberace wears on his performances.

Recommended site and where.

The top of my list is New York City. It has everything for everyone. You won't get bored.

Splurge. Something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling.

We always have a budget when traveling but we usually fork out money on great food.

Touristy thing you've done.

We love getting on the hop on hop off city bus tour. You could easily get a lot of coverage for such a short time. The photo below is the Seoul City Tour. Its the cheapest and the best way to see historical sites in Seoul.

Unforgettable travel memory.

The week long Contiki road trip in Europe. We all started traveling in the bus not knowing anybody but by the end of the trip we seem to be good old friends. It was nice drinking and chatting with folks from the different side of the world. I surely love hearing their accents. The photo was taken on the last night of drinks in an Irish Pub in Paris. The couple on our left was a couple from New Zealand and on the right were college students in England but originally from Hong Kong and Malaysia.

Visa. How many for where.

I try to shy away from countries that require to pay for visas. It adds up to the travel expenses.

Wine, best glass while travelling and where.

I don't know much about wines but I remember drinking a lot of great house wines in Tuscany and Paris.

eXellent view and from where.

The recent one in memory was the view from Namsan Tower in Seoul. The photo below was taken from the tower. I am was hoping that it was a clear day to get a glimpse of Manila. I guess I wasn't that lucky.

Years spent travelling.

I haven't travelled in long hauls but I try to get away at least once a year. Sometime in the future, it would be a dream if hubby and I could explore the world together. I am hoping that by that time I could still walk without a cane. You have to dream somehow.

Zealous sports fan and where.

We try to watch a baseball game when in town. My favorite was the game in Houston where folks are really serious about their baseball.


My pick on other bloggers to pass on are my favorite blogs that I follow:

• Daphne -  http://daphne.ph/
• beyond toxicity - http://docgelo.wordpress.com/
• Reg's Blog - http://rscheng.blogspot.com/

I can't wait to read on your A to Z travels!

Wordless Sunday

Our house is still a cluttered mess. The Christmas tree hasn't been put away. Boxes are everywhere.
I need an inspiration.

source: jeanniejeannie

Korea series: Insadong

We woke up listening to a local news channel and heard that the Vietnam president is in town for a state visit. He was there for a proposed joint venture project with the South Koreans. Ho hum.

We got out of the subway in Insadong and the first thing we noticed was a motorcade with a limo in front with Vietnam and South Korean flags. Walking through the shops we saw a bunch of people staring at a small shop. We saw folks in suit with an earpiece and they look so serious. They finally started to move along and we saw a group of well dressed women shopping.It is expected that Insadong has been the first place to visit on most foreign dignitaries.

Insadong is the main art and antique district in Seoul. It used to be the a wealthy district during the Joseon era till the Japanese occupation. Wealthy residents were forced to sell their belongings and hence the district became an antiques alley.

This is the most touristy area in Seoul. The street are lined with galleries and souvenir shops. On the weekends, they close the street to give way to pedestrians and some street performers.

This shop only sells paint brushes of all kinds.

I still could remember the smell wafting from those dried goods. It was said that those are the same items the monks used on cooking Buddhist temple fares.

There is a long line for these pancakes. You could see those are made fresh on site. The lady said it has crushed peanuts and sugar. It was made too sweet for my taste but I like that the dough was chewy and crunchy on the ends.

My sister went in for seconds.

An open mini-mall called Ssamziegil (pronounced sam-see-gil). It has cute boutiques where you could find unique items. It is a bit pricey for me but I cave in when I bought my personal stamper.

Inside Ssamziegil. The top floor has nice coffee shops.

Tucked into a side of Ssamziegil are an alleyway of traditional Korean restaurants. Our guidebook mentioned that this is the place to get our favorite Korean fare, the seafood pancakes.

We got our usual ban-chan. I couldn't get enough kimchi here. I like how they make it on the salty side and not too spicy. It's just about right.

The Seafood Pancake. This food is usually associated with drinking the local drink called soju. Our server was surprised we didn't order any liquor. It was so good, very nice and crunchy.

We continue walking after eating all that food.

The guidebook mentioned that Insadong is unique that is the only neighborhood that requires its stores to have  their signage with hangul characters. This is the reason that we have a hard time trying to find a restaurant since we can't read the names. Good thing the street names are in English.

Can you spell Starbucks?

So far, this has been my favorite place in Seoul. Sure its touristy but I would like to know this place more intimately and explore its small alleys. We went up to a couple of small galleries. My sister was even tempted to buy a painting but balked at a $5k price tag. Oh well. If there is a chance I could come back to Seoul, Insadong will definitely be my first stop.

I am wrapping up my Korea series with about 2 more posting on the pipeline. It is a weird feeling similar to the sadness that I felt knowing that I only have 2 more days before I head back home. Conflicting emotions indeed.