On the 30th of November Year 2011

It is the 30th of November year 2011, and it is a holiday here in the Philippines. This means that I should be at home or somewhere else except at work. But due to strict deadlines that we could not avoid, we have to come to the office and finish the task that has been given to us. Anyway, Christmas is already near so coming to work on a holiday means I am going to have extra pay. Bravo! :)

Also, things at home are not going so well lately thus I like to spend more time at work than at home. Though I believe that running away from our problems would not fix them, right? Instead, we should be strong enough to face and deal with them. And I should not be scared because I know God is with me. Thank you Lord for surrounding me with people who comforts me at times like this. I am only human and I am weak, but because of your love for me, you made my friends as your instrument in making me a stronger person.

From the things that happened and is happening for the past couple of days, I realized that I am really blessed. And because of this realization, there is no reason for me to give up. I know, with God, things will eventually be back to normal. My days will become better. I just have to trust and have faith in Him.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Korea Day #5

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Last day in Seoul. It's hard to accept but it was really the end of our 5 day stay in South Korea. The highlight of our last day was having brunch at Egg and Spoon Race in Edae. This restaurant is famous for their brunch meals and it is located near Ehwa Women's University. The place is also very cozy that's why a lot of the university students love to dine here. The food we ordered was really delicious!

Egg and Spoon Race @ Edae

Egg. Sausage. Bacon. Waffle. Salad.

My highschool friend and I was able to find time to visit one of the palaces in Seoul. Below are photos taken from Deoksugung Palace.

Deoksugung Palace

Inside Deoksugung Palace

Inside Deoksugung Palace

Autumn in Seoul - Photo taken at Deoksugung Palace

There are still lots of places that we were not able to visit. Seoul is such a nice place to go to. Definitely, we are coming back to see more of Seoul's tourists spots. :)

Korea Day #4

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Second to the last day in Seoul, South Korea. We had our DMZ tour scheduled on this day so we had to wake up really early because someone was going to pick us up at the hostel at exactly 7:30AM. This DMZ tour costs 41,000 won and it already includes the shuttle bus going to DMZ with a tourist guide.

DMZ stands for Demilitarized Zone and it is the border that cuts the Korean peninsula roughly in half (North Korea and South Korea). As one of the relics of the Cold War, DMZ attracts a great deal of public interest and it became a popular destination for tourists visiting Korea. In this tour, we were able to visit the 3rd infiltration tunnel as well as the observatory. When availing this tour, one should take note of the "strict" guidelines since photo taking is not allowed in some areas.

"End of Separation. Beginning of Unification"

After the DMZ tour, I met up with my MaSci friend. When I was with my friend, he made me taste the following:

1. Banana milk - a delicious drink that can be bought at any convenient store
2. Bibimbap - a Korean dish which literally means "mixed dish"; it is white rice topped with seasoned vegetables, chili pepper paste, and raw egg.
3. Dunkin Donut's Cookies and Cream Iced Drink

We were also not able to resist buying and eating these muffins :)

Yummy muffins!

To burn all the calories we had from all the food we ate, we had a night walk along the streets of Hongdae. It was an endless walk along different bars and restaurants. Very day tiring indeed! :)

Korea Day #3

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It's our 3rd day in Seoul, South Korea. Since we didn't make it to the Nami Island Tour yesterday, we were still lucky to have it re-booked on this day.

Nami is a small island which is perfect for those who want to relax and take an afternoon walk around a beautiful scenery. This place is very popular among Koreans and can be seen in most Korean dramas (i.e. Winter Sonata). Going to Nami Island, we took a shuttle bus from Insadong which costs 21,000 won. From the port to the island itself, tourists have to ride a ferry.

Ferry going to Nami Island

Nami Island during Autumn

There were also other activities on the island. There were bikes for rent. There are also villas available for tourists who want to stay overnight. There are souvenir shops and restaurants. Foods on the island were a bit pricey so we only had sandwiches for lunch.

What's for lunch?

After our Nami Island tour, we went shopping again at Insadong for our "pasalubongs". Then we headed to Hangang River because we wanted to try the night cruise. Unfortunately, there were no schedules for the cruise on that day. So since we were already in that area, we decided to go to 63 City instead.

63 City is Korea's tallest and most recognized building with 63 floors and has a spectacular view of the Hangang River.

63 City

It was already late when we arrived 63 City so we didn't have time to go to any of the following: 63 Sea World, 63 Sky Deck, 63 IMAX Theater, 63 Sky Art, and 63 Wax Museum. And to maximize our stay in this building, we just ate dinner at the food court.

Burger and cheese balls for dinner :)

This was indeed a very tiring day! But we surely did enjoy all the activities we had! :)

Korea Day #2

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Woke up early on a Sunday morning because we were supposed to have our Nami Island tour. The assembly place and time was at Tapgol Park in Insadong at exactly 9:00AM. Unfortunately, we did not make it on time because the Korean's who we asked for directions did not know where the park was located. It was a bit disappointing so we went shopping at Insadong instead. There are a lot to be seen in this area -- clothes, food, and different kinds of souvenirs.

Famous shopping area in Seoul

Traditional Korean pancake! So delicious! :)

After eating Korean traditional pancake and shopping for souvenirs at Insadong, we went back to Hoehyeon. Since most of the restaurants in the area were closed, we decided to have our late lunch at BBO BBO Chicken Hof which was near Seoul Backpackers Hostel. For this day's lunch we had: Korean fried chicken, Korean terriyaki chicken, and mixed sausages.

Korean Fried Chicken

Korean Chicken Terriyaki

Mixed Sausages

Next stop is at Lotte World! :) We were only able to take one ride because there were so many people since it was a Sunday. Nevertheless, we enjoyed  taking pictures on the different amusement rides.

After being amused with the largest indoor theme park in the world, we went to Cheonggyecheon (Stream) to witness the last day of Seoul Lantern Festival 2011. This festival began in 2009 and each year it has a different theme. For 2011, the theme was ”Stories of Seoul’s Past through Lanterns”. Lanterns depicting the history of Seoul were displayed along the stream.

Stories of Seoul’s Past through Lanterns

The last activity we had for the day was to have some drinks with Kim and Sooji at a bar in Seoul. It was indeed a happy way to end the day and to celebrate our friendship with our NFKF. :)

Cheers!

Korea Day #1

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Arrived in Seoul, Korea at around 8:30 AM. Walked from Seoul Station to Seoul Backpackers Hostel carrying our bags and luggage because we didn't know that we could take the subway from Seoul Station to Hoehyeon which was supposed to be a lot easier. The three of us were already hungry so we decided to eat brunch at a Korean restaurant near the hostel.

Yummy beef stew for brunch for only 6,000 won

After eating brunch, we took the City Bus Tour wherein we rode a bus which took us around the famous tourists spots in Seoul. The tour costs 10,000 won. Unfortunately, since we were tired from our flight, we were mostly asleep during the tour. After the tour, we went back to Seoul Backpackers Hostel to rest.

Had dinner with Sooji and Kim (NFKF - new found Korean friends) at Woori Garden, Myeongdong. They ordered Soju as well. :)

Kim and Sooji's dinner treat

Kim and Sooji asked us to try this dish: Raw beef w/ radish on the side

Soju! :)

We also tried the Korean traditional candy which we bought for 1,000 won along the streets of Myeongdong. According to our Korean friend, when you eat this candy without breaking the molded figure in the middle, you can make a wish.

Korean traditional candy. Yummy! Sweet!

After dinner, we went to N Seoul Tower. The view from the the tower's observatory is really awesome! :) This is one of the "must see" places when you visit South Korea.

N Seoul Tower at night