Buhay sa Korea

I sent my husband a Youtube video that made him laugh. It’s about Matt, a world traveler. I remember when he invited Seoulites in Facebook to join him in his dance early this year. He announced the venue to be Namdaemun (South Gate) so everybody were there except for him, who went to Dongdaemun (East Gate)!

Read about Matt in Seoul.

Anyway, I really envy Matt for doing something extraordinary (and thank you for sharing). I guess it’s everybody’s dream to travel the world, meet different people, experience other cultures and dance!

The song is really nice. It’s available for download through Amazon. My favorite scenes are the ones in Papua New Guinea and India.

One of the most useful Korean websites for those living in Seoul is the online subway map. It is known as “사이버스테이션” (Cyberstation) and is flash-based. The interface was updated two months ago and it’s even better than before. 서울 지하철 (Seo-ul ji-ha-cheol) or Seoul subway has 12 lines (호선) and each line is distinguished by number/name and color. We are on subway line six (6호선) or the brown line.

A feature of the online subway map that a mother I know would appreciate is the “Elevator”. Clicking it will show which stations have elevators. Most stops on the older lines (1, 2, 3, 4) have none, making them stroller unfriendly. Some stations don’t even have wheelchair lifts!

I usually consult the Cyberstation to calculate how long it will take for me to travel from one station to another. My husband’s cellphone also has maps of the metropolitan cities that have subways: Seoul (and Incheon), Busan, Daegu and Gwangju. It is also an interactive map that lets you search subway stations and calculate travel time between the stops. Really useful!

I hope I can find similarly useful site when I tour outside Korea like when I go on a Las Vegas travel someday

I almost forgot. Seoul subway is also called Seoul Metro.

Last May 8th (Parents’ Day), I met Tesha and Angela at the Cheongnyangni Station. I asked them to be at Dongmyo Station by 9AM, but I told them to call me first before they leave. Glad I didn’t go at the station at the suggested time or I would’ve waited for almost an hour! Hehehe…

We were at the subway station by 10:22 AM. There is a train leaving for Gapyeong at 10:30 AM. We rushed to the train station (with my son on my back) and we’re lucky to catch that train. I swear it was one of the most athletic things I did in my life!

Our destination: Nami Island (Nami-seom or Naminara Republic). One-way ticket to Gapyeong is 3,800 won. I was glad the car wasn’t full. The trip took less than an hour and a half. From Gapyeong station, we took a taxi to Namiseom for 3,700 won. (Taxi in Korea is cheap!)

The place looked different from the last time I was there. The vendors at the “harbor” are gone, replaced by the ticket area. The ticket price also went up. Ferry ride and admission fee used to be 5,000 won but it is now 8,000 won!

Nami Island is better than ever. The island became famous for the Korean drama “Winter Sonata” and the first three times I went there, you’d see a lot of references to it. That has changed quite a bit. I didn’t see the banners with the photos on the way to the “first kiss” scene. Instead, there is a small building that houses the images of the drama. The huge billboard on the way to the metasequoias is also gone. The statue is still there though, and in front of it is now a small pond.

The bike stations have been relocated. The restaurants and gift shops are now all situated in one area. You’d notice a lot of “recycled” stuff, like the wall used in a stage that was made of soda cans. I think the island is promoting eco-tourism. I actually like it better than before.

The toilet rooms are better. They were made to look more artsy, like with the “toilart studio”. You’ll find books inside the cubicles! There is a Secondhand Bookstore and Peace Library with lots of books and cultural stuff from different countries. There’s even an exhibit of “Arts from Mindanao”. (And ostriches and squirrels roaming the island freely!) Of course, if you’d like to stay for a night or two there are accomodations, but they aren’t vegas hotels.

Overall, I think Nami Island is a really good place to visit with your family specially with your kids. I hope Angela and Tesha enjoyed the trip there. Afterall, they had a nice chat with a really cute Korean guy (and that’s priceless).

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I’ve been receiving emails from people who’d like to visit South Korea. They usually ask which hotel is the best place for them to stay. Seoul is a big city divided into several districts. We have an efficient transportation system but traveling from one district to another could take time. Staying in a hotel that is far from the places you’d like to visit could be time-consuming. I’d like to recommend three hotels in downtown Seoul that are conveniently located near tourist, shopping areas and the subway!

1. Best Western Dongdaemun Hotel - This hotel is located right outside Exit 6 of Dongdaemun subway station. From the hotel, you’ll get a nice view of Dongdaemun (Western gate). It is also just a few (like 3!) minutes away by foot to Cheonggyecheon (the famous stream featured on Discovery channel) and a mere 700 meters away from the famous night shopping area of Dongdaemun. Subway and bus service in Seoul is only until midnight and taxis are more expensive at night. If you enjoy night shopping, you won’t need to worry about going back to your hotel. The best thing is, we live about 1.5 kilometers from the area

2. Yim’s House Hotel - Recommended for the budget traveler or for those who see hotels as just a place to rest their tired bodies and take a refreshing shower after a heavy day of touring. I haven’t been to this hotel but its location is great and the reviews on HotelsCombined are all positive. It is really near the palaces and a walking distance to Insadong (a famous tourist shopping area). It is also located near Anguk station, so you can just hop on the subway train if you’d like to explore more of Seoul.

3. Ibis Myeong Dong Hotel Seoul - This is a relatively new hotel. It is located right at the heart of the trendiest shopping area in Seoul. Like the previous two, it is also located near a subway station, Euljiro1-ga on line 2. I always bring my visitors to Myeong Dong for shopping, dining and singing - noraebang! You can walk to Namdaemun (South gate), famous for night shopping too and the perfect place to shop for souvenirs (traditional and Hallyu inspired), cameras, clothes, shoes, stationeries, kitchen utensils and so on.

You can make your hotel reservations or find more hotels in Seoul or other places in Korea through HotelsCombined, where you can search more than 30 sites at once.

If you’ve been to Seoul and you’d like to recommend a hotel, please feel free to do so. It would help others who are planning to come and visit.

If you have seen the Korean romance-comedy drama “The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince”, they this place should be familiar. I went there last Friday afternoon with some friends (and my son) after eating Chinese food at Yeonhui-dong. The place wasn’t difficult to find. We took the taxi and asked to be taken to Sanullim Theater. Oh well, it isn’t really far from where we had lunch.

The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince is one of the most popular Korean dramas last year. It even earned its female lead, Yoon Eun Hye, the best actress trophy in this year’s Baeksang Awards. She and Gong Yoo also gained more CF because of the popularity of this drama.

We were excited when we got to the place, a two-storey building. The second floor is not open to customers though. The first thing you’ll notice is the raw finish. Some may like it (I did) and others may not. The walls are autographed by the stars, the staff and fans who visit the place. My friends even signed on the board near our table. The counter has espresso machines and lotsa other things that I really didn’t notice.

I was shocked by the prices of the coffee! I don’t even go to Starbucks since I don’t really like fancy coffee. I like mine black with a hint of brown sugar. My friend ordered an ice caffe mocha for me. My son tried it and liked it. That was his first coffee.

The shop wasn’t full when we were there. There were less than twenty customers that time. Two were Japanese, three Chinese, three Pinoys and the rest were Koreans. Most took pictures. I don’t believe people go there for the coffee…

The staff was really nice. IMO, customer service in Korea is topnotch!They played the drama’s OST and that made my friends really “kilig”. They said it was a surreal experience and I’m glad they enjoyed it.

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Two Sundays ago (April 27) we took an hour and a half drive to Asan, a city in the province of south Chuncheong. We went there for the birthday festival of one of Korea’s national heroes, Yi Sun Shin (or Lee Sun Shin/Yi Soon Shin). It was I who suggested to go there as I haven’t been to the place and I’d seen the drama The Immortal Yi Sun Shin.

Yi Sun Shin has a god-like status in the country. If you could read the novel or watch the drama on his life, you would understand why. His statue dominates over one of Seoul’s busiest streets, Gwanghamun. There is also one street in Seoul, Chungmu-ro, named after his title of Chungmugong or Martial Lord of Loyalty. Sadly, he’s not well known outside East Asia (or I never knew him until I saw The Immortal Yi Sun Shin). I admit, I admired the man too after watching all those films and reading more about him. I bought my son a shirt with the number 23 at the back. It isn’t for Michael Jordan, but for the 23 battles the Admiral fought and won.

Yi Sun Shin was loyal to his country till the end, no matter how many times he was “betrayed” by the ruling class during his lifetime. He believed in social justice yet he also dedicated his life to the king. In the end, he got what he wished for… He died in a battle like a dignified soldier and spared his king the guilt and shame of putting a loyal warrior to death. The king, at that time, mistakenly believed that Yi Sun Shin was a threat to his existence.

In Asan, we went to Hyeonchungsa, a shrine built in the 1700s and dedicated to the war hero. Entrance fee is 500 won. The walk from the main gate to the main shrine is more than 400 meters. You’ll see two ponds to the left at about 50 meters from the gate.

At about 300 meters from the gate is Yi Sun Shin’s house. My husband said it is simple and small considering the Admiral’s status. He came from a Yangban (noble) family and his grandfather was a member of the King’s court. There’s the archery range at the right side of the house and further is Yi Myeon’s grave, the Admiral’s son who was killed fighting off the Japanese. I met two old men under the gingko trees at the archery range. They were Korean war veterans and told me that they lived in the Philippines for more than a decade, training at Clark Air Base. They spoke English well and were very nice.

Read more about Yi Sun Shin on these pages:
Yi Sun Shin from the Wikipedia
Admiral Yi Sun Shin, a Korean hero
The Man who transforms Korea

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Sometime in 2005, my husband and I together with my parents-in-law traveled to Jeollanam-do, a province in southern South Korea. It was during one of those 3-day weekends during the summer. I’d taken so many pictures in the first two days that I almost ran out of space on my camera’s SD card on the third day. On our trip back to Seoul, we passed by a temple called Baegyang (”sa” is the Korean word for temple). Here’s the description from Tour2Korea:

Founded during the reign of King Mu of the Baekje Dynasty (632), Baekyangsa Temple is located within Naejangsan National Park. The combination of the mountain and valleys on both sides creates beautiful scenery. Nature reveals its beauty throughout all seasons here especially the red maple leaves during the fall. Daeungjeon, Geukrakbojeon and Sacheonwangmun have been designated as cultural assets. Pass the wood path of lined-up white oaks and maple trees, through the entrance of Baekyangsa Temple, and you will first spot Ssanggyeru. You will appreciate the breathtaking view of Ssangyeru shimmering in the pond.

We arrived at the temple sometime around noon and we saw what seems to be funeral procession. We were told that a monk has died. It was my first time to see such an “event” so I took pictures. During the protests in Burma, I noticed that in comparison the monks here are somewhat privileged.

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We went to the different buildings at the temple site. Then we went back to where the monk’s coffin was to be cremated. Unfortunately, I ran out of space on my SD card. I couldn’t take pictures. It was my first time to see a funeral pyre. My husband said if the monk had achieved enlightenment, there will be gemstones found after the cremation.