[22.01.13] Travel

Hey everybody... Look at the title... Just look at it and imagine what it entails... I'm sure most of you love the thought of travel and travelling  and actually going on one. Some of you may imagine the sun, the beach and the sea.. and some of you may imagine the snow, the peaks and the sights.. and some of you may just love the city and the sights smells and the joys of being in it... and some of you like me, love all of it..! hahaha...

But then some of you may be like my friends who HATE TO TRAVEL... They hate the travel that their work gives them despite the first class seats, lounges and also the perks of the travel... and they hate the opportunities and sights that are just awaiting them right outside the hotel door....

Anyhow I just want to say I love travelling.. I love the airports,the planes (budget and full service carriers), the waiting lounges (full carriers and not budget waiting areas ok... coz those suck!) and the difference that the different places can give for me...But I love my country! Yes...  I guess the Malaysian proverb that "Hujan Emas Di Negeri Orang Hujan Batu Di Negeri Sendiri Lebih Baik Di Negeri Sendiri" which literally means "Gold Rains in Foreign Countries, While Hailstone Drops On Own Country, Still One's Own Country Is Better" can be applied in this case.. But in most cases I love going away and wanderlusting...  I think this all started with me living in the US when I was young.. I remember my flight there and my first food.. which I managed to remember because I got hit with a serious bout of nausea and gas upon the flight attendants warming up the food.. and from Malaysia all the way to Washington D.C i consumed only drinks and no food.. So I never really had the chance to enjoy the benefits of the Business Class Lounges and seats till I came back from US when we took the DC-New York-London- KL route .... but that seemed to be the last of the long haul flights for me I guess till now.. Unless you consider Korea a long haul flight (Air Asia X does!) hehe. 

So right now it pains me to have sooo much free time with the planning and conceptualization and study on the business but not enough finances (actually scared to spend is more like it) to go on a real holiday and especially when most of the places I want to go is having WINTER... Dang! But I guess ikat perut sebentar and tahan nafsu (the wanderlust i think) and work on my business.. I am not complaining about it, but its just that I REALLY WANT TO GO ON HOLIDAY!! haha....

Anyhow, enough ranting for today, I want to share some pics which I managed to come across which looks awesome!.. I hope I can try and use them for future inspirations for travel and also post travel souvenirs and momentos..  Check them out.. 

I really want to try to do this

Isnt the above great? I mean put all the ticket stubs, the pins the keychains and anything to bring back the memories from your travels? 

And check out the below! 

Hahaha aint the above very apt? Bon-Voyage! 

and I wish you were here!

this all creates...

and lastly...

[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...