A Sparkling Journey To Korea (Part 3)

Seoul is just an hour away from Jeju. But the 'FEEL' is really different between the two places. Jeju gave me a very relaxed feel. I enjoyed the quietness, scenic view and coastal breeze. I felt that i was on holiday. But back in Seoul, it was as if i was transported back to reality. Hill rise buildings, traffic jams and lots of people.



As time is short, Ginger brought us straight to lunch after we arrived in Seoul followed by some sight-seeing. I was taught how to make kimchi @ The Kim Chi School. It was really enjoyable and interesting. The teacher told us that it is a tradition in Korea that housewives prepares a large amount of winter kimchi sometime between late November and early decemeber. My tour guide also told me that in Korea, all the girls must know how to make kimchi.

Anyway, here's the prove. My graduation piece. Ha Ha!



And yes, i loved the 'NANTA' Performance which i went to watch. It's really entertaining. In NANTA, knives and other kitchen utensils are transformed into musical instruments in the hands of the performance.



Some other places of interest which i went to visit are:

The N. Seoul Tower

It offers visitors a scenic view of the city. The nite view is pretty. My group stayed up there for about half-an hour. My tour guide told the guys in my group to check out the male toilet (one level below the main observatory deck). The guys in her previous tour groups have told her that there is something interesting and unique about it. Thanks to a colleague, he took a video clip and some photos to show it to us (minus all the censored part of course). Hmm .. now we know what Ginger is talking about.



Another very interesting thing is actually at the base of the tower. Surrounding the deck at the base of the tower is a fence full of pad locks.The pad locks was a new tradition among the new generation. When a new couple is about to marry, they connect two padlocks to the fence to represent their lives together forever. Jokingly, my colleagues said ... if they quarrel or divorce, they better remember to come here to unlock the padlock. Hmm .. but what happens if you loose the key. Ha ha



The Blue House

Cheong Wa Dae (translation: The House of the Blue Roof Tiles or the Blue House, Office of the President of the Republic of Korea) is the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state, the President of the Republic of Korea. At present, Cheong Wa Dae consists of the main office building, the official Presidential residence, Yeongbin-gwan (영빈관, 迎賓館) or the guest house, the Chunchugwan (춘추관, 春秋館) press hall, and the secretariat buildings.





360 degree view of surrounding & Jeff. Photography and art direction by Nic. Creative Shot? I wonder what the guys are trying to do.



Changdeokgung Palace

I love the beauty of traditional landscape architecture of the place. It was built in 1405 during the early Joseon Dynasty as the main residence of the royal family.
The palace retains remarkable asymmetric beauty in terms of layout and it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. It is also the main set for period dramas.

Cute little korean kids in hanbok. Afew of my colleagues couldn't resists and took some pictures of these kids. Yes, they actually ran after them. Nic was so excited and immediatedly volunteered to use my camera to take photos of these kids.



Pictures of the palace





Transition scene where small Dajangeum turns to Dakangeum in the drama



The Korean House

One of the best meals I have ever tried in Korea. It is a traditional Korean-style house where people can experience Korean culture through traditional food, performance, experience wedding ceremony and cultural goods. Had lunch with my counterparts here. The food is so yummy. But well, the meal is not cheap. But i can't imagine myself doing the washing up. It's just one meal and they actually used so many bowls and plates.



Korean Folk Village

I am surprised to see so many small kids here. But i would say that it's a really interesting place and yes, educational for the kids. There are more than 260 traditional houses from the different regions here and the living culture of the late Joseon Dynasty are revived right here at the Korea Folk Village. For entertainment, you get to see acrobatics on a tightrope, seesawing act and of course, the famous farmer’s music and dance.





Dance and entertainment Performance



The filming location where Daejangeum was asking people to investigate about village epidemic.



Itaewon

It’s lined with shops, jazz bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Hard Rock Café is here.





Before you know it, holiday is over. On the flight back to Singapore, I was listening to a sermon which talks about faith and trust. Rite after, i looked out of the window and saw a shining star directly above the moon. At that very moment, it seems to me that God is really reassuring me to have complete trust and faith in him. It was just so amazing.

The beautiful sky



And yes, hope to go back to Korea soon. This time, i will visit the other parts of Korea. In the meantime, i'll need to brush up on my Korean and learn afew more words.