Annyeong Haseyo: Seoul, South Korea

(Long Overdue post series)
(October 2013)
(Disclaimer: Photo heavy blog entry)

Korean culture was close to my roots since there were a lot of Koreans in the Philippines.  I've had
a Korean classmate in my Anthropology class and I was once supposed to teach Koreans as well.  KPOP seemed to be a trend as well in my home country.  Teenagers went gaga to Korean groups and Koreanovelas for a few years already. 

My ICN (Incheon Airport) flight was my chance to experience Korean Culture in its motherland.  It was such an exciting 2 legs trip for me because it would be my first time to eat "authentic" korean food and a side trip to a palace which I only see on telenovelas. 

We stayed in a hotel which was near the popular Gangnam District.  I, together with another Filipina crew went straight to Gangnam after we arrived at the hotel. We had dinner first before we proceed to our goal for the night: make-up/skin care stuff shopping.  We were delighted to see the word SALE flashing on almost every make up stores. Korean beauty products were really popular because of its quality.  I've read a lot of good reviews of Korean-made BB creams and even other products such as eyebrow make-up, mascara, facial masks etc. Seoul was indeed a shopping haven for all the "kikays" around the globe. I bought a few beauty products: Missha M Cover BB Cream, Etude Eyebrow Pencil, Etude Shockara, Missha Cologne, Holika Holika Green Tea Facial Cream Cleanser, Tony Moly Milk Lotion.  Wish I had the time to make a review of Etude's Eyebrow Drawing Pencil which was my favorite among my finds. 

Come the next day, I met my friend and we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace (one of the 5 palaces and was built during the beginning of Chosun Dynasty). It was (according to my friend) the location of Korean dramas Secret Garden and Moon Embracing the Sun and Dae Jang Geum.

 When my friend and I went inside, I felt like I was a character in a Korean drama, minus the hanbok of course. Let me share with you the photos I had on my palace visit:

Main Hall

Gyonghoeru Pavilion, venue for formal events and banquets

You could also change into hanbok and have your picture taken in Gyeongbokgung Palace but due to the Changing of Guards Ceremony, the former would not be possible for all visitors. The ceremony was like a scene in Korean Dramas, (never thought I could see it personally). I might not able to wear their traditional costume but it was fine since, at least, I was able to watch the ceremony. 

My friend and I also had a quick visit to the museum which was beside the palace.  It was good to look at everything inside but if you don't know how to speak Korean, you wouldn't understand every single description of the items inside as there was no English translation. 

Aside from knowing the country's heritage, the thing about paying a museum tour was experiencing the richness of every culture by just looking at objects displayed inside.  I might not able to understand every description but at least I knew that everything there played a significant role in Korea's history. 

My Korea flight was "BITIN" or short for me. I haven't explored a lot of shops along Gangnam District, a lot more food to try and I have yet to see Hello Kitty Cafe and etc. I just hope to be given another flight to Kimchi Land very soon! Needless to say, every trip is worthwhile when you go out and learn from the things you experience.  Kamsahamnida Korea!


 

Selamat Datang ke Malaysia!

I became so excited upon knowing I will be flying to an Asian destination as it was my first time to fly to my home region ever since I came to the sandpit. As you all know, I haven't been out of my country until I was hired for my current position.

KUALA LUMPUR was my first Asian flight. I knew that Malaysian cuisine was really nice so it added to my excitement. I've read that their cuisine was a mixture of different cultures - Indian, Chinese and etc. I planned to eat at least one local dish on my layover.  Since our time there was just limited, I just wanted to see the Petronas Twin Towers (which was once the tallest building in the world) and the Batu Cave.

Approximately around 2 hours after our arrival on the hotel where we stayed, I met with some crews to have a look of the Peronas Towers and have our dinner.

Petronas Twin Towers was just a 5  minutes walk from our hotel. Adjacent to the famous landmark was Suria KLCC Shopping Mall. Finding a place to eat was not a problem if you're at the Petronas. I ate Penang Char Kway Teow (price below 7 RM at the Suria KLCC food court) - a stir fried noodle recipe made from rice cake strips (it has prawns, beans, chili and etc) .

Let me share with you some photos of the (still tallest) Twin Towers at night:

We booked a trip to Batu Cave for the next day (90 rm for 3 hours tour, all other stops include Chocolate Factory, Batik and etc.). If only I have more time, I could have just taken a train to Batu Cave because it was cheaper but it wasn't the case so I think the day trip would be a better option.

We started our day tour to Batu Cave at 9:30 AM. It wasn't really a long drive from where we stayed. I think we traveled for like 30 minutes going to Batu Cave.

Batu Cave - A limestone hill and Hindu Shrine (and temple).  The giant statue of Lord Murugan (around 42.7 meters) would be welcoming you on your visit. 

In order to see what's inside the cave, you have to climb 272 steps. Macaque Monkeys were numerous and were roaming around (freely) on your way up and even inside the cave.  I don't hate monkeys but I got scared while climbing the 200 plus plus (little) steps because some of them were aggressive and that made me paranoid (thinking they might do something to me).

Monkeys play a role in Hinduism.  One of the idols of the Hindus was Lord Hanuman, an ape who was also a devotee of Lord Rama.  His statue could also be seen within the vicinity of the cave. 

 Let me share some other photos I took inside the cave:

One thing I like about seeing new places was the new learning you always get.  You get more knowledge by immersing yourself to take even ba glimpse of other cultures.  Malaysia might be a South East Asian country like my home country, Philippines but there were (still) a lot of differences in terms of language, culture, religion and etc.  Based from my experience, Hinduism has a huge influence in Malaysia - the Batu Cave was one proof for that.  In the Philippines, there were Indians as well but I didn't know any Hindu Shrine like the Batu Cave. Any spot of difference could lead to a new knowledge - that fact keeps me enthusiastic all the time on my layovers.  I might not visited all the tourist spots and landmarks in Malaysia but at least I've seen two trademarks and learned something new.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Read more at http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/#yz1IjMTsKbQJlctC.99

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Read more at http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/#yz1IjMTsKbQJlctC.99

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Read more at http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/#yz1IjMTsKbQJlctC.99

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain