Land of the Morning Calm

5 days in Seoul and there was no snow fall...how disappointing. The weather was very cold with temperatures below - 0 to 4 degree celsius daily. Our tour group consisted of 19 people + George (tour guide from M'sia) + Bob Lee (tour guide from Korea...very funny chap) + Philip (the photographer).

We landed in Incheon Airport at 7am. Bob and Philip were already there to meet us. As usual, being Malaysians, we were the last group to walk out of the arrival hall cos we were changing into our thermal wears to brave the cold winter weather outside.

Our itinerary covers MBC Studio, Nami Island, Mt. Sorak, Phoenix Park, Everland + Seoul City.

I like Seoul. I like Korean food too. There are just so many varieties; kimchi, seaweed, dalkabi, BBQ beef..just to name a few. I can't recall all the name of korean dishes I had. I noticed that korean restaurants/shops are very generous in re-filling the dishes. There's ample helpings...more like eat all we can. Kimchi is a big part of korean meals. Kimchi is basically spicy fermented vegetables, namely cabbages. Koreans eat kimchi for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Seoul is like food heaven, IMO. Everywhere in Seoul, there are street carts selling snacks. I couldn't believe my eyes at the amount of snacks available...so colorful and so tempting. KL street food is nothing compared to Seoul. If I have another day in Seoul, I would spend it sampling all the street food there. However, the snacks are not that cheap...from my observation, the food usually starts from 10,000 Won, equivalent of RM4. One jagung cost 20,000 Won....that's RM8. Do you know how many jagungs you can eat for RM8 in M'sia?

Shopping in Korea isn't exactly cheap either. But I'm amazed at the vast shopping areas such as Dongdaemun, Namdaemun and Myeondong..the 3 areas that I had an opportunity to visit.

Dongdaemun is a wholesale market which comprised of retail shops and wholesale shops. It's a huge area with many shopping outlets such as Doota, Migliore, Hello apM, Gwanghee, etc etc. It sorta reminded me of Bukit Bintang areas. There are thousands of shops inside one shopping plaza. Outside there are even more stores selling goods from ladies fashion, bags, sporting items, etc. There are also many small stalls selling good at dirt cheap prices, though no guarantee on quality. Shops open from 10am - 5am the next day.

Namdaemun and Myeondong are just opposite each other. Both are very Petaling Street like. The fashion here is also more aunty like too, compared to Dongdaemun. Quality is not a guarantee; although Myeondong is more trustable than Namdaemun. As Bob said...buy today, tomorrow can use as duster. These areas are extremely crowded with people looking for a good bargain. This is where negotiation skills come in. One important basic korean phrase tourist must know.."ulma ye yo"...ie. how much?.

Insadong is another shopping area filled with art galleries and antique shops. The streets are also very antique-ing like. The atmosphere here is more relaxed. There are plenty of crafts and souvenirs to see in this area.

One thing about Korea is that their people are disciplined. Koreans abide by the laws. There is no such "tidak apa" attitude that M'sians are very famous for. Their streets are clean, their signboards are not hidden by trees, their roads are not filled with potholes at every few meters, everything are so organised...and most importantly, their public toilets are better, cleaner and usable. They even provide toilet papers.

That is why I like Korea.