South Korea: Day 5

In Daegu. the first place we went was the Seok-guram Grotto. It is not only known as one of the finest masterpiece of Korean art, but is also recognised all over the world as a cultural treasure that is the quintessence of Buddhist art works. A glass wall has been set up in front of it so that the inner portion may be protected from the outsiders.

We then proceeded to the stone pagoda Dabotap, which is also known as pagoda of many treasures that is located in the temple of Bulguksa.

We continued our journey to Busan but stopped for lunch. After lunch, we went to explore this beautiful piece of land. However, it was really hot and sunny that I enjoyed myself for only 1 minute and that was my limit.

Later, we were sent to check out the beach of South Korea. The  view was breathtaking and it reminded me of The Bund in Shanghai.

Since dinner was not covered that night, we had our dinner at McDonald’s. Also, we walked around the night market before we called it a day.

South Korea: Day 4

We started our day to Sangsoo Herb Land which houses 1,000 species of herbs. The greenhouse keeps herbs fresh even during winter. Sangsoo Herb Land is well-know for its flowers that bloom all year. The highlight of this visit was we got to have flowers for lunch. I added too much chili and therefore, mine went kaput. Anyhow, it was a different experience so, I am giving two thumbs up for this.

On our way to Daegu, we stopped at The Gam Wine Tunnel. It claimed to be the world’s first persimmon wine cellar. This tunnel is a the perfect place for aging persimmon wine which is made by the process of fermenting seedless persimmons. It has become increasingly popular due to its scenic location. Inside the tunnel, the temperature stays at 15 Celsius all year! It is really cooling inside but wet. Definitely a good place to hide during summer. Anyhow, the highlight of this trip was wine sampling! I know, right?

We called it a day at Daegu. Before we were sent back to our hotel, we went to a nearby shopping mall.

I walked up to the top of the mall and came across this Ticket Box. It is so advanced in Korea! If this is brought into Malaysia, we can kiss the queue goodbye and welcome ticket box with open arms!

South Korea: Day 3

We started our day to Yeoju Premium Outlet. It is Korea’s first premium designer outlet. It was claimed that the prices here are lower than the duty-free shops. No wonder most of the people in the group bought either bags or clothes there. Me? Nahhh.. I got myself some drinks and food instead. Oh, I bought a glass bottle though. It is very handy and safe to be kept inside the car.

We continued to head further south of South Korea and stopped by Beartree Park. Just more animals, flowers, grasses and trees to look at. Anyhow, it is a beautiful natural space that is built to honour the Manchurian Black Bear. Indoor and outdoor botanical gardens are tended with the utmost of care. At the bear enclosure, we bought some food to feed them.

Later, we called it a day at Cheonansi.

I grabbed Café Latte’s Chocolate Latte at one of the convenience stores. Why? I had been seeing its advertisement all over Korea. Therefore, I decided to give it a shot and oh my, it was really good! Something that I hope will be brought into Malaysia.

South Korea: Day 2

Before we left Seoul, we went to Le Petite France which is also known as The French Village. This place is famous for its drama shoot of My Love From The Star. It is a very colourful and lovely town, filled with romance.

Filled ourselves with romance before our 3-5 hour drive to Chungcheong.

However, on the way to Chungcheong, we stopped in Namiseon – Nami Island. This place is famous of its drama shoot of Winter Sonata. If you asked me what is my favourite place throughout this trip, my answer would and will always be Name Island. I love the island. It is just beautiful, serenade and relaxing. If only I could stay a night on this island. Better still, living on this island!

That night, our dinner was the best meal after we had 4 meals in Korea. Why? There were meats! In the past few meals, we had soup and vegetables and not forgetting, kimchissssss! Most of us were craving for meats and our wish was granted that night.

We will be leaving Chungcheong the next day to go further down south. Therefore, it is going to be another long bus ride. However, we will be having a few stops to visit some places of attractions on our way. Stay tuned for the next post!

South Korea: Day 1

It has been 3 months and I totally forgot to share my last trip to Korea. Well, it was not a backpacking. It was more like a daughter-joining-mother-and-her-friends trip. In short, I joined a tour group to Korea. Still, my main focus was my mother. It has been years since the last time we went on a trip together. Therefore, I was really looking forward to this trip after my last one in Melbourne.

We flew to Seoul and arrived the city the next morning. The weather was just nice – not freezing and not too warm. Just nice and I love it! Once landed, we were taken to visit Trickeye Museum in Seoul. Basically it is a 3D arts sort of place which is the same as Penang Interactive 3D Museum. The only difference is they have Love Museum. I did not get to visit that museum though. Instead, I visited Ice Museum. Seriously, I should have just gone to Love Museum straight. It is not a place where you can find it in Malaysia. Haram, no?

Since we had not taken any food when we landed the land of Koreans, we had our lunch – Ginseng Chicken Soup. There is rice inside the chicken. First meal in Korea – not too bad. However, most of them did not enjoy it. After our lunch, we went for a class – Kimchi Class in Kimchi School. We learned how the Koreans make their Kimchi. Did you know that Kimchi is one of the Top 5 healthy food? At least I learned something valuable from this trip. Oh, and guess what happen to the ones that we made? They will donate those Kimchi to the homeless. Lovely, no? I think it is really great for the community to care for the homeless. Such a generous country.

After we graduated, we were brought to visit the office of Ms. President of the Republic of Korea, also know as The Blue House. I guess females are as competitive as the males as a leader. Nice to know. Unfortunately, we could only look at the building from afar. Not even its gate. And not even the junction.

After looking at the building, we were brought to Deoksugung Palace. It is one of the “Five Grand Palaces” built by the kings of Joseon Dynasty. No, I have no idea what it is. I merely took this information from know-it-all Wikipedia. There were already many locals strolling inside the palace. I saw the nursery teachers brought the children for an outing. What caught my interest was the pram  that they were using. It can fit up to 6 children! We really should get something as cool as that in Malaysia!

Before we ended our first day, we were sent to two famous markets – Namdaemun and Dongdaemun Markets. It was during that trip I realised it is not cheap to shop in Korea. I repeat – it is not cheap AT ALL to shop in Korea! Since I could not shop and that was never my focus, I had street food hunting instead. So far my favourite is “toast on the bread.” We really should bring it in to Malaysia. Trust me, this shit is really good!

It was a long day and the weather was cooling which made me even more tired. I hit the sack straight after a hot shower after I had a hot cup noodle along with a hot cup of Milo. Bliss.