Blogs from Seoul, South Korea, Asia - page 3

Hello! Well it's been 4 weeks since I blogged; the reason being that I've been waiting for something exciting to happen! I've been noting down things that are slightly exciting and then after the Charity Christmas ball I attended on Friday night, I now feel that I have enough to talk about :-) Coming back to Seoul from the Philippines was a bit of a shock due to the sudden drop in temperature and general 'going back to work' feeling. When we left it was getting chilly, but was still about 15 degrees during the day. When we got back it was about 6 or 7 degrees and has dropped ever since! It is now averaging minus figures every day! So the under floor heating is on and the hibernating has begun....although this has mainly been ... read more

This past weekend was perfectly splendid. The weather was sunny and high 40's (F), the air seemed fresher than usual, and everyone was in an all-around good mood. In the beginning of the week I went out for unlimited Korean BBQ with some friends for Tim's 22nd birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM!!!!) Later on in the week I saw "Breaking Dawn II" at Megabox theaters in Ewha with Sabrina and Ana. We reserved tickets a couple of days before online (9,000 won each/$8.30) and we found out that everyone is able to pick their assigned seat when they purchase their tickets. For snacks, Sabrina and I ordered the "Love Combo" popcorn & soda set for 8,000 won ($7.40) with two large sodas and one large popcorn - totally meant for couples - but a good deal none-the-less ... read more

Arriving at Seoul's Incheon airport half hour late, 10pm the queue at immigration is long, the AREX express train to downtown already shut so either I take the regular train or limousine bus to town. After getting cash from the ATM, I saw there was a booth near the ATM machine, I inquired about limo service and was told there is one leaving soon so I ditched the subway and headed out to wait for the limo bus. I just missed it! then ended up waiting another 20 minutes for the next one. In the end I made it to the Itaewon area where I booked a dorm bed at SP@Itaewon GH, owned by a Serbian dude. It was easy to find but uphill, it was crazy busy when I arrived and Sa Woong my good ... read more

Hello again… I’m back for another installment of my blog. This past week and weekend wasn’t as crazy as my last. However, it was filled with a lot of things. This past Tuesday was a coworker’s birthday, so just about all the English teachers went out to eat. We ended up going to this restaurant that serves duck. It was really good! We had about three courses. The first was small pieces of duck. The meat was cooked on a flat iron pan that is tilted to drain the drippings. The second course was larger pieces of duck, and it was smoked. This course was amazing! The meat was so tender and it tasted so good! For the final course the woman who was serving us took a ton of rice and dumped it onto the ... read more

When visiting the border between North and South Korea the tour agency provides a dress code. No scruffy jeans, no t-shirts, no short skirts or revealing clothing. No sandals, flip flops or shoes without cover at the heel. I had presumed this was a dictatorial demand from the North on visitors to the border (otherwise known as the DMZ or demilitarised zone). It is actually a demand from the South. In the past poorly dressed westerners had their photos taken by North Korean soilders and their images were used as propaganda in the north - "look how messy the westerners are", "look at their messy clothes", "they are poor too". As a result the tourists are expected to at least look relatively smart. Disconcertingly the ban on flimsy shoes is to allow tourists to run quickly ... read more

This past weekend was JAMMED packed with all sorts of things. Jammed to the point where I was exhausted, seriously. I had a few things planned but didn’t realize how much one was going to be and I didn’t plan on another. Haha. First thing is Friday… Fortunately Friday was the most relaxed of the days this past weekend. I went to a really good Mexican place (I’m pretty sure I mentioned in a previous post) called Las Margaritas. Their burritos are amazing! So my lady friend and I went there for dinner. That was about the extent of my Friday. Friday needed to be a short night for two reasons… 1. The week kinda drew on me and I was a little tired, 2. I needed to get up at 5:45 AM to hike up ... read more