A Sparkling Journey To Korea (Part 1)

안녕하세요 (An-Nyeong Ha-Se-Yo)

It was the trip which i have been looking forward to for the longest time. KOREA!

Took a overnight flight to Seoul last friday. It was a full flight and coincidentally, Aileen Tan (the Singapore actress) was also on the same flight. She was leading a tour group. The nite flight was bad in my opinion because it was really stuffy and i couldn't really sleep. But i guess the food which they served compensated for that. I love the bibimbap. Really delicious considering that airline food is always not too tasty.

Reached Seoul @ 6am in the morning. We had afew hours to spend in Seoul before taking the domestic flight to Jeju in the afternoon. We were met by our local tour guide called Ginger. She's one of the prettiest tour guide i ever met and is eloquent in mandarin and english.

Our first stop was to visit the top rated TV drama 'Daejanggeum' filming site. We were there really early and everyone was really excited. The weather was nice and cool. The village set for the drama series is an open set built at Yangjoo city Gyunggido, inside the MBC cultural valley.



At the DaeJangGeum Filing Site, i relived the memories of the drama series. All my colleagues and me watched the drama. So you can imagine the excitement in us.



Do you remmember these?

Doorway into the Palace
The doorway into the palace is used for those scenes moving in and out of the royal palace.

SuRaGan
This was the royal kitchen mainly used to make the food for the king.

Refrigeration Room
This was the set created as the place where all pastes, and other ingredients were kept in jars for the palace kitchen.





There were also some filming going on and it was a real treat for us to see what the professional does. Suddenly, none of us felt tired or sleepy anymore.



This was the first sight-seeing place which i saw in Seoul. Next stop is to Korea's largest island southwest of the Korean Peninsula - Jeju Island. I have friends who have been there and they have been telling me how beautiful the place is. Yes, now that i have experienced it for myself, it is really true. While the place is known as a honeymoon venue, it's really relaxing and fun when you are there with good company.

Jeju is filled with an abundance of natural attractions and it’s a delightful blend of cultures, natural wonders, and attractions. It has also become an even more popular destination since it has been the scenic set for several Korean TV dramas and movies. Yes - we were on the look out for it and i'm happy to see some of the sites which 'have been used for filming some of my fav Korean dramas.

The first visit is to the Yongduam Rock, an unsual lava formation that lies on the west coast of the city, like a dragon flying from the sea. This basalt dragon's head with its mouth opened, is one of Jeju's fantastic coastal sceneries.

You will see a large basalt rock that resembles the head of a dragon. Legend has it that the dragon was sent to Halla Mountain to gather a herb of eternal youth, but he was struck with the arrow of the enraged Mountain God. This turned him into the rock with his head looking up towards heaven and his body submerged into the water.



Next was to visit the Jusangjeoliddae, situated on the Jungmun coastline. The view is really picturesque and it is no wonder that this seashore has been proudly designated as National Nature Reserve No. 443. From where i am, i could see the Jungmun Resort Complex. The Jungmun Resort was the largest cluster of lavish hotels and golf courses and it has become famous for movies, dramas and TV commercials. Situated next to the Jungmun beach, the star attraction is the world class International Convention Center Jeju that became the dramatic landscape for the 2002 TV drama ‘All In’.









I love this picture which i took. 'Boat Out @ Sea'. Looking at the sea is so refreshing and peaceful.





Second day in Jeju was spend at the Seongeup Folk Village, a popular place for foreigners to experience the unqiue Korean native culture.



A short visit to the Jeju Haenueo Museum was educational too. It gave me a better insight into the background of the island's aging women divers, or Haenyo which is one of Jeju’s most celebrated phenomena. Reaching depts. of up to 20m for 2 minutes at a time without the use of any breathing apparatus, they harvest abalone, octopus, and other seafood.





Jeju is popular for its seafood, largely because it is a coastal/ seaside place. I tried the seafood steamboat which unfortunatedly, is the lousiest meal that i have eatten in Korea. The soup base was really bland and i thought the kimchi was tastier. Not a satisfying meal but well, at least it was a proper meal.