Hey there
I was fortunate enough to get to one of the Outback Steakhouse Restaurants here in Seoul the other night. Gotta say it, I was not disappointed.
Being Australian, I certainly do have a favourable affinity with this restaurant chain. Although its an American company, the theme of the place is unmistakenly Australian. From the boomerangs on the wall to the Australian Flag on the wall, it indeed has it all.
And there is the food. They have great steaks, sumptious salads, and some really great pasta dishes. I had a Queensland Chicken and Shrimp pasta and oh boy did it hit the spot. I have really come to appreciate the class presented by the Outback Steakhouse team. You should too. You can see more here...
and a little more...
Heres the site.... http://www.outback.com/locations/int_korea.aspx
Come to the steakhouse team. Its a good feed guaranteed.
Showing posts with label jamsil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jamsil. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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
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
Monday, March 29, 2010
Good Service at KEB - Korea Exchange Bank
Team
I happily write to talk about the good service I found myself being offered by Korea Exchange Bank today.
Basically, if you want a bank in Korea that is pretty genuinely foreigner friendly, then KEB, or Korea Exchange Bank, is your go guys.
I have experienced this service on two separate occasions from branches in Jamsil ( right by Olympic Park ) and in Daegu ( just up from jungangno shopping district ). I must say have been quite impressed on both occasions.
On both occasions, I have been dealt with by staff that had good conversational command of the english language, and were happy and comfortable providing necessary banking services to foreign customers like myself. KEB is willing to deal in all the major currencies, Australian Dollars ( for my own personal needs ) included. Some banks wont do this so that is another big plus I find.
Staff at both branches provided me with adequate and up to that particular minute currency exchange rates for won - $AU conversions, and clearly and adequately demonstrated appropriate and proper calculations for what my required $AU amount equated to in Korean Won.
Tellers at both branches were concise and clear in telling me which parts of forms I needed to fill and were happy to highlight compulsory details and signatures on each form.
It may seem standard team, but it is so refreshing to have a bank where you know you are being looked after, and guided through the necessary processes as need be.
Good Job Korea Exchange Bank !!!!!
For more info on Korea Exchange Bank, you can check out their site at http://www.keb.co.kr/main/en/
Its nice to know your money is being dealt with by a professional hand in a most professional way.
I happily write to talk about the good service I found myself being offered by Korea Exchange Bank today.
Basically, if you want a bank in Korea that is pretty genuinely foreigner friendly, then KEB, or Korea Exchange Bank, is your go guys.
I have experienced this service on two separate occasions from branches in Jamsil ( right by Olympic Park ) and in Daegu ( just up from jungangno shopping district ). I must say have been quite impressed on both occasions.
On both occasions, I have been dealt with by staff that had good conversational command of the english language, and were happy and comfortable providing necessary banking services to foreign customers like myself. KEB is willing to deal in all the major currencies, Australian Dollars ( for my own personal needs ) included. Some banks wont do this so that is another big plus I find.
Staff at both branches provided me with adequate and up to that particular minute currency exchange rates for won - $AU conversions, and clearly and adequately demonstrated appropriate and proper calculations for what my required $AU amount equated to in Korean Won.
Tellers at both branches were concise and clear in telling me which parts of forms I needed to fill and were happy to highlight compulsory details and signatures on each form.
It may seem standard team, but it is so refreshing to have a bank where you know you are being looked after, and guided through the necessary processes as need be.
Good Job Korea Exchange Bank !!!!!
For more info on Korea Exchange Bank, you can check out their site at http://www.keb.co.kr/main/en/
Its nice to know your money is being dealt with by a professional hand in a most professional way.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
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 !
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 !
Friday, March 26, 2010
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 !!!!
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 !!!!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
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. ;)
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. ;)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Korean baseball first impressions
Today was a great afternoon team as I got to see my first of what I plan to be quite a few baseball games in the Korean Baseball League this year. Even though it was raining here in Seoul, the inclement weather did not dampen the joy, enthusiasm, and sheer pleasure of being at Jamsil Stadium to see the two stadium co tenants, LG Twins and Doosan Bears, go at it in the first official preseason game for season 2010.
And like the crowd, the vibe, and the atmosphere, the game didnt disappoint either. If todays game was any indication about the prospects of both the Twins and the Bears for this season, then this year will be good for both teams. Period. Doosan ended up winners today 9-8 in a game that had some good solid action, was close and was generally a decent spectacle for those of us who braved the inclement weather out here on the western side of Seoul today. I will leave the actual game chatter at that though as today was my first game so I need to start researching the teams some and gaining a handle on all the stats, players, foreign players and all to make that legitimate so to speak. But what I will chat about is the whole atmosphere of proceedings.
The crowd today at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul turned it into a real loud, happy, boisterous, carnevale like affair with the constant singing, chanting, noise and of course clapping that goes with a baseball game here in Asia. They love it team and today they really went hard at it to show just how passionate they are about Baseball here in the far east. They constantly sing, they chant, they love it. I was honestly taken aback by the sheer joy that the crowd showed today with every good play, every foul ball caught in the crowd, every out and of course every homer. These guys go at it non stop. Even the girls in the crowd get right into the thick of it. ITS GREAT !!!!! I can remember at times today just having to sit back, switch off, and soak it all in. The passion the Korean crowd showed today was awesome. Its a true pity I didnt have my camera with me today, because I would have pic'd and recorded everything just to give you an indication of what I am talking about here. Its truely something that did have to be seen and heard to be believed.
Heres an example. Todays game was between 2 teams who share the same stadium. When the game was tight today at 8-7 with LG leading, you had the Doosan crowd singing " We want Home Run ! We want home run !!! " and the LG half singing " Boooooooooooo !! " at the exact same time to drown out the noise lol. Damn I wish I had my cam with me to record it and show it here.
It was awesome and it really gave me a favourable opinion on Korean Baseball. Now I really want to go and see much more of it !!!!! I have set myself an aim of getting to the 8 Korean Baseball League Stadiums this summer to catch all the action. I now have a really crazy appetite to soak up what is not just a baseball game, but a true carnevale on a Sunday afternoon.
And like the crowd, the vibe, and the atmosphere, the game didnt disappoint either. If todays game was any indication about the prospects of both the Twins and the Bears for this season, then this year will be good for both teams. Period. Doosan ended up winners today 9-8 in a game that had some good solid action, was close and was generally a decent spectacle for those of us who braved the inclement weather out here on the western side of Seoul today. I will leave the actual game chatter at that though as today was my first game so I need to start researching the teams some and gaining a handle on all the stats, players, foreign players and all to make that legitimate so to speak. But what I will chat about is the whole atmosphere of proceedings.
The crowd today at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul turned it into a real loud, happy, boisterous, carnevale like affair with the constant singing, chanting, noise and of course clapping that goes with a baseball game here in Asia. They love it team and today they really went hard at it to show just how passionate they are about Baseball here in the far east. They constantly sing, they chant, they love it. I was honestly taken aback by the sheer joy that the crowd showed today with every good play, every foul ball caught in the crowd, every out and of course every homer. These guys go at it non stop. Even the girls in the crowd get right into the thick of it. ITS GREAT !!!!! I can remember at times today just having to sit back, switch off, and soak it all in. The passion the Korean crowd showed today was awesome. Its a true pity I didnt have my camera with me today, because I would have pic'd and recorded everything just to give you an indication of what I am talking about here. Its truely something that did have to be seen and heard to be believed.
Heres an example. Todays game was between 2 teams who share the same stadium. When the game was tight today at 8-7 with LG leading, you had the Doosan crowd singing " We want Home Run ! We want home run !!! " and the LG half singing " Boooooooooooo !! " at the exact same time to drown out the noise lol. Damn I wish I had my cam with me to record it and show it here.
It was awesome and it really gave me a favourable opinion on Korean Baseball. Now I really want to go and see much more of it !!!!! I have set myself an aim of getting to the 8 Korean Baseball League Stadiums this summer to catch all the action. I now have a really crazy appetite to soak up what is not just a baseball game, but a true carnevale on a Sunday afternoon.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
LG twins - Samsung Lions Baseball
Team,
Speaking of baseball,. I was just flicking through Youtube when I found this. Its highlights from a game l ast year between LG twins and Samsung Lions from Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. Thanks to KMS850328 and Youtube for this....
Speaking of baseball,. I was just flicking through Youtube when I found this. Its highlights from a game l ast year between LG twins and Samsung Lions from Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. Thanks to KMS850328 and Youtube for this....
Thursday, February 25, 2010
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 !!!
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 !!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
