Incheon International Airport

Team

I managed to get out of this from Youtube about Incheon International Airport. This is a really cool video about a really nice airport. Its a young airport on the move team, and you should have a look at this and be a genuine part of it. View til your heart melts.

Namdaemun Markets

Hi there team,

I was recently fortunate enough to be able to get to the Namdaemun Markets in Seoul.   It sure is an interesting place !!

Its a smorgasbord of blend-o-rama.    You can find almost everything and certainly anything here.   You have scrumptious foodstalls, Weird and wacky accesories, gym and health supplements, all the latest sports merchandise.... you have it all team !!!!

Here are some neat youtubes about Namdaemun Market...



Thanks to Joytraveller for that one. And another...




Namdaemun Market is an institution team.  

To find out more about it you can check it out here......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdaemun_Market

http://www.namdaemunmarket.co.kr/

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273760

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/4

Do yourself a favour and drop on by.   You are bound to find something here to tickle your fancy.  

Amsa-dong Prehistoric settlement on Youtube !

Heres a youtube of where I went to on Saturday team !!! I hope you enjoy it !

Deoksugung on Youtube !

Oh yeh team I found this video for Deoksugung, the place I visited yesterday. You should check it out !!

Deachu Jujube tea !!

This stuff is golden !!!!!

Whilst walking around Deoksugung Palace today, I stopped by the Coffee shop and tried some Deachu ( Jujube ) tea. It was golden !!!!!!

This tea is awesome !!!

Its a tea made from Chinese Dates, and has pinenuts floating on time, as well as a strong maple flavour and aroma to it.

Damn team ! Its gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood !!!!!!!!

If you search around the tea shops in Seoul, or indeed your local Asian Grocer, you will find it. Grab it and drink it. You will not be disappointed.

Deoksugung Palace, Seoul

Team,

Today I was fortunate enough to visit Deoksugung Palace in Seoul.   I must say I quite liked the place.   The old style architecture was really appealing and the place had a real genuine sense of peace and quiet about it. 

Deoksugung Palace is located almost directly alongside City Hall in Seoul, so all you need to do is get off at City Hall station ( lines 1,2, and 3 ) and just head out the City Hall exit, and you will see it.

Deoksugung Palace was firstr built in the late 1400s as a residence for King Wolsan.   It became somewhat of a royal palace in 1592, after King Seonjo took up residence there during the Japanese invasion of Korea, and it received its first name change back in 1607 when King Gwanghaegun gave it the name Gyeongungung. 

The Palace also saw a coronation in 1623, when the coronation of King Injo took place there.  It was also named Seogung until 1897

In 1897, King Gojong declared that it would be from the Palace that the " Great Han Empire " would come to fruition, and had the Palace renamed Gyeongungung for a second time. 

A final name change to Deoksugung took place in 1907 under the reign of King Sojong.  

You can see lots of pics and all about the Palace here team

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/seoul/65

http://jikimi.cha.go.kr/english/royal_palaces_new/Deoksugung.jsp

http://english.visitseoul.net/en/subindex.do?_method=info&m=0002000001007&p=07


Its well worth the visit team, and you will be seeing a true Korean Icon in doing so.  

Joes Sandwich and Coffee

Well team,

I decided to try something a little different today.   I decided to go into a coffee shop that I had forever being walking past saying that one day I would go in there and grab something.   Well today was that day team and I am very glad I went in.  

I must say first off that, well, on first impressions, Joes Sandwich and Coffee shop located just across the road from Olympic Park is pretty basic when you walk in.    Its not as decorated as some of the other coffee shops around, it doesnt have a ton of merchandise and it doesnt appear to have any special cards, offers or things like that to draw people in.  

What it does have, however, is quality food and beverage. 

Now I must admit that today, I only had a banana juice.  It came with a catch, and this catch was a truely unique thing indeed. 

It had REAL BANANA'S coming from the blender, and not banana flavouring.   A truely unique thing in todays modern processed food society. 

Another strange thing, given todays modern need to premake everything in order to display it, was the delightful fact that ... whoa... I was actually .. you .. you know... actually able to see someone out the back freshly making the food orders to order.    The two girls in the shop were making sandwiches as I walked in. 

It all sounds good to me team.  

I know I will be going back in there again.   You should too.   Its just up the road a little from Olympic Park Gate 2 on the left as you come down from gang-dong station.  

You can check out their stuff here

http://www.joessandwich.com/

I highly recommend it.   

Vanilla Chai Tea Latte

Team I never thought I would top Tom n Toms. .. .. .. ..

But I think I just have .,...

If you are ever in Myongdong ( Seoul Subway Blue line ), you simply have to try the Vanilla Chai Tea Latte from Flash Coffee at Myongdong station ( its near the steps to exit 4 ). It is SUPERB !!!!! The extra vanilla flavour gives a chai tea latte an extra little bit of zing that other chai tea lattes seem to miss. I tried a Vanilla Chai tea latte today team and it seriously hit the spot. Like really seriously.

I think Tom n Toms, Starbucks, and Ediya have a new kid on the block to deal with team ... and a formidable new kid at that.

I loved it and I know you will too. Do yourself a favour and try it. You wont be disappointed.

Lotte Mart Jamsil - excellent service

Its time for another shoutout to a company that went the extra mile to help me out today.

I went shopping at Lotte Mart in Jamsil today, and I was very impressed with the way I was attended to as I was looking for some cereals, teas, and other organic goods.

The lady who was attending to me made some happy suggestions, told me about specials and half price items, and even made some nice recommendations to me, which I took her up on, if only because she made an excellent effort to tell me things in my own native English. She even ran to get me a basket so I could take my items to the cash register, so as to make my shopping experience today that extra little bit more special and easier.

Thumbs up Lotte Mart at Jamsil. One of your workers has made sure I will be back there again sometime soon.

http://www.lotte.co.kr/english/s2_business/sub2_02-4.html

You should come and experience the service. Basically, you just get off at Jamsil station and follow the directions to Lotte Mart. You will also see Lotte World there also, and you also have Lotte Department Store. You won't regret coming here team.

Technomart, Gangbyeon Station, Seoul

Team, if you are looking for your one stop, everything you need electronice shop, then Technomart at Gangbyeon Station is for you. 

You will pretty much everything you really and truely do need here.    Technomart is a 10 story electronics megastore.  You can pick up cell phones, Ipods, MP3s, all your major camera, TV and audio gear.   You can also get your gear from Korea and around the world. 

I myself picked up a watch and a prepaid cell phone there today without too much fuss.   There were plenty of both items to choose from, and I was served quite well.  

On the bottom floor, you also have an array of coffee shops, drug stores, banks and other amenities to help you on your shopping way. 

You can see a little more if you look here. 

http://theseoulite.com/?p=721

http://www.tm21.com/main/

Have fun getting lost in Seouls wonderful techno-jungle !!!!!!

Xian Chinese Restaurant - Sadang Station - Pastelcity

Team,

When in Seoul, you have to check this place out.   I was fortunate enough to get out to Sadang City today for work, and during break time, myself and 3 of my co-workers managed to get some Chinese for lunch.   And boy oh boy this grub was good. 

We stopped off at Pastelcity and went up to the 3rd floor to go to Zian, a really nice Chinese Restaurant there.   I was lamenting that we didnt go to a Vietnamese Restaurant named Phobay on the 2nd floor, but after getting this good Chinese feed, my lament disappeared pretty quick.  

We didnt do any feast or anything like that, and we pretty much went just for single dishes.   Two of us had a spicy noodle soup with seafood and veg, another had like a blackbean noodle thing in soy sauce, and the last bloke had a chicken and peach kind of thing.  

I loved my dish team.   It was hot, spicy, and very delicious ! In fact, no one complained about our dishes and were quite complimentary of the food and the service.    Team its just good solid food in a lovely environment.  

To get to Pastelcity team, you just leave Sadang Station, and I think its exit 2.   You just walk straight up and you will see a turn off on the left.  Head down that and you will see Pastelcity there.   Head up to the 3rd floor and you will find it there !!!!

Feast out and enjoy some good chinese grub !!!!!!

hannam supermarket

Alas !!! Decent foreign food supplies !!!!! yeeeaaaaah hoooooooo !!!!!

Hannam supermarket is the place to come team, especially when you are missing home and although you love that delicious Korean Cuisine, you just need a little something to remind you of the joys of your home. 

Located on the basement floor of the Volvo Building in Hannam Dong, Seoul, you will find a nicely stocked little market full of goodies from various parts of the world.  If you want Italian pasta and pasta sauce, you can get it here.   If you need Danish Hvararti, its ready and waiting for you.   If you want a Fosters and a XXXX, yes team, Aussie beer can be located here.  

From Quaker Oats to Maple Syrup.   From Gouda to Mozarrella.   From Budweiser and Molsons to Sammy Adams and Psintao.   Its all here team and its stocked up quite nicely.   You can also visit Dandys Grocery Store located just outside the mart.   Its kind of a little entree where as the Supermarket is the main dish.  

If you want to see pictures and all team you can check it all out right here.   

http://www.hannammarket.co.kr/

Alternatively team, you can just go straight there !!!!

Its only about a 5 min walk from Hangangjin Station.   Basically you come out exit 2, you just walk straight, turn right, follow the path around, go up the bridge, cross it, go down turn right and the Volvo Building is right there. 

The address is

726-173 Hannam-Dong
Yongsan-gu
Seoul   Korea. 

Maybe I will see you in there sometime !!!!

Seoul Olympic Pool - Good service

Team,

I am writing to give another shout out to a Korean person or group that I feel went out of their way to try and help and provide good customer service.  

This time, I have to give mention to a young lady, whose name I didnt actually get but thats not an issue, and the fact that even though she didnt seem so confident speaking english, she actually tried the best she could to answer my query and help me become a member of the health club at the pool.  

Basically she stepped in to try and help out when her colleague began to struggle and I didnt have a Korean translastion for what it was I tried to say.  

She tried very hard to help me with my query, and ended up being able to help me out quite nicely in the end.   I got what I wanted, signed up and become a member.   She tried hard, went out on a limb and signed someone up. 

Both parties ended up with a good result in this case, and its all good.  

For more in on the Olympic pool, you can check out the site here.   

http://www.sosfo.or.kr/english/biz2/biz_05.asp

Mongchontoseong, the Pit Hut and Seoul Olympic Park.

Seoul Olympic Park is an awesome exhibit of Seouls place on the Olympic stage team.   Its basically where the good majority of Olympic events from the 1988 Seoul Olympics were held, and many of the gyms, stadia and arenae that were used during the Olympics are still in active use by the public today.  

Located in Jamsil, you have the former Olympic Velodrome, Tennis arena, Olympic Pool, Gymnastics gym, Hockey and Boxing arenas, with the athletics, basketball, baseball, and soccer being held at the Olympic Stadium just a little further up from the Park itself.  

Of course, being in Seoul there lots of other amenities being used to accompany the sports venues, so I am going to talk a little more about three of them - Mongchon Fortress, the Pit Hut, and the Seoul Olympic Museum, all of which are located in the Park also.  

The Seoul Olympic Museum is a vibrant reminder of the Seoul Olympics as well as other Olympics past.   Located just behind the Seoul Olympic Park Hotel, it provides a glorious reminder, reminiscence, and reflection on the highlights of some of the Olympics past.   You can find out about the birth of the Olympic Movement, the various medal designs, highlights and dramas, the momentum moving the charge towards the Seoul Olympics, and the aftermath of hosting an Olympics. 

The museum itself had 5 different little subsections, each detailing a different component of the Olympics.

As you walk into the museum, you will see the Place of Peace.   Here you can get to see exhibits detailing what the basic premise of the Olympics is about - the meaning of it all, different athletes who have impacted the games, video footage of Olympics past, and details of the emergence of the movement.

Heading up to the second floor, you can see the Place of Harmony, you can see the evolution of how the Seoul Olympics came to be.   Moving to the Place of Prosperity display, you can see footage of the development of the Olympic stadiums, the design of souvenirs and how the whole commercial sphere of the Olympics came to be.   Moving on to the Place of Hope, you can indeed learn about the positive impact that sport has on our society, and how society benefits from the development of sports.  

After seeing how sport helps society, you can enter the Place of Glory, where you can relive the great moments of the Seoul Olympics.   From the ceremonies and torch relay, to the sheer athleticism of the sportspeople, you can relive it all.   I am sure you will love doing this if you are a fan of sports and the Olympics.  

Moving on from the museum, you can take a short walk to the Mongchon fortress museum.   Mongchon Fortress Museum exhibits the wares, views, modes and ideals of prehistoric Seoul.   You can see exhibits from the tombs in the Han River Valley, see remnants of the Mongchontoseong Fortress, and see exhibits of both the Goguryeo and Silla Cultures in Seoul.   You can also see exhibits detailing the Baekje Culture, exhibits from various tombs, and even an ancient dwelling site !!!!!

Heading out from here you can visit the Pit Hut site.   Its here that you can see a display of an underground dwelling site that was actually discovered in that exact spot for the first time back in 1988.   

Once again team I dont have any pics but they are coming soon.   In the meantime, you can check out

http://www.museum.seoul.kr/

http://www.88olympic.co.kr/

http://www.sosfo.or.kr/olpark/main/

Come see the park, and feel the Olympic Spirit !

The Best Chai Tea Latte in South Korea

Ok team

I have decided that its mission time so I have !!! Yes team, you have heard it from James the writer of this muse, that a mission is being undertaken. This is history team. James hasnt necessarily ever had a mission before in his life !!!! Oh well, there's a first time for everything hehehe.

So .. on to the mission.

Damn it if it aint been mentioned somewhere in the blogosphere already, but I seriously believe that, based on the two samples I have had already, that Korea could have some seriously good Chai Tea Latte being brewed in its coffee shops.

I intend to go out, find, and report back to you on where the best Chai tea Latte in Korea is !!!

I have to hand props out to the Starbucks and Tom n Toms crews in Jamsil and Olympic Park respectively as their produce has serious good props being served up.

Team, I never thought I would say it, but I reckon the crew at Tom n Toms in Olympic Park in Jamsil have brewed up a better product than the Starbucks one ! Believe you me I love Starbucks and will go there regularly, but that Tom n Toms Chai Tea Latte has seriously grown on me. Starbucks is certainly creamier and has all the traits of a quality Starbucks coffee, but darn once you get passed the initial tea strength in Tom n Toms, the quality, ambience and flavor of the Tom n Toms produce really does hit you nicely.

I am really impressed by the Tom N Toms Product team. Its a shame that I dont have any pics of it because I would really love to show you and you can see for yourself. However, you can check out Tom N Toms here ...

www.tomntoms.com/eng

I will have my cam soon and all team so I will start getting some pics up and get this little competition up, up and away !!!!

Lotte World Folk Museum

Hi there team. I am going to keep on with the history theme that seems to have started on this blog for the moment. I managed to get in and see the Lotte World Folk Museum, which is located on the third floor of the Lotte Department Store complex in Jamsil in Seoul, and is basically the entrance to the Lotte World theme park area. I made my mind up last week that I would do it today so after finishing my teaching job for the day at 12pm, I took myself up on that plan.

And it was a good thing I did.

I say that because even though the actual area of the museum is small, there was enough scenery, situation, and scent to give a really good feeling to the museum and its ideal of providing a small yet solid depiction of the history of Korea.

It really did start right at the entrance to the museum. It was like you were walking into a temple, with the initial set depicting a type of Korean architecture that is common place amongst the many temples and shrines in Korea. Admittedly I am unsure of the era of the architecture involved, yet I must say that it did appear to have what looked like a strong chinese influence.

But hehehe thats about the only Chinese stuff you are likely to see in the museum. The entrance being done away, the path then leads on to a rather solid insite into Korean history through the use of model, act, and visual.

The museum is pretty much divided up into sections. You have a Traditional Wedding Hall, a historic exhibition hall, a miniature village, a performance hall and a Jeojagori where you can sample some delightful Korean traditional food.

The Jeojagori is pretty much the first place most people in the museum tend to encounter when they first come in. It is pretty much divided up into four sections, named Songpa, Jumak, Seokchon, and Mongcheon. Each of these sections contains food that is said to be representative of the food eaten in Korea during the Joseon Period, a period which lasted for 5 centuries from the year 1392 to 1910, when the Japanese entered Korea and pretty much colonised it.

You know what team, I honestly believe that there would have been many fat people in Korea in this time. Do you know why I feel this ??? Well, if the food I was able to look at today was any indication, people would have eaten so much of it because it was so damn good !!!!!! Many Korean specialities that are around today were the staple of the diet back then, and these included well known Korean favourites such as Bulgogi, Octopus jeon-gol ( a type of Octopus soup ), Spiced soup with room, Pajeon ( a kind of pancake ), a traditional Korean alcoholic drink named Makkeoli, Bibimbap ( rice and veg ), spicy bean soup, cold noodle soup, and Samgyetang ( Ginseng Chicken Soup ).

Now thats a feast that is sure fit for a king let me tell ya !!!

After leaving the sweet scents and aromas of the Jeojagori, I ventured through to the traditional wedding area of the museum. I must say I was quite interested to see the various exhibits pertaining to the customs and culture of a traditional Korean wedding, especially as I was able to witness an enactment of one. A traditional Korean wedding is not too disimilar from a western wedding, yet has quite a few little intricate differences that really do set it apart.

Back in historic ages, the wedding was generally held at the brides house, with the groom coming over to pick up the bride and take her back to his parents house, where they would live together. The wedding costumes would be very traditional in nature, and the grooms family would carry a chest of gifts to the brides family. Both the man and woman would wear what is called a Jeogori, which is a form of wedding jacket, special headware, and Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress.

Aside from special clothing and costumes, the Korean Wedding also shares what you could say was a set procession for things to happen. It was generally common practice that the bridegroom would arrive first, and would of course be followed by the bride. Both would reach the altar where I do believe it was a buddhist priest would perform the ceremony. The next thing to happen would be the offering of a goose, as a sign of good luck for the married couple. Traditional wedding bows would then take place, and there would be a kind of toast to celebrate the wedding. The final act would be of course the procession out of the house as newlyweds off to lead their new lives.

Just as I decided to head off to the main exhibition hall hehehe. This part of the museum was quite visual and stimulating indeed.

The Hall is pretty much divided into 7 different little subsections, each little sub talking about a different part of Korea's history.

You have the prehistoric room where you can see exhibits displaying life from the caveman period, caves, huts, the making of bronze and relics from this time. You can then go to the Goguryeo and Baekje rooms, where you will see tomb relics, early buddhist exhibits, and tomb relics from the King Muryeong period. Heading into the Gaya room, you can early exhibits of Korean iron and pottery development, much of which would eventually be used in Goryeo pottery, a famed Korean pottery set. In the Silla room, you can see an exhibit for the Daewangnam Rock, which is said to be the underwater tomb for King Minmu. You can also see Sokkuram Cave Temple, and also meet up with an exhibit of Queen Sundeok. Heading from the Silla room to the Goryeo Room, where you can see exhibits of the pottery making and metal fabricating that took place in Goryeo era, said to be a proud era for Koreans. Another great thing to see here is the Goryeo Tripitaka, often referred to as the corner stone of the development of Korean buddhism.

Its from here that you can pretty leave the main hall and go into the Miniature Village room. The miniature village has over 2000 little characters set up over 43 different scenes. You can see the model scale depicting life in the joseon dynasty, showing such things as Royal Court proceedings, Harvesting, Kimchi making, Sacrifices, Funerals, weddings and even a 60th birthday !!!!! hehehe ... got to have a little celebration huh !!!!

So there you have it team. Lotte World Folk village really has gone to great lengths to give people a great insite into the history of Korea. You can also pick up lots of souvenirs when there. I saw some wonderful little things that really are great depictions of Korea. I even bought a museum T-Shirt hehehe ! Seriously team, if you want to see some wonderful Korean history, you really should check out the Lotte World Folk Museum. You will not be disappointed.

You can check it out here

http://www.lotteworld.com/

Come on team. Do it. You know you want to. ;)

Back in the land of the K !!

Well team I am now back ! A little disappointed that I didnt get to travel on my Malaysian Airlines flight or get to meet beautiful Singapore girl on the plane, but I really can't complain I must say.   Yeh I eventually got to Korea this time by Qantas, and I must say that the service was pretty good.   Qantas did have a few little problems there a few years ago, but it looks like they have taken great strides to fix things and get things back into good working order again and it has shown up well I do so believe.   So, as a result of their good service and tiding, I am back here in the land of the K....

And its cold weather !!!

Like seriously team, its really really nippy here at the moment ! Its currently 7 degrees C ( 45F) and thats at 8 pm.   Trust me guys it didnt improve much in the day either ! And it was especially cold at 5.00 am this morning when I got off the plane.   I guess you could say I was getting the cold shoulder first up.  

Well from a weather standpoint anyway. 

Luckily, the airport itself was a little more welcoming.    As it should indeed be.   After all, an airport is the first port of call into a new life, a new country and a new existence for basically all travellers, and as the old adage goes, first impressions count. 

And if Incheon airport is anything to go by, they you could indeed be up for a good stay here in Korea.  

One of the first things you notice about Incheon airport when you enter the terminal is its space.   It nice and spacious and you really do have plenty of room to move should you wish to utilise it.   It may seem like quite a trivial thing, but if you have just come off a long flight and are generally tardy and looking for a decent stretch, then space is what you do need.   Its also pretty quiet in the arrivals area too.   Maybe its the space that does it, but whatever it is, its pretty good.   If you have had a long flight, then it might just be suffice to say that excessive noise when you get off the plane just might not be the first thing you wish to hear.   Its nice to gain ones bearings in quiet surrounds and Incheon certainly does provide this. 

The initial administration and entrance requirements into the country are also quite efficiently expedited also.  I think the only thing that slowed me up was just having to wait a little while to pick up my bags, but hey I was not the only one, so no real issues there I don't think. 

I think I will leave the whole arrivals thing there.   How about we go into some details about the actual airport itself.   Sounds good ?? Yes I think so. 

In Seoul, you generally have 2 major airports, Seoul Incheon and Seoul Gimpo.   Incheon is the younger one of the two, as it was opened in 2001.   Gimpo Airport was the original International Airport in Seoul, but this has now been reduced to largely domestic duties, with shuttle flights also occuring between Tokyo, Shanghai and Osaka.  

Korean Air and Asiana, the 2 major South Korean international airlines, are the major space holders at Incheon.  

Incheon airport is located to the west of Seoul, and is connected to the main CBD by the Incheon International Airport Expressway.   This expressway also connects to Gimpo domestic airport, and also allows easy access to the major connection points in Seoul itself, particularly Seoul railway station and CBD bus terminals.  

There are 2 main terminals in Seoul Airport, the main terminal and Concourse.  

The main terminal is one of the largest in the world.   You can board planes from 44 different locations in the terminal, and there are ample numbers of facilities available to accomodate the required movements, processings and other needs for travel.   

Heck, it also has a golf course, spa, indoor gardens and a sleeping area if you need them !!!!

I guess these are just some of the reasons why Seoul Airport has been voted the best in the world for the past couple of years lol.  
Pity I can't show it to you here though.   I seem to be be having issues with the Cut and paste function on the comp for the minute.  But I can direct you over to this sites here for you to have a look. 

http://www.airport.kr/eng/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incheon_Airport#A_Terminal

Seoul Incheon airport really is a nice place team.   You should come up here some time.    I am sure you will enjoy it and you will also find it as a really pleasant gateway and delightful little intro to your sojourn here in Korea.   

Interesting things to do in Korea

Well team its not long now until I head back to the Land of the Morning Calm !! My visa is in hand, my contract signed and I am just waiting for my ticket to arrive and then its up, up and away !! I just hope that I get to fly Singapore Airlines this time ( I really want to try them - I have tried cathay pacific and Malaysian, so now I have got to travel with Singapore from my home town in Adelaide, Australia.  ) .  I also want to charm Singapre girl hehehe !!

All in all, I am really quite excited to be going back.    I feel that, even though I have already lived in Korea for 3 years, there is still so much for me to see and do.    I really want to open my mind a lot more to this wonderful country and experience more and more of what it has to offer.  

I really want to try and cross Korea a few times and capture all of it.  From the temples, to Apkujeong, to various festivals, to maybe even trying some differing foods; I want to do a lot.   So lets get started on what I want to do yes !!!! Okay ... ready ... set... and here we go !!!!!

Well, lets start off with where I will be staying.   I will be staying in a place called Songpa-gu, a part of Seoul that has been touted as a major economic development hub.    One place that I really want to visit is the Garden 5, one stop shopping distribution hub with over 8,300 shops.   It is widely required as the biggest shopping mall in Asia.   You can see it here




Thanks to 박미례 and wikipedia for this image.    This place looks pretty good in the picture hehe.   It might just even make me like shopping after all hehehe.

Another place I would like to vist in Songpa-gu is the Garak Market.   Garak Market is a major distribution point for maritime and agricultural produce, much of which is completely eco-friendly.   Sounds like somewhere for me to visit yes !!!

Aaaahhh !! I have just seen somewhere else I wish visit in Songpa-gu -- The Seokchon Lake area !! I have just seen a picture of it and I think that it looks really, really good indeed !! And while I am there I really must visit Lotte World amusement park !! Oh I can see it now I will feel happy, excitable, and just like a little kid again running around on all the rides. tides and fun things to do there ! I hope I can see Mickey Mouse there yes !? Oh damn man .. hang on Mickey is in Disney World yes ... Oh poop !!! Hehehe ! Check this out





This is a picture of the Seokchon Lake area in Songpa-gu.   If you look a little closer, in the top half of the lake lol, you can see Lotte World right in the middle of the water.    Check it out here.




Theres nothing like a little indoor theme park to get you in the mood for some fine yes !!! Thanks to Khitai, 박미례, and wikipedia for the above pictures. 

Hmmm this just makes me want to stay in Songpa-gu - BUT ALL SONGPA-GU AND NO WHERE ELSE WILL JUST MAKE JAMES A BORING PERSON LOL !! I think I know just the place to fix this little ill..........

APKUJEONG !!!!!

Seriously team, this place rocks.   I was lucky enough to get to Apkujeong and neighbouring Kangnam when I was living in Seoul, but trust me, my appetite has been seriously whetted and I want to see more !!! Put simply team, Apkujeong is the centre of opulence in Korea.   Period.   If you want to go Lamborghini, celebrity, Louis Vitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Latte, and lots-a-dollar-ama watching, the Apkujeong is your place !!!

Put simply, Apkujeong is known for 2 things - HIGH END SHOPPING AND A HIGH END NIGHTLIFE scene.    It is the home base for exclusive European brands such as Prada, Gucci and D and G, and Rodeo street is the home of Haute Couture fashion in Seoul.    Its nightlife compliments it day life nicely.    Absent are the dingy, dirty, basic clubs you may indeed find in SIncheon and Hongdae, being replaced by cool, suave jazz clubs, exclusive night spots for celebrity spotting, and some really high end stuff indeed.  

Here is a basic picture of Apkujeong team.   



However, if you want a really cool description of Apkujeong along with some great pics, then I seriously recommend you check out this article from Grace Travel.   Its succinct, pleasant, informative and pretty much direct and straight to the point.   Check it out here.

http://english.triptokorea.com/english/viewforum.php?f=352

Another place I really want to visit again is Kangnam.   This is pretty much located next door to Apkujeong, and is often talked about in the same high level of esteem that Apkujeong is.   Kangnam is pretty much the business capital of Korea, and houses many of the noted business houses in Korea, including AMI Korea, Google, and IBM.  

One of the major streets in Kangnam is the Teheranno, or simply Tehran Street.   As I said just prior, Kangnam is the the major business district in Korea, and Tehran Street really does opitimize this.   Teheranno is the home of internet giants such as Daum, Naver and Yahoo; electrical giants Samsung and Hynix, and noteable financial institutions such as POSCO, Standard Chartered and Citibank.   As a little footnote, its believed that somewhere in the vicinity of $200,000,000 in venture capital money has been invested in Teheranno ( You can see this on wikipedia too heheh .. right here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teheranno

Heres a little visual of Teheranno and Kangnam







Another place I really want to visit is Jogye-Sa, one of the chief Buddhist temples in Korea.    Its located in Jong-no, which pretty much located in the central part of Seoul.   

Jogye-Sa is also probably the most well known of the temples amongst foreigners and it has several attractions to bring people to the temple.    Visitors to the temple can here Buddhist Dharma talks, can take part in retreats, and participate in daily buddhist ceremonies.

You can see a little more on the temple site.

http://en.jogyesa.org

One other thing I also really want to this time around is finally catch some Baseball, Basketball and Soccer whilst here in Korea !!!!I seriously didnt catch any before, even though I lived really close to the home the Samsung Lions Baseball team and the Daegu World Cup soccer stadium !!!!  Mind you being in Seoul will be good in that I will be living right near Jamsil Baseball stadium, and not too far away from Seoul World Cup Stadium.   I am so looking forward to seeing some good old fashioned sports this time around !!! I also really want to try and get to see some K-1 and UFC this time around if possible also, and more so if Remy Bonjarsky and Mirko " Crocop " Filipovic are in the ring pounding the crap out of opponents.   I might even try and get down to Busan and hit up Giants stadium to watch some Lotte Giants baseball in the summer time.   Peek here



Daegu World Cup Stadium

Jamsil baseball stadium



Incheon Munhak stadium



Munhak Baseball Stadium, Incheon

Another place I really want to go to this summer is Haeundae Beach in Busan.   Haeundae Beach is widely regarded as one of, if not the most popular beach in Korea, and has been heavily commercialised in the last few years.   You can have a little look here. 



Thanks to SJ Yang and wikipedia for the above pic.  


Okay !!! Lol its time for me to rest up now hehehe.   This of course is by no means an exhaustive list of where I wish to go this year, but hey - it is a start !!!! I will eventually get around to telling you more about the places I wish to go to, and will soon even tell you in more detail about my favourite city in Korea-DAEGU !! Daegu is a really cool place team and I really do look forward to letting you know about it ! seeya !!!

I am a Castaway on the moon !!!!!!

Well not in real life I am not, but this delightful little Korean movie might just make me seek to reconsider that !! I mean hey, what could indeed be better then living on the moon right ??? Hmmm definitely something to investigate I feel.    Just need to raise the cash first hehehe.

You know what though team ? Its actually ironic that I wasn't on the ground when I saw this movie.   I was most likely somewhere over the China/Taiwan region in a Malaysian airlines jet on route from Seoul, Korea; to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.   I guess its not quite the moon but its indeed as close as most of us will actually get in our lives lol.

I must say though that if a movie could actually take you to the moon, then this one would be it.    I simply found this movie delightful, quirky, amusing, Kookie, simple, intellectually stimulating, and just a fun movie all round.    Thats quite a pleasant recollection yes !!?? Good !! Lets find out why. 

" Castaway on the moon " centres around the quirky adventures of the two main characters,  Kim Seung-keun, ( played by Jeong Jae-Yeong ) and Kim Jeong-Yeon, ( played by Jeong Ryeo-Won ).   These two characters really do a great job in carrying the movie forward, and really do keep the movie very simple and pleasing indeed.

Jae-Yeongs character sets the ball rolling on this quirky little number.    Seung-keun starts as a young man in a crisis.  He is not happy in life, he is despondent in his job, and well.. everything seems to be going wrong.    Oh yes, debt, a common trigger for woe, also emerges as a huge problem for Seung-Keun, and this is the final straw for him.   His residence in dark mental place in his life is confirmed when he recieves a phone call one day that says he has racked up a huuuuuuuuuge debt and sets him for the worst.   It also directs him to a bridge crossing over the Han River in Seoul, which in his ideal plan and plot, is now the last bridge he will ever cross, stand on, and walk across ... ever.    Period.   Yep, suicide seems to be his way out, so he ...well... duly follows through with this ideal, with the end of it all in mind, jumping into the waters of the Han River........

..........and duly managing to get himself onto a deserted little Island in the middle of the Han River.

Seung-Keun is duly unamused by this situation.    He feels that he can not live, yet is now compounded by the reality that death obviously doesn't want to come easily to him also.   He truely is a clutz yes !!! He just simply can not seem to get things right lol.    Ah the complexities of it all.   Thankfully though for him, life actually gets quirky, amusing and simplier from here.

Especially with the introduction of Kim Jeong-Yeon.

To say that Seung-Keun and Jeong-Yeon are 2 vastly different characters is quite an understatement indeed.  They are at vastly opposite ends of the scale.    Seung-Keun, on the surface, has potential to succeed.  He was working in a big company and well.... if he had his life together ... maybe could have gone on to bigger and better things.    A real case of inner turmoil killing off outer potential you could indeed say.   Jeong-Yeon, on the other hand, is a completely visible alternate and, in the eyes of society, a total and utter reclusive nut so to speak.  

Yet it is not her outside look and appearance that sets her up in this movie.   Her outer lack of conformity hides an inside that has a strong concern, care and curiousity about things.    Yes, she ie reclusive and struggles with the outside world, but its the outside world that helps her develop an inate sense of curiousity about life.     Particularly her life when Seung-Keun enters it.    Even if it is unintentional, inadvertent and purely circumstantial.

Lets look at Jeong-Yeon a little more for the minute.   Jeong-Yeon lives in clutter.    Seriously.   She basically hoards a lot, and one of those things hoarded is a telescope, which she regularly uses to look out of her room and gaze into the outside world.   She is quite curious about the outside world and seems to show interest in many of the things in it.

As this is going on, Seung-Keun is gradually settling into his new life on the desserted little island.    He is fending for himself, enjoying his freedom, and rediscovering a zest for life.   Jeong-Yeon is spending much more time behind the computer, looking out of her binoculars more, and really getting curious about the world.    Seung-keun is starting to wish to connect with others again.   Jeong-Yeon is getting more curious about the world.    Seung-Keun tries to communicate with the world through various means.    Jeong-Yeon seeks something interesting in the world.

And then she finds Seung-Keun.

Seriously.   Yep.   Her telescope spent so much time looking for something and yes it found Seung-Keun.    And so the connection between the two began.

Jeong-Yeon was completely intrigued by Seung-Keun, and so they begin communicating.   Seriously.    One in a cluttery bedroom.   The other on a desserted island.    Communicating via messages in the sand and in bottles.    Establishing a very unlikely connection indeed.  
 
Seung-Keun and his life on the island becomes an all consuming thought for Jeong-Yeon.   She takes photos of him also.    She puts him up in her room.    Seung-Keun begins to really love a solitary life on the island, and this really does intrigue Jeong-Yeon.    She is especially interested in how he cooks and gets food for himself.   So much so that she if even sends him home delivery noodles !!!!!Seriously !!! She sends a little noodle delivery man on his scooter to the island to feed him !!!!


However, its here where things take a turn.    The police are eventually alerted to Seung-Keuns presence on the island and they go there to remove him.   Jeong-Yeon is alarmed by this and actually decides to leave her room and go looking for him.    Meeting him now becomes inevitable.   

And guess what team... I AINT GONNA TELL YA WHAT HAPPENS NEXT !!!!!!

You have to come and watch it !!!!

You can see it here with english subtitles..

www.DLAznMovies.com

You can also see the trailer here




Team, you really need to watch this movie.   Its truely a delightful take on how two people from completely different backgrounds, and on completely different levels, can connect on such a high level with each other.   Its a nice take on how communication takes place on not just a verbal level, but also a spiritual level also.  

I loved it and you will too team.    You owe it to yourself to see it.   

Pop Music - Korean Style !!!!

" I'm so sorry but I love you....."   Ahhhhh !!!!! Big Bang .... WHAT  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!    " I've got youuuuu under my......." Whoa TVXQ !!!!!!! " Tell me, tell me ....T-TT-TT Tell me.... "  Why you WONDERGIRLS !!! " Girl, Girl, hey you go girl !!!" Yes Lee Hyo Ri I know !!! " Rokkuguh Rokkuguh !!" Oh my God SUPER JUNIOR !!!  " Your're the one ........................"

Yes ! Thankyou EPIK HIGH !! I know I am the one !!

Whoooosh !!! Wow.    The Korean pop acts must be indeed playing with my head I think ... they are trying to spin me round and round so they are !! But I will be good team so don't worry......PHEW !!!!

Alright here we go..

So team, what do you think I am going to blog about here ??? Hmmmmm.  I really do wonder ..... do you think it could be the start of a little section on Korean Pop culture, the Korean Wave and maybe even Korean pop music generally ? Hmmm.... I think you could indeed be quite right if you feel I am going to be blogging about it !!!! You smart-o yes !! Good .. I know you are ;)

Having already lived in Korea for 3 years,  I know what I think about when I hear anything related to Korean Popular Music.    I think of positive adjectives, warm fuzzy words, warm hearted feelings - AND LOTS OF THEM TOO !!! Korean Popular Music ( K-POP and indeed K-POPPU !!! )  is cute.   Its soulful.   It's crazy.    It's comical.   It's sexy.  It's eclectic.   It's amusing.   Oh yeh .... it's also GOOOOOD !!!!!

My personal favorites include Whee Sung ( damn he does a good version of Craig Davids INSOMNIA !! ), Super Junior, Epik High ( Yes .... I'm the one !!! ), KARA,  BoA, 2NE1 ( doo doo da doo-doo doo doo da doo-doo doo doo 21 !!! ) and the two I am going to tell you about tonight.    I will go into stuff by these and other artists in the next couple of days or so.

Tonight though team,   I want to introduce/talk about/reminisce about/bloginisce about/gloat about two Korean artists that really do put me in a very pleasant place when I listen to them.

Clazziquai is a group that really does it for me.    They are eclectic,  smooth, and they have a lot of polish and class about them.   Clazziquai is made up of DJ Clazzi, Alex Chu, and Ho Ran,   and I do believe they were formed in 2001,  I think in Seoul.    They started out as a " project " group that has gone on to release 4 albums that have done quite well.    They also have a very tactical advantage in that they are all quite fluent in English, and they even sing alot of their stuff in both Korean and English.     My favorite song of theirs is " Come to me ".    Damn it is smooth !! You can check it out here.....



Man it is good.   It flows so nicely indeed.    I can't hear enough of it.

Another Korean song I can't hear enough of is " River flows to You " by the Korean pianist Yiruma.    This simply is very lovely, soft, and relaxing.    I do believe it is part of the Twilight soundtrack but I can't confirm that for sure.   Not that it matters.    It's a very simple yet haunting melody which gets right under your skin and moves you.   Damn its so good and I really do love it.   Here it is....



This is simply beautiful.   Aaaahh it just puts me in the mood. 

I tell ya what team.    I am gonna sign off now.   I will cover some more K pop artists in the near future.    Until then, sit back, relax, and allow your soulful musical desires to be fully satisfied.    You would be missing something if you didnt I can assure you.