redraincloud

wandering nomad, biology geek, and occasional photographer all rolled into one.

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Time to say goodbye (to 2013):

What is it that you seek and have you found it yet? The year's gone, all fifty-two weeks (but soon a brand new one you'd get) Have you found that which you seek in all the people you have met? And all those places you've been they must be beautiful I'd bet Perhaps it's freedom that you seek memories you'd like to forget So is it freedom that you need? caught in the past by an unseen net Perhaps it's courage that you need forgive instead when you can't forget Could it be courage that you seek? don't let the past trap you in its net

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Dinner at La Folie

a few weeks ago, J and I celebrated our anniversary at La Folie. hehe J knows that the way to my heart is through food! La Folie is a classic French fine dining restaurant, which has been awarded one Michelin star. we have heard rave reviews from other foodie friends, so it wasn't a difficult choice!

La Folie has a straightfoward menu. there are 5 categories, ranging from appetizers to entrees to desserts, and there are 3 to 7 choices in each category. for a 5-course meal, you can mix and match any number of choices in any category.. meaning you could have 5 desserts if you wanted to!

we picked the 5-course meal, but really we should have gone with 3 courses. while the food here is excellent, they gave us such huge portions (unusual for fine dining restaurants!) and complimentary dishes, we were too stuffed by the end of it. first world problem... too much food lol. 

our first two dishes were simple, light amuse bouches. we spent some time pondering how they managed the perfect cut of the egg shell.

J also ordered a bottle of French burgundy, which was really good!

for our first course, J had the baby heirloom beets salad, whereas I had the "Tasting of Passot Roe" (lack of photos while I'm busy gobbling said dish). the ceviche was very fresh and light on the palate. loved the tiny bursts of fish roe adding kicks of saltiness to the whole dish!

my second dish was the Tempura Duck Egg. it was a winning combination of my 3 favourite foods: sweetbreads, almonds, and truffles.  too good! J had a lightly cooked Arctic Char with miso crema. 

 for the third dish, mine was a lacklustre Dayboat Scallops with more sweetbreads. J ordered the Chef's Special, which arrived mysteriously underneath a silver cloche cover.. we are sworn to secrecy on the ingredient, but i can tell you this is the stuff of my dreams!!! pan-seared to perfection, rich, creamy and decadent.. a perfect pair with the tartness of huckleberry. i'd go back just to eat this again! 

our fourth dish were entrées. i had the Trio of Rabbit (Loin, Rack and Braised Leg), which was tender and juicy, with each part of the rabbit flavored differently. they even added a side of rabbit liver, which was melt-in-your-mouth. J's Duck Breast and Crispy Duck Confit Gateau was equally excellent. the portions are seriously ginormous though - there must have been an entire rabbit sitting on my plate. we couldn't finish our entrees, and neither did the couple sitting next to us. but don't be mistaken, the entrees were amazing, we just had no more room left!  

at this time, they gave us a light juice concoction to cleanse our palate before the desserts. J and i were contemplating if we even had room for dessert given the crazy amount of food we already had. 

but boy am i glad we stayed for dessert! J had a Valrhona chocolate mousse with beet sponge cake, hibiscus sorbet and a lychee macaroon. for someone who doesn't usually eat beets, J had an unusually "beet"y meal lol. but one can never go wrong with rich and velvety Valrhona chocolate! and my warm Edam cheese soufflé with crispy bacon bits was a complete mouth-gasm. more please! 

La Folie really amazes me at how all rounded they are at so many different types of dishes. at the end of dinner service, the chef Roland Passot also came out to chat with each table and thanked each of us personally. he was very humble and i could feel that he genuinely cares about making good food for the patrons. it was the perfect ending to our wonderful dinner at La Folie! 

my conclusion - highly recommended, and worth every buck. order the Chef's Special, and spend the rest of your meal weeping tears of joy. 

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Hiking Mt Tamalpais

in anticipation for the two big hikes i plan to do this year - Machu Picchu in Peru and Torres del Paine in Chile - i bought some new hiking gear recently. i especially wanted to break in my Keen waterproof hiking boots (Targhee II Mid Waterproof hiking boot, if anyone is interested). Mount Tamalpais State Park is only an hour's drive away from us, so I dragged J out on this sunny Saturday!

one of the most popular hikes in Mt Tam is the Dipsea-Steep Ravine-Matt Davis loop, which combines 3 trails with great scenery, ranging from the beach to redwood forests to rolling hills with springflowers. it's a 7 mile hike, with about 1600 feet of elevation. we started off on Dipsea trail, as i read that doing it in this anti-clockwise direction would be less strenuous on the climb up.  

Dipsea trail actually begins near Stinson Beach. the beach was jam packed with people out to enjoy the sun! we were overdressed in comparison to everyone else in shorts, but long pants were a necessary evil against poison oak. we found the trail head just behind the fire station, and off we went!

the Dipsea trail is also really famous for the Dipsea Race, which is the oldest cross country trail running event. It started in 1905, and there is also a guy called the Dipsea Demon who is famous for running the race from his 30s till he was 96!

plenty of flowers in bloom, and some Christmas firs with new shoots! 

soon enough we reached the fork to Steep Ravine trail. as the name implies, the trail is rather steep, but it's also a very enjoyable trail with small creeks and waterfalls on the side. 

Steep Ravine trail gets so steep, you actually have to climb a 10-foot ladder at one point! i was really excited about the ladder. J just thinks i'm mad.

we reached our halfway point, the Pantoll Ranger Station after about 2 hours of hiking. the climb was quite gradual so it was not too bad for us, who haven't gotten much intense exercise in a bit.

after a short break to use the bathrooms and refill our water reservoir, we set off again to hike back down via Matt Davis trail. we met 2 groups of people who separately told us that they had met rattlesnakes on Matt Davis and to be careful. we did hear some noises in the bushes but we moved quickly to avoid any creepy encounters.  

the forest abruptly ended after a short walk, and opened into an amazing vista of rolling hills and green meadows. it was quite the perfect picnic spot, and we saw a few hikers just lying on the grass enjoying the view. 

happy hikers enjoying the sunshine!

alas, my favourite part of the hike came to an end too quickly, and we turned back into the forest after a fork in the road. i wonder where the other fork leads to..?

the hike back down was harder for me, as the steps seemed never ending. we saw a girl who just laid across the path, practically dying from the exertion since she was climbing up, in the opposite direction from us.  to be honest, i'm glad we picked hiking in the anti-clockwise direction, which seems a lot easier. there were lots of people who were really huffing and panting from climbing up clockwise on Matt Davis. 

finally, the end is in sight with a view of Stinson beach! yayyyy!

5 hours of hiking had left us starving. we proceeded to the nearest restaurant in sight, where i gobbled up copious amounts of bread, fries, and a BBQ pulled pork sandwich. all that in spite of my low-carb diet! hiking apparently brings out my appetite like nothing else. but seriously, Sand Dollar restaurant does serve up some tasty soups and sandwiches.

by the time we were done, the sun was setting on Stinson beach and it was getting chilly. i made it for the last soft serve cone at the beach corner store though! i blame it on all the beachgoers who were eating a soft serve cone earlier, it was on my mind the entire day. umm.. think of it as a well deserved treat after the hike?

all said and done, this was a moderate hike, doable between 3.5 to 5 hours depending on your level of fitness. the hike down can be a little hard on the knees though. the trails were very well marked, though we did download a Mt Tam trail map app as a precaution. the app uses the phone's GPS capabilities, which is nice to locate where you are on the trails. we'll be back, Mt Tam! 

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Seoul Day 4: Shopping at Ehwa Women's University

on the last afternoon in Seoul.. what would 2 girls do? of course the answer is shopping! 

from our double lunch at Sinchon, we headed towards Ehwa Women's University (also known as Edae). this is a private female-only university, which is considered one of the best colleges in Korea. a whole shopping district has sprung up next to the university to cater to the large population of female students. with rows and rows of shops, cafes and salons, it's quite the girly haven around here!

obviously we were sidetracked.. i have no photos of the shopping district. but we did venture into Ehwa Women's University for a quick peek! a look at the campus map and we found out that they also had an Ehwa Kindergarten, Ehwa Elementary School.. all the way to graduate school. this means you can spend more than 20 years in a female-only education! OMG.

the campus is truly quite beautiful. i read that Edae hired a French architect Dominique Perrault to design parts of the campus, with the goal of integrating modern architecture with the natural landscape. the result is a remarkable feeling of open space complemented by idyllic gardens. i would imagine this makes going to school so much more enjoyable!

we ended our visit here with some sweet treats in Zoo Coffee cafe. almost every cafe in Seoul has a theme! and as usual, their waffles are wayyy better than anything i've had in Singapore or the States.

haha abrupt photo ending to our Seoul trip. the problem was that we got laden down by too many shopping bags after this - true story. everytime we walked into a store, the salepeople would feel sorry for us and let us put our stuff down in one corner while we kept on shopping. mainly we were buying gifts for friends, and beauty products like masks and hand cream made great presents. Edae is a great one stop shop for all the things a girl could want - clothes, bags, shoes and beauty products! 

alas, we only had so much time and so much luggage space. i spent the rest of my night trying to fit everything right in my luggage! totally forgot that flying from the States allowed for 43 kg, whereas flying from Korea only allowed for 20 kg! i was in great distress and had to unload random things onto WX. note to self: have tons of luggage space next time! i'm aiming to get Star Alliance Gold soon so hopefully that will not be a problem in the future. *fingers crossed*

so long, Seoul! it's been such a wonderful time and i haven't had enough! you can be sure i'll return with my many transit flights through here ;) 

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how to get here: take the subway to Ehwa Women's University, then take exit 2 or 3 and walk straight ahead. the shops will start right from the subway station until the road meets the university campus. feel free to explore the alleys which have plenty more shops hidden behind!

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Seoul day 4: Palsaik Samgyeopsal

being the greedy pigs we are, we wanted to try as many varieties of Korean food as possible in our 5 days here. hence the idea of having 2 lunches in a row was born! 

as Seo Seo Galbi doesn't serve anything else besides galbi, we only ate a small serving there. we then moved on to Palsaik Samgyeopsal, which is a short 5 minute walk away. samgyeopsal is grilled pork belly (rather similar to bacon), often served with lettuce, garlic and other accompaniments. palsaik (八色) means eight colors, as this restaurant is famous for serving samgyeopsal marinated in eight different flavors. or as the official sign says, "pork of 8 kind tastes"! 

this restaurant is apparently quite famous in Seoul. as we entered, we could see a wall of posters depicting different media events in which they have been featured. 

most people choose between the 8 color set ($30) or the premium set ($43). the only difference is that the premium set offers grilled herb root and aged kimchi. we ordered the premium set, but the extra offerings weren't that exciting. i'd recommend just ordering the 8 color set. also, you are allowed to share, so one set is usually plenty for two people! 

they also had a sign full of sage advice. i nearly died laughing at the line "This store is convenient and pleasant, especially on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays." the Chinese translation seems to suggest that there are less customers on these days? hence you're more likely to get better service. i'm not completely sure it's the same in Korean lol. 

you can also order the 8 flavors of pork belly a la carte if you'd like, at $10 per 150 g serving.. these are the 8 flavors: ginseng, garlic, soy bean paste, wine, herb, hot pepper, pine needles, and curry.

before our meal started, we were served with a complimentary seafood soup. it was astonishingly huge for a complimentary item! it also had mussels, shrimps, and a small crab. we were half full even before we got to the samgyeopsal!

our meat is served in a fancy long plate, with signs for each of the different flavors.

the great thing about being a foreigner in Korean restaurants is that they will often help you grill your meat, since they assume you are clueless. and it's often true, because we have no idea when to flip the meat, when it's ready, and how to best cut it. well, just sit back, relax, and eat!

also, note that your chair has a removable seat cushion, which is hollow underneath - you can stash your coats and bags in there to prevent them from smelling like samgyeopsal all day. the Koreans are so thoughtful!

in general, the samgyeopsal was tasty, but it paled in comparison to the galbi we just had. perhaps we were already too full to enjoy it? their portions are really generous! i really liked the ones marinated in pine needle sauce, there was a nice aroma of pine nuts to it. still worth a visit if you're in the area, and i think it's a nice change from the usual un-marinated samgyeopsal!

how to get here: take the subway to Sinchon station, take exit 6 and go straight ahead for one block. at the junction, take a slight right and cross the road. then turn left and walk for 3 blocks (about 100 m). on your right, look for the Kia Motors store which has a prominent sign and huge car displays. Palsaik Samgyeopsal is right next door!

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Seoul day 4: Seo Seo Galbi

we woke up with only two goals in mind this morning: to eat and to shop our hearts out! first order of business - we headed off to lunch at Seo Seo Galbi in the Sinchon district. 

the reason why we were so eager was because we had been looking for a place that serves hanwoo (韩牛), which is beef from a breed of cows raised in Korea. it's similar to Kobe beef in Japan in that it's considered premium beef and favored by the locals. furthermore, it's in such high demand in Korea, it's not even sold outside of the country!

in our search for hanwoo, we discovered that Seo Seo Galbi serves it for one of the cheapest prices at $14 for 150g of galbi, or marinated beef short ribs. this picture below is two servings!

we read that Seo Seo Galbi was immensely popular and constantly had long lines, so we decided to beat the crowd and arrived at 11.30am when they opened for lunch. not too early to fill our stomachs with marinated meaty goodness!

take note that they serve nothing but galbi, not even banchan or rice. ordering is easy when it's just one item though, you just indicate how many servings you want. the service here is quick and efficient, much like any other popular Korean establishment. the huge grills with charcoal were already heated, and the ajumma who spoke Chinese helped us to cut our galbi. there is also a sauce made with garlic, onions, and soy sauce on the side. don't move it away from the grill.. it's amazingly delicious when heated!

the name of the restaurant Seo Seo means standing.. because you stand while you grill your meat! not a big problem for us, because there are shelves on the side that you can put your bags on. also, if you are worried that your jackets or belongings will smell like BBQ the entire day, ask the ajummas for a plastic bag so you can wrap them up on the side.

the green chilies on the side can be eaten raw, they aren't spicy at all. they were surprisingly crisp and fresh, and were pretty refreshing when eaten togther with the galbi.

the galbi is just so delicious! the cut of the meat was just the right balance of lean and fat, the marination gave it this amazing juicy flavor, and the smokiness of the charcoal grill just topped the perfection. SO GOOD. 

it's never too early in the morning to order a bottle of soju (a liquor similar to vodka)! i have to admit we couldn't finish it and WX ended up lugging the bottle around for the rest of the day. alcohol is also ridiculously cheap here, our bottle was only $3 for 400 ml. cheaper than coffee O.o

when you know this place is really delicious: WX, who used to not eat beef up to 10 years ago, was ferociously gnawing at the bone to get every last morsel. i was impressed.

the expected aftermath. our motto is eat everything and spare nothing!

how to get here: take the subway to Sinchon station, take exit 7 and walk straight for two blocks (approx 5 mins). then turn left at the traffic lights, and you should see a slight slope ahead. Seo Seo Galbi will be the first store on the right of the slope. you should be able to spot the store sign from the intersection, if not the long lines and the whiff of Korean BBQ will bring you there!

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Seoul day 3: Jin Ok Hwa Original Chicken Restaurant

while we were planning our trip, i noticed a lot of rave reviews about this restaurant in Dongdaemun - Jin Ok Hwa Original Chicken Restaurant. the rave reviews came mainly from Chinese blogs, or Asian bloggers who wrote in English. i found that kind of interesting.. perhaps reflective of a different palate? 

more interesting trivia: this restaurant went through a fire a few years ago, and this prompted the owners to renovate the place. i believe it was originally smaller, but has now become a 3-storey restaurant. and trust me, it has the crowd to match its capacity. there was a constant queue of about 20 to 30 people, but they were very well run and efficient in keeping the whole operation running. there were even 2 outdoor gas heaters to keep us warm while waiting for our number to be called.

i like how restaurants in Korea usually specialize in one dish. variety is overrated; it's much better to be a master of one exceptional dish than a jack of all trades! and as you would guess, this restaurant specializes in chicken soup. there is no fuss to eating here - as you enter, you simply indicate how many people you have, and they decide how many chickens you will need. the standard seems to be one chicken to 2 people. 

you get to order some extras, such as rice cakes and noodles. we went with the rice cakes, and they were possibly the best rice cakes we had ever. soft, bouncy, and soaked up all the yummy goodness of the chicken soup! 

their chicken soup is simple, just executed very well. i read that the chickens they pick are usually not more than a month old, which accounts for the tenderness of the meat. it comes cleaned and served in a bowl of soup, with a small block of potato sticking out of its back. it took about 10-15 minutes to cook, and the wait was positively excruciating!

while waiting, we mixed the sauces provided - garlic, mustard, soy sauce, white vinegar, and Korean chili paste. their chili paste is THE BOMB! (trying not to drool while i write this -_-) once the chicken is done, you are supposed to cut it up with the scissors provided. we were obviously noobs, so an ajumma came and helped us out with the cutting. 

nothing quite like piping hot chicken soup on a freezing winter night! and we also indulged in some makgeolli (Korean rice wine) to keep us even warmer! ..also no further photos as i was busy gobbling down everything in sight beyond this point. terrible at keeping photo logs, i know. 

this dinner was pretty worth it, the chicken costs $18 and adding the rice cakes was $1. all full and sleepy after our chicken feast, we went back to our apartment for an early night. really, more like resting up for further feasting and shopping on day 4! 

how to get here: take the subway to Dongdaemun station, take exit 9 and walk straight for 1.5 blocks. on your left, look for a pharmacy with a green cross. above the pharmacy, there is also a sign for Zen Cafe on the second floor. turn left into the alley next to the pharmacy. walk straight to the end of the alley (approx 10 mins), and Jin Ok Hwa Original Chicken Restaurant will be on your right. the alley is quite dark at night, but rest assured that chicken soup is waiting for you right at the end!

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Seoul day 3: Strolling along Chongyecheon (淸溪川) stream

we had to drop by Dongdaemun a second time to fill in our tax rebate forms at Doota mall, because the first night we were there, we didn't realize the tax counter closed at midnight while we shopped our hearts out past 4 am.

also we read about a pretty famous chicken soup restaurant in Dongdaemun, and so en route to dinner and Doota, we had a quick stroll by the Chongyecheon stream! 

apparently this stream was a $280 million project initiated by the mayor. it used to be a highway, but this project meant to introduce more greenery and nature to the city. in some sense, it does remind me of Central Park in Manhattan and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. a peaceful hideout, right in the middle of a bustling city. 

there were these fountains, which had frozen over in the Seoul winter. it does seem like a deliberate effort to get them to freeze though, as the patterns just looked too intricate to be accidental. the tips of the frozen fountains were still trickling water too. 

Chongyecheon runs for 5.8km through downtown Seoul, and we would have loved to walk a longer part of it to see what else it had to offer along the way. sadly our itinerary was packed to the brim (i'll admit all the time got eaten up by shopping), and so we had to make our way out. hopefully some day i'll be back to see Chongyecheon in the daytime too!

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Seoul day 3: Exploring Samcheongdong (三淸洞) cafes

our original plan that day was to explore Gyeongbokgung Palace, visit the quaint little neighborhood of Samcheongdong, follow up to the traditional Korean village Bukchon to see hanoks, and eventually end up at Changdeokgung Palace, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

obviously we had planned all of these in mind before realizing we would be functioning on little sleep (due to our mad late night shopping spree), and not having the foresight that it would be -12 degrees Celsius all day. so after exiting Gyeongbokgung, we decided to pare our options down to Samcheongdong. mostly because we could hide out in the cafes, people watch, and get warm with a nice cuppa in our hands. 

i was so cold, i basically ran towards the nearest cafe and got myself a cup of strong black coffee. temperatures aside, Samcheongdong is a genuinely nice neighborhood to stroll along, with beautiful little boutiques, charming cafes, and interesting architecture all along its alleys. 

we aren't Hello Kitty fans - all that stuff is too cutesy for us - but the cafe was on our way. and i was freezing again, so i had to go in and order a steaming hot green tea latte. admirable foam art at work! 

since it was wintertime, it got dark really quickly. we decided to head over to Dongdaemun for a night stroll along Chongyecheon stream, and then to an early dinner.

how to get here: take the subway to Gyeongbokgung station. take exit 5 and walk straight ahead. walk past Gyeongbokgung palace, take a left turn and go straight, and you should be in the Samcheongdong district. alternatively, you can also get here by exiting from the east gate of Gyeongbokgung palace. 

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Seoul day 3: Gyeongbokgung Palace (景福宫）

despite having only slept 4 hours, we found that we couldn't sleep anymore at 10 am and decided to grab breakfast at one of the cafes below our apartment.

i have no idea why, but Seoul serves up some of the best baked goods i have ever tasted in my life. even a regular chain store cafe like this Caffe Bene served up amazing toast and waffles. which is strange, when you consider that bread and pastries are more of a Western invention. perhaps because Koreans have a sweet tooth?

we decided to take it easy this day and visit the Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was a 5 minute walk from our apartment. so convenient! it was ridiculously freezing that day though, so i was wearing thick mittens i bought from Doota. it's kind of impossible to take photos with mittens on..

the main gate of the palace is called Gwanghwamun (光化门). we had timed our arrival to watch the guard changing ceremony, which takes place outside Gwanghwamun every hour on the dot.

the royal guard changing ceremony is supposed to re-enact the tradition from Joseon dynasty, which dates back to the 15th century. it was fairly interesting to watch, though WX and i were more excited to try on some traditional Korean royal clothing, which was an experience offered inside the palace. sadly, we realized the English tour for Gyeongbokgung was about to start and had to make a dash for the ticket office. 

due to a large crowd huddling around, we somehow got mixed up and ended up following the wrong tour guide. his English was great, and he explained everything really clearly.. until we talked to him during a break and discovered he was a private tour guide. cue WX and i scrambling to find the public English tour!

we found the actual tour group later, but the tour guide's English was a little worse. the palace grounds was beautiful though, and this pavilion across a pond (currently frozen solid) was used for feasts to entertain guests. 

we also noticed these sets of strange statues on the edge of the roofs. apparently they depict the characters from Journey to the West: the monk and his disciples, such as the monkey god. i thought that was a Chinese story though? but somehow it must have been incorporated into the Korean culture.  

us freezing souls just messing around the palace. can you tell it's -12 degrees Celsius? our feet were frozen for a good part because we were walking on the palace grounds, which were covered in ice. holy smokes! but seriously, i think it will be much better to return to Gyeongbokgung in fall, with the colors of fall foliage i imagine it must be gorgeous!

us freezing souls just messing around the palace. can you tell it's -12 degrees Celsius? our feet were frozen for a good part because we were walking on the palace grounds, which were covered in ice. holy smokes! but seriously, i think it will be much better to return to Gyeongbokgung in fall, with the colors of fall foliage i imagine it must be gorgeous!

how to get here: take the subway to Gyeongbokgung station. take exit 5 and walk straight ahead until you spy the palace!

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Seoul day 2: Shopping at Dongdaemun

first of all.. i have to declare that i didn't take any photos of Dongdaemun. because who has time to take photos when there's so much to shop?

we only visited 2 malls in Dongdaemun: Doota and U:US. to put it simply, U:US mall is cheaper, but it's geared towards a wholesale market, so the store owners were surly towards customers like us, who only wanted to buy an item or two. also, the gems were buried amongst other items, so it took a lot more time and effort to find something nice. we only stopped by to buy a few bags and rings, and instead spent most of our time (and $$) in Doota. 

Doota is more expensive, but the items are well curated, everything is beautiful and of great quality. i found it really comparable to American prices, where a nice shirt costs about $35 and a nice coat costs about $120. out of the 8 storeys, we preferred the young designer zone in B1, where local young people had stores selling their own designs. they would help us try on the clothes and even gave us styling tips on the different ways to wear each item!

it was also really convenient to have lockers in the building, so we could just stash our loot (the coats i bought got really heavy) and keep on shopping. add that to a money exchange and tax refund counter with incredibly efficient service, and we were completely sold. like most malls in Dongdaemun, Doota is open till 5 am almost everyday, and we fully utilized that! the great thing about late night shopping is that there are no crowds, but the terrible thing is that impulse buys happen when you're tired. first world problem lol. 

my favorite buys of the night were these 2 coats. i just love the design and the cut of Korean coats, they are so much more interesting and flattering compared to American coats!

this coat came with a detachable cape, and it's incredibly soft and light despite being really warm. the designer that sold me the coat said it's a propietary blend of wool they use in Korea.. not sure if that's completely true but sure works as well as my wool coats! and yes i'm feeding lettuce to a chicken, no that's not Doota. 

the other coat that i thought about for 2 hours and went back to buy at 4 am. was trying to stifle my purchasing impulse, you see. (sidenote: photo is taken by J in SF, with my new favorite Celine bag!) 

when we finally stumbled out of Doota at 4.30am, the subway had already closed. but fret not, Seoul is full of cabs at any time of the night! just don't be like us - we asked the driver how much it would be to Gyeongbokgung, near where we stayed, and we were quoted $20. the following night we took another cab on the same route, but we just got into the cab and watched the driver turn on the meter. lo and behold, our 10-minute cab ride was just a little beyond $5!

lesson learnt: Seoul has some of the cheapest cabs in the world. and as far as i can tell, they go by time, not distance. it takes minutes before the meter even increases by $0.10. when we got stuck in traffic one day, we just paid, got off and and started walking to the nearest subway station. thanks to their dense subway network, there's always a station just around the corner.

and that's it for a very long day 2 in Seoul! WX and i actually stayed up in our apartment till 6 am afterwards, just catching up with each other's life. that's what happens when best friends stay in different continents.. but always so worth it when we get together! :)

how to get here: take the subway to Dongdaemun. take exit 8, cross the street, and walk for 130 m to arrive at Doota.  

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Seoul day 2: Noryangjin Fish Market

thanks to SS, i've regained my motivation to finish my Seoul travelogue! back to our foray to Noryangjin Fish Market.

this was just a few subway stops from our previous destination, Dragon Hill Spa. upon exiting the station, we just followed the signs (and a faint fishy whiff) to the market. 

the fun part of Noryangjin lies in this: you pick the seafood you want to eat, buy them from the vendor, and then you bring them to any of the restaurants down in the basement, where they will cook it for you for a fee. you can guess we were plenty excited about choosing our dinner!

there were rows upon rows of stalls, but we quickly realized that most of them sold a similar variety of fishes and crustaceans. since there were a few Chinese speaking assistants in the stalls, it was pretty easy for us to order what we wanted. we picked our due variety of crabs, shrimps, and threw in a couple of scallops for good measure.

but i was most excited about the sannakji - which is the small octopus that you eat live! supposedly 6 people die each year from eating sannakji because they choked on the wriggling tentacles. how could i pass this up? of course i ordered some, while WX looked on with a mixture of fascination and disgust. 

our final stop was to get some raw fish for sashimi. in Korea, fish with white meat is more popular for hwae, the Korean version of sashimi. this is unlike the Japanese preference for fish with red meat, such as salmon or tuna. in this case, most of the stalls were selling sole for hwae. 

as this stall owner was trying to figure which fish we wanted, he just took them out from the tank and dumped them on the ground. as WX and i were still in shock at the fishes flapping around, we just pointed at one to save the other from too much misery. to our double horror, the owner took a hoe - i kid you not - and HACKED the head off the sole. i was so gobsmacked, i think my jaw nearly fell out. 

but we had no time to waste, and the stall owners ushered us to a restaurant downstairs where we had an awkward time gesturing how we wanted each dish prepared. everyone in there only spoke Korean, so i suppose we ventured into a restaurant not frequented by many foreigners. the tables were also really tiny, but we didn't care that much because only food was on our minds!

the sannakji and me preparing to chew it to death. you can dip the octopus into some sesame oil served on the side, so that prevents the suction cups on the tentacles from latching on to your throat. to be honest, sannakji is probably more about the hype than the taste. i later added some chili for more flavor. 

WX was fascinated enough to try a small tentacle, but.. i told you so about the disgust. HAHA. 

the steamed crab was served whole, and unlike Chinese restaurants, the crab was not cleaned out. which meant dealing with all the gills and inner workings of the crab, which we were unused to. and steamed crab really isn't much compared to the chili crab or butter crab back in Singapore/Malaysia. 

at the end of everyone's meal, we watched them be served with a fish bone soup. we debated if the fish bones from our sole would turn up in a soup.. but it didn't. since it was freezing outside, we would have killed for some hot soup right then. we concluded very sadly that you needed to be bringing the right fish (AND the bones) to get the fish soup at the end. 

verdict: Noryangjin Fish Market is fun for a visit and some sannakji, but i would pass on the full dinner. it cost us about $90 total for 2 people, which is a large sum when the standard Seoul meal is about $10 and much tastier. perhaps also because i feel that i can get much cheaper and yummier seafood in Malaysia.

fuel all loaded though, we were off to Dongdaemun for a crazy shopping spree till 4.30am!

how to get here: take the subway to Noryangjin station, take exit 1 and cross the overpass/bridge. Noryangjin Fish Market will be on the level just below you. 

More on Seoul day 2: Shopping at Dongdaemun

More on my Seoul 5-day itinerary 

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in the words of a travel addict

yes i know i have yet to finish updating my Korea trip travelogue. but.......

this year's trips are mapped out!!!! AHHH travel bliss AHHHH :D

1) Peru in May

2) Germany and Switzerland in June

3) Chile, Argentina and Brazil in December

pinch me - it's a travel addict's dream come true!! of course i have a certain work conference to thank for my Europe trip, and my South America trip is after 7 years of accumulating American Airline miles. an international round trip flight only cost me $60 (and a ton of miles). woohoo!  

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too much wine and too much sun

i've been completely out of tumblr the past month.. really due to nothing more than simple laziness. mostly i was caught up reading Hugh Howey's Wool series and then his Molly Fyde series. the Wool series were great, but the Molly Fyde series had a tad too much physics and vector calculations, even for a hard core sci-fi fan like me. 

but otherwise, life has been honestly pretty good. a ton of things have happened in the past month, but maybe i'll start with the Napa Valley trip last week.

every year, when we realize our annual wine stash is dwindling, off to Napa/Sonoma we go. and to appreciate the rare sunny weather to drive with the top down. now this is what California should look like.

first stop was brunch at Le Garage on the Sausalito waterfront. a very delicious pit stop worth considering on our next Napa Valley roadtrip.

some of my favourite wineries this trip: Cline Cellars, Chateau Montelena, and St. Supery. Cline is an old favourite of ours for the low prices yet great drinkable wines, and extra points for being the closest to San Francisco. no doubt Chateau Montelena has always been famous, but they genuinely had great whites this time. and St. Supery was a last minute decision that turned out to be a wonderful surprise. loved the sunny tasting room, adored their moscato, and not to mention our host was this old man with a wry sense of humor.

dinner was one Michelin starred restaurant Terra. one word: disappointing. the menu with abalone and lobster had me all excited, and i thought it would be similar to Benu with the Asian fusion theme. far from it, really. only their sashimi and forest mushroom soup were amazing, and the rest were average. it does rank above Étoile in my mind, but then again Étoile lost their Michelin star this year.. so there you go. 

we stayed in Doubletree by Hilton for the night - yet another old favourite. the proximity to Napa and Sonoma Valley is decent, and the lagoon with graceful swans is a great touch.

 and where else to grab brunch in the area besides Bouchon Bakery? the bakery is owned by Thomas Keller, who also runs three Michelin starred French Laundry and one Michelin starred Bouchon. you really wouldn't expect less of the bakery he opened between these two restaurants. the pastries and macaroons were wonderful, although scarfing down chocolate ganache in the morning was still a little too rich for me.

as usual, Napa Valley for us is all about the food, the wine, and the sun. i have a feeling it won't be long before we make another jaunt to refill our wine stashes!

(and photo credits: J)

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i hate American healthcare

i've been terribly, terribly sick the past 8 days. the fever actually isn't the bad part, it's the coughing that keeps me waking up every hour when i go to bed. i have not had so many sleepless nights ever! this is godawful torture. especially when everyone tells you to get more rest, and that's the last thing you are getting with your body wracking cough. 

in Singapore, i would have dealt with this by promptly going to see a clinic 5 mins away from my doorstep, gotten medicine by the end of the day, and be done with probably less than $70 out of pocket. no insurance involved. but guess what? in the States it's a totally different ballgame. 

on Monday i was sick of not being able to sleep, so i wanted to see a doctor. but it was Martin Luther King's day, and my school's student healthcare clinic wasn't open. i tried looking up my insurance provider's doctors, only to realize they didn't have an updated listing. in a desperate attempt, i called up private clinics, to be informed that i would be charged $200 to $450 for a consultation. what is this, daylight robbery???? it would cost no more than $50 in Singapore!

so i waited till the next day to see a nurse practitioner at the student healthcare clinic. prescription and all ready, i went to the pharmacy. but because of the traffic jam, the pharmacy was closing in 10 minutes when i arrived. and they demanded my insurance card. when i mentioned i could pick it up in a few minutes since i lived a few doors away, their expressions were so sour i just slunk away obediently. 

yet another sleepless night later, i showed up at the pharmacy today. only to be told they would take ONE FREAKING DAY to process my insurance. WHAT? you're bloody telling me i can't get relief for my illness one more day? do you have any freaking clue how awful i've been feeling? i was ready to burst into tears in the pharmacy. but the only thing i could do was walk away...

god i HATE American healthcare. what kind of country is this that you can't even access basic healthcare promptly for a decent price? it's such basic human rights! i had no idea how lucky we were in Singapore and how ridiculous America is when you are sick. now i really can't wait till i return to Singapore and be done with this bullshit.

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Seoul day 2: Dragon Hill Spa

after a long day visiting the DMZ, WX and i wanted to unwind at Dragon Hill Spa. it was at Yongsan station, only a few subway stops from where we were. Dragon Hill Spa isn't so much a spa as it is a public bathhouse, or what the Koreans term as a jjimjilbang. naturally both of us were excited about our first jjimjilbang experience!

we had a slight delay though, because i needed to find some antihistamines for my shellfish allergy, as we were planning to head to Noryangjin fish market next for a seafood dinner. after much wild gesturing and confusing English-Korean exchanges, we finally hunted down some antihistamines in the e-mart within the Yongsan station mall. thank god the drug name cetirizine is pronounced the same way in Korean. 

in the middle of our running around, we also noticed this pirated version of McDonald's.  finally we were on our way to the spa! we exited the Yongsan station mall, which looked like this from the outside. to the left of the mall was.. yet another mall called I'Park. we moved further to the left of the mall and immediately spotted Dragon Hill Spa. strangely enough, i didn't see an English signboard. the only reason i recognized it was from all the photos i had seen from our trip research. nothing better than a spa that is open 24 hours! the entrance fee was 10,000 won. just before we headed in, we took a peek at the arcade on the 1st floor. all the customers inside were dressed in the jjimjilbang uniforms handed to us upon checking in. there were many couples in there and it seemed like a popular venue for dating.Dragon Hill Spa has 7 storeys altogether, which is more than you'll ever need to spend an entire day here. WX and i were not that ambitious, so we just explored the women's only area (2F, 3F) and the cafeteria on the first floor. we then donned the uniforms briefly to grab a cold mug of sikhye, which is a sweet Korean rice drink that's super delicious. we then checked out the coed saunas on the first floor. inside one of the saunas, there were friends chatting, some meditating, and even a few reading their books. WX was dying to learn how to fold our towels into the sheep-head pattern we saw in korean dramas, so she approached a young Korean boy who taught us rather reluctantly - probably because he was trapped in the sauna with us noobs. but clearly WX is a success at making sheep-head towels! the photos obviously stopped here because once we went inside the women's only zone, everyone was buck naked. i have never seen so many women so comfortable with their bodies at the same time. of course, WX and i quickly learnt that you'll only stand out if you keep your clothes on.

after a quick shower - during which we learnt that the Koreans all brought small sample-sized toiletries for this purpose - we sampled the different baths, which had signboards denoting the different temperatures. there were many women there with family or friends, and they were all busy helping each other scrub their backs. 

i really wanted to get a scrub, so we wandered along the 2nd floor until the end of the corridoor, where there were 4 or 5 plastic beds laid out. it was all empty, and we were standing there doubtful for a minute. then an ajumma (Korean middle aged woman) materialized from nowhere, clad in black underwear. 

ajumma: you want scrub? massage? me: scrub. how much? ajumma: 25,000 won. when? now? me: umm yes. now. 

she hollered, and two more ajummas in black underwear appeared out of thin air. they were very quick and very good. so good, in fact, we were persuaded to add on a massage for only 35,00 won more. the massage was actually listed at 60,000 won, but i think my ajumma understood my poor student plea when she offered us a lower price. one of the best massages i have ever received too - just right amount of strength applied and plenty of hot towels all over to keep us warm! 

finally, when all our knots were kneaded out and we were in a blissed out state, we realized it was almost 8pm. we packed up almost reluctantly and headed to our dinner destination - Noryangjin Fish Market! 

how to get here: take the subway to Yongsan station. the subway is within a shopping mall, so exit from the main entrance. turn right and walk straight ahead. when you come to a busy road junction, Dragon Hill Spa will be on the opposite side to your right.

More on my Seoul Day 2: Noryangjin Fish Market

More on my Seoul 5-day itinerary 

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Seoul day 2: DMZ

on this morning we had to wake up ridiculously early because our DMZ tour started 7.30am near Samgakji station. we had booked our trip through the United Service Organizations (USO), which worked with the US military. the USO Panmunjon tour was the only tour able to get to the Joint Security Area (JSA), which brings you right to the border where North and South Korean soldiers stand guard.

we underestimated the time it would take for us to get to the meeting point, first missing a subway and then running across icy pavements. as a result, we were 10 minutes late and the bus had departed. if there's anything we learnt about Korea, it is that they are a most remarkably punctual and efficient people. if they say the bus will depart at 7.30am, it will depart at 7.30am. 

fortunately, USO management told us another tour would leave at 8am. during the rush to get on the next bus, we misunderstood that the 8am tour did not include the JSA and so we were distraught for a good hour on the ride to DMZ. it was not until the tour guide mentioned it then the two of us realized we had been upset for nothing. lucky us!

our USO guide spoke terrible English and we couldn't understand him, but it was tolerable since the American soldiers did most of the talking. the whole DMZ tour was very controlled, with heavy presence of the US military and passport checks, which was to be expected of an area fraught with such tension. we were also informed that we would be told when we could, and when we could not take photos. they did not want anyone taking photos that would leak South Korean security. when someone on our tour accidentally took a photo, an American soldier asked for his camera and deleted the offending photo immediately. 

we first started at Dorasan station, which was on the train line that once connected North and South Korea. Dorasan station was the last train stop in South Korea, but has now been converted to a tourist destination.we then headed to the JSA visitor center, where we had to sign a visitor declaration and watch a short video explaining the events between North and South Korea that led up to the formation of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). somewhat biased towards the South Korean and American point of view, but nonetheless i felt it was a good introduction to this complicated issue.the real highlight of the tour came as we were finally led to the JSA. the snow demarcates where North Korea starts, and the South Korean soldiers stood guard against the one lone North Korean soldier on the opposite side. inside the blue guard house, two more South Korean soldiers stood guard. technically this soldier was standing on North Korean ground, holding a vigilant taekwando pose.the rest of the tour did not seem quite as exciting after that, though still very educational. we were brought to different sites of importance in the DMZ, including where North Korean soldiers had displayed aggression and killed either US or South Korean soldiers. there was also a museum, where we saw a copy of the 1953 armistice agreement that agreed to the ceasefire and international intervention. by this time, it was around noon and we were ushered into a cafeteria where lunch was served for 10,000 won. it was surprisingly delicious for cafeteria food! after lunch, we visited our final destination, which was the Third Tunnel. this tunnel was excavated by the North Korea, and was later reported to South Korea by a defector. it runs underneath the DMZ and crosses the border, which the South consider as an aggression and a threat.

after receiving the information, South Korea put many pipes into the ground around the region and filled them with water. the first pipe to burst out with water above the ground then signalled to them a tunnel was present. i wonder if that was the best method though, given how much water must have been needed.. photos weren't allowed in the Third Tunnel, but it was essentially a small, dark and damp tunnel that you could only pass through in an either bowing or crouching position. the hardhats they gave really came in handy, particularly towards the North Korean end of the tunnel. 

after exploring the tunnel, there wasn't much else to do, so we just went around being trigger happy with the open grounds. on hindsight, i do wish this tour had come with more interesting and engaging tour guides, and perhaps a tighter itinerary. since we were being passed around different guides and soldiers, i couldn't help but be distracted by the difference in delivery and often repeated information. i think the 6-hour tour could be easily pared down to a 4-hour tour without losing the significance of the DMZ.  

when we were finally sent back to our original meeting point, we decided our next destination would be Dragon Hill Spa at Yongsan station, which was just 2 subway stops away from Samgakji station.

More on my Seoul day 2: Dragon Hill Spa More on my Seoul 5-day itinerary