traditional korean village

i am originally scheduled to fly home early saturday morning. that was the best schedule with the airline that we used. the next one na is by late night and arrives manila by midnight. i hate flying at night… mas nakaka stress! at first i’m set on the schedule. then… nakipag dinner nga ako sa mga friends wednesday night and suddenly i felt the urge to stay longer. naman, andito na ko eh alangan naman hindi ako mag site seeing??? so my friends adopted me for one day and i slept in their condo (thank you kay!) — i had my flight re-booked and we planned for the itinerary for saturday.

so armed with my beloved camera, we went to the traditional korean village. para syang nayong filipino. the park showcases :

traditional houses

antiques

dioramas of the traditional korean way of life

a cultural show - this one they did a folk dance

korean crafts

artists in action

there a lot of activities for children (and children at heart like us!) as well :

mascots for photo shoots

various games

flag making

traditional games -- seesaw ata to na patayo

madaming pang features ang park like a mini museum, displays of their flag’s evolution, historical trivias…

at ang aking favorite attraction — trying on their traditional costume! for krw1000 only – feeling korean princess ka na love it!

with lovely girls -- kay and sheryl

loving it kahit super init

they were the ones who convinced me to try it!

it was soooo hot when we got to the park. i felt like made-dehydrate ako after one hour na puro pawis. but it was worth it – i took lots of good pictures

dining in seoul

so these are what i enjoyed most in seoul…

galbisal

good beef cooked straight from the hot coals…

these are really hot...

this meal was with office mates in a really nice restaurant — hindi ko kasi mabasa ang signage kaya “that korean restaurant” nalang

i spent one night dining with friends from previous work as well (like the last time), and i requested we go to the same place we were then. i think this restaurant is pretty famous because they are often full of people and bursting with energy.

we had pork belly cooked in a hot grill – they call this samgyeopsal…

hot plate is tilted para ma-drain ang oil...

pork is cooked depending on how you like it, then they are cut into small manageable pieces… then, you wrap them in fresh lettuce with onion, you add bean paste, garlic and other vegetables they serve you. sarap! then you eat with rice too

chili coleslaw

pickled radish

lettuce and chili served generously

bean paste, chili sauce and garlic...

malapit na maluto...

and of course tofu and kimchi!

yup yup… they serve a lot of side dishes as you can see. sabi ng co-league ko who is korean, because they know too much meat is not good for the body so they tend to eat a lot of vegetables too, to balance them out. nice… kaya pala ang papayat ng mga girls dun.

one thing i really, really love about seoul is the food and how locals dine. very down to earth (so ang ka-artehan ko, tinabi ko muna) – shoes off… you cook your own food… you use your bare hands…

our table

the way to eat in seoul

food are served in common plates for everyone to share… you dine sitting on the floor and you stoop as you eat because the tables are too low. a good way to enjoy a fine meal

coming soon : a visit in a traditional korean village

seoul this time around

the visit to seoul this time ay due to work pa rin (hehehe… 2way ticket na economy pa lang costs $750  kasi), same as the last time. my 2009 trip was scheduled dapat for the first week of december this year so i can experience seoul’s winter season again. i enjoyed it the last time and wanted to experience a cold weather again sana. but since the office is paying for my trip — work is the priority and not my personal preference (naks! sana nabasa ng mga boss ko).

 

i took the same bus from the airport to the city… stayed at the same hotel… got the same view from my hotel room (sa likod na naman)… had dinner at the 2 favorite restaurants i ate from last time … shopped at the same 24hour shopping mall i went to the last time … and spent time with the same friends as i did last year

view from rm 1540

that korean restaurant

sale at doota!

but seoul is different at this time of the year…

beautiful blooms... lovely kids

it’s summer there!  it was hot and humid… ang daming flowers! fashion is cool – a lot of girls in shorts and short skirts. most stores are on sale! although it rained the first 2 days i was there, the sun came out the 3rd day, people loved the heat… they went out and enjoyed the heat (umitim nga ako eh) before autumn and winter comes along. people just have smiles in their faces especially the kids…

this one made me smile too

coming up : dining in seoul

top 5 things i really like about seoul (so far)…

alam ko naman swerte ako sa trabaho ko kahit madalas puro whining ang nababasa nyo sa blog na to. but really, love ko naman work ko (kaya nga andito pa din ako), ma-reklamo lang talaga ako by nature ;-) … isa sa pinaka love ko is the opportunity to travel! ang last stop ko? seoul!

super super super excited ako nung papunta ako dun. start ng winter nun. malamigin na tao ako, pero kinaya ko naman sya. wala kasing snow nun. plus mahilig ako sobra sa korea-nobela madami akong kilalang korean artist sa kakanood ng mga korea-nobela na yan.

pag land palang ng plane, ang mata ko hindi na mapakali. paglabas ko ng airport to wait for the shuttle bus on the way sa hotel, grabe ang lamig nga! -2degrees daw nun eh. so… ayun ang taba ko na nga nag-add pa ng 4 more lbs ang ga suot ko.

so ano ba ang top 5 things i like about seoul?

1. korean way of dining

of course isa sa mga gusto kong gawin is to try a reastaurant na uupo kami sa sahig while eating – korean way of dining nga. pati ang paggamit namin n chopsticks at spoon authentic. luckily andun sa seoul mga dating officemates ko, so meron akong mga pinoys na kasama

2. korean food

needless to say paborito ko ang grilled meat nila that you wrap in lettuce tapos kakainin with kimchi and other grilled vegetables. yummy! i ate this 3x while i was there! mahilig ang koreans sa vegetables kaya ang gaganda ng kutis nila. tapos you can request for more leaves kung naubusan na kayo.

ang flavored milk na yan is a treasure find sa isa sa mga convenient store nila. naka 4 or limang container ata ako (pero plastic ang container na to, sad… sad…). chestnut and moccachino flavored milk? try it and sarap! i miss it already….

3. mga dahon na nahulog na sa puno

diba nga first time ko, so i was really amazed with these fallen leaves. hindi basura ang tingin ko sa kanina unlike dito sa atin ( i will start to look at it differently na rin). some were colored brown, some were red, and ito naman yellow the first time i saw them was the early morning ride ko to the office. ganda!

4. korean celebrities

 siguro kasi addict ako dati (mmmm siguro until now) sa mga korea nobelas dito sa pilipinas. so kilala ko sila halos lahat kahit nga sa mga souvenir shops meron ako kasabay na singaporean kids at ang binili nilang souvenirs eh yung meron mga print ng mukha ng mga to. hehehe… at… for the first time, na enjoy ko ang local channel ng city in the hotel i’m staying. as in kahit hindi ko sila naiintindihan, parang alam ko din sinasabi nila

5. lettuce flowers/leaves/plants (kung ano man sya…)

first time i saw them, i thought flower of some kind. then i saw them again and again… i removed my gloves and touched them… lettuce sya, crisp and fresh! parang ang sarap kainin no?

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madami pa ko gusto i-add pero in another post nalang. pag sinipag