[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...

[21.11.2011] Korea Trip Day 1

Hey Guys! I've been meaning to write about my trip to Korea for such a long time. Anyhow its also one of the reasons why I went back to bloggin. The thing is, feel that posting pictures does not really give enough justice to whatever experiences I had and saw so by posting on this blog i'll be able to recap Korea trip and explain it better in more detail! (Kinda like HD) hehe then i'll move on bit by bit with all my trips till the present day.

After Korea I went to Hanoi and Ha Lon Bay and also Singapore, Perhentian Islands in Malaysia and Bali. and I cant wait to share that with you guys so wait for it ya?

Anyhow back to this post, this was way back in November last year when I decided to follow a bunch of my friends to Seoul, Korea.

At first I thought ok Korea... Land of SNSD and Kimchi.. and some drama.. what else could there be? hahaha little did i know I would the one going gaga and wanting to come back.

So after getting the ok by the boss and having a hell of 2 weeks preparing for a trial and boxes of documents , I found myself at the airport and waiting for the flight.

To save costs, I decided to get tickets using Air Asia X and  under Air Asia X, they have a programme called optiontown where you can try to pay for upgrades if unused for a minimal ammount. So I managed to get the upgrade both ways to the Air Asia X Premium Lie Flat seats and all I can say is its waaaay better than normal Air Asia seats..

Each of the seats can recline and is oh so wonderful.. and get water and food too..

I love the blanket and the pillow

only 12 seats in premium

 I was also lucky to get the huge seats and also get the seat next to me free on the way to Seoul. I managed to hijack that seat and place my laptop and bag and just let myself relax all the way there. I must say though that for the flight to Seoul, I managed to get some pretty stewardesses and some were Korean!

Anyhow the flight to Korea takes about 6 hours and Air Asia has only two flight times which were arrive late or arrive damn early hehe. The flight schedules availlable was only at 2pm and arrive at 9 pm  Malaysia time or leave at about midnight and arrive at 6 am.

So my flight that day was at 2pm and arrived roughly about 9 or 10.. i cant remember.. Anyhow as I sat in the front, I naturally was one of the first to get to the immigration counter.. and I must say, they do provide great service there.

Within a few seconds I was off on my way and was waiting by the baggage carousel.

As I arrived earlier than my friends (they would only be arriving the next morning) and I was staying at a different place than them.. (they stayed south of the Han River and I stayed North of the River). I had to hustle to get out of the airport and get to the Airport Limo. I believe the last bus of the day was at 10 45 and by the time I got my stuff and exited the airport it was already 1015... Thus not much time to get tix or go look for the rental phones (to use in korea, quite affordable rates i think)

The Airport Limo tickets are bought much like your taxi tickets at the airport in Malaysia. You line up and pay the amount and you get a ticket.

So upon leaving the airport I got my first real wiff of fresh (err.. mayb with jet fumes) Korean air!!! and brr! It was freezing.. hehe..

According to the backpacker's inn that I was staying in i was supposed to wait for bus no 6011 and out there I had a bench and nothing else to protect me against the elements. And seriously doubts were really starting to come in my mind as to whether I would make it in Korea. I was thinking what if i missed my bus and who do i ask? The people here also dont really speak english that well... BUT I am an avid traveller and I love to travel alone and one of the first places I decided to travel to was a foreign country where they didnt speak the language...just so that I really felt like I was in a foreign place.

Anyhow I sucked it up and watched other Koreans board and leave and then finally the bus came.. Phew!

And boy I was sorta looking for trouble too when I took the bus... Granted yes the backpackers gave a printed map and a direction in Korean in case i needed to show people where I was heading to and which stop i wanted to stop at, but the thing is... MOST OF THE STATIONS SOUNDED THE SAME! and giving landmarks like Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks didnt help because ITS FREAKING EVERYWHERE also what made it worst is that the seats nearest to the driver was taken and i couldnt even say hi.. err can I have the seat here? and ended up I almost went down the bus a few times but then when the bus reached the  right bus stop the Bus Driver was really nice enough to call me and let me know.

So afterwards I went down at the intersection and referred to the map (which NOW was useful) and made my walk to the backpackers..I stayed at  Inside Backpackers and the website can be found here. I really recommend the place as the location was quite perfect and comfortable. There was a university very nearby and lots of places meant for students within walking distance and the Subway which is within 5 minutes walk.

Anyhow, by the time I got there it was almost midnight and Min the proprietor of the Backpacker's Inn was already waiting and chilling in the warm and comfortable common area some other guests with a beer in hand and showed me around the place.

Well suffice it to say that despite being an avid traveller and being a solo traveller summore, I have never stayed at a backpacker's in n before and being in a country like Korea where the houses are small and expensive like Japan I was in the shock of my life at the size of my room.... but that was initially la coz i felt like crying then haha but it slowly became comfortable and actually I kind of like the solace of the room.

That night i went for a walk around the area at 1 AM as I think I was still on Malaysian time and I was not ready to sleep at 12 Malaysian time. Anyhow as it was near a university area, there were lots of cafe's with student's studying and couples sitting around and chatting which was looked very awesome.. hehe.

Anyhow I went back and slept after as the journey had just begun! :)

Solo Single Room (I shouldve put a pic of a tidy room! Sorry!)