[22.11.2012] Korea Trip Day 2 Pt 1

So hey.. at the end of the last post I showed you how small my room was... (a lot of you had commented on how small it was... yes and I felt like crying at that time.. but it soon turned out to be quite ok)...

So the next morning after I woke up, I went out to buy some rice at a grocery store nearby (Rice is called BAP there.. but heck saying BAP also was difficult for some to understand coz they went apologetically sorry?.. then I showed the writing from my app in the phone.. and they went oh.. BAP... hahaha.. I was like Heh?Isnt that what I said?)

Anyhow to save on costs there, I brought about 5 packet's of brahim's rendang and such, 2 big packs of maggie mee and 2 cans of sambal ikan bilis..(I checked before going and they have no restrictions about bringin in stuff) hehe... So I used the backpacker's rice cooker to cook the rice which wasnt an easy feat as water was like ARTIC FREEZE and the rice cooker was written in Korean.. So what I had to do was press a few buttons and see and check it later to see that yes it was steaming up... and pray to god that it didnt turn out to be bubur.. hehehe

Anyhow here's how the kitchen looks like... 

Quite comfy right with the washer and dryer there.. I actually  liked cooking there.. Mayb because the lack of a maid helped I guess.. 

And the extra comfortable living room

Great living room. Sat and watched a lot of football with Christian the German tourist who was staying there.

The two free usage computers...

And the reception desk.. 

So you guys must be wondering how it looks like on the outside right?

Here's the pic... you see the scooter there with a door behind it, yes thats where the entrance to the backpacker is... and underneath it is actually a very nice cafe with some very nice coffee.. They have their own grind and roast the coffee inside I believe..

Anyhow my room is actually above the awning here and from my room I can be connected to the wifi downstairs.. :P (The best part is that internet speeds in Korea are insanely faster than Malaysia)

As you exit, theres a bakery next to that cafe and it comes out on to the street. Heres a pic of the street. As I said before it was really near to a university. At the end of the street in the picture below is the gate to the university.

As I said in my earlier blog, the map that was given to me pointed out the starbucks as a landmark.. heres the Starbucks.. (Hint : Filled with lots of University Students.. and the cashier here was very nice and cute and loved to give me pleasant smiles. )

Here's a few more pics of the area... As you can tell it was getting cold.. Yet, some girls still wore skirts... (I am not complaining!)

As you can tell, theres a lot of cafe's and coffee shops..

Check out their Taxi! Its a K5! 

So after having my very filling breakfast and lunch of the day, I decided to do some sigh see-ing.. Not far from the backpacker's inn was a nice old palace. Theres about 5 palaces scattered all about the city and as other people have said, once you have been to one, you've been to all of them.. hehe.. 

one of the old gates.. you cant enter through here. you have to go down summore

The wall of the palace

Located opposite the Seoul University Hospital

Playing with some high definition effects... I love the crunchy leaves.. 

The gates of the palace..

What I really liked about this palace is that it has its own lake and gardens. From the courtyard, you can find the garden on your right and it opens up to this hugeee area which was just wonderful to see in the autumn time.

Anyhow here's a look at the garden.

oops i still had the high definition settings on..

Check out how huge the area is.. 

A selca.. hehe

I kinda like this pic... its very serene and calming... 

I think the pigeon also is happy to fly there...

Kalau kat Malasia dah panggil ini sebagai pankin.. hehe atau mat salleh panggil gazebo... Zaman dulu2 pun ada.. Anyhow I wouldnt mind chilling here for days and days.

I actually love the garden there with its lake and streams and the abundance of life despite it being spring... hehe. This place really reminds me of the creek and small woods behind my apartment in US where i used to walk to school and play around in during the evenings. I loved to feel the cold frosty smell and the quiet deafning sounds of the woods when in winter.. haha I was really happy to be there.. 

Anyhow, I will continue with the rest of the palace and the rest of my day in Part 2...