Anyong Haseyo South Korea | Summer Travel | Part 1/3

INSIGHTS FROM SUNGKYUNKWAN SUMMER EXCHANGE 2010



Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) is located in Seoul, Hyehwa.

Every year, the school organizes a 6-week summer exchange program for international students. In July, 20 of us from Singapore enrolled in this program, together with international students from around the globe.

Outside classes activities were organized, and there was also sufficient free time for us to tour around. We were fortunate to have Koreans tagging along in our trips, since majority of Koreans still do not speak English and it will be tough to get around without a native speaker.



Cultural lessons are so intriguing, especially with children! Ain't them both CUTE! The activity introduces us (foreigners) about the different types of traditional costumes worn for occasions. We saw a demonstration on how the young greet their elderly during Korean New Year (Seolnal), and realized that Koreans are particular about the sequence of steps being executed. However, I am pretty sure the whole class was only focused on the display of KIYOMI by the 2 kids, because I only learnt two things from the lesson: (1) So (2) Cute 😔



We had the opportunity to don ourselves into the Hanbok (ie. traditional Korean clothing). I really like how vibrant the colours were, but in all honesty, the clothes were SUPERLY oversized. Does it mean that Koreans were generally huge during the Joseon period?! Koreans, please enlighten me ~



WARNING: Spitting of seeds allowed, enter at your own risk!




This is pretty quirky, Blind Watermelon Event? Wonder what the 'blind' was about since I only sighted red juicy meat chomped, crushed, torn apart, AND a blast of red juice SQUIRTING onto each other's faces (hmmm ... squirt ... hmmm). One thing worth mentioning is that Korean melons are really sweet, but it would have helped if sweet doesn't come with seeds.




The school also brought us to the National Museum Of Korea. Although I am not a fan of museums, I was surprised by its grandeur and how spick & span it was. This is the entrance of the museum and there is a huge Korea national flag on display. Yes - the flag triggered me to take a photo, well done flag.




Extinct species? Dragon turtle? Blastoise?




Does this place look familiar? Running Man did one episode here, daebak right!




For some reason, the museum wants to be international friendly and features backdrops of different wonders of the world. There's a saying "When in Rome, Be Like The Romans", and here we are striking the India-friendly pose. Anyong haseyo India! ~~~




You wouldn't miss this 3-storey tall pagoda inside the museum. Here's the difficult part - taking a selfie with the full structure in it - and that's why my face was excluded. Anyone keen to take up the PAGODA SELFIE CHALLENGE?




Generally, Korean cuisine are red and green in colours, which made it visually unappealing to me. I was not a Korean food lover for the most of my life, but after my 2nd week there, I've got to say trying makes the heart grow fonder - I actually found Korean food to be SATISFYING and - ladies, look here - WEIGHT-FRIENDLY! Typical Korean fare consists of meat in spicy sauces, bowl of rice, laver soup (miyeok gook), side dishes like kimchi (fermented napa cabbage) and anchovies. In most meals, Koreans also finish off the meal with a Korean distilled rice liquor, Soju. The beauty of the food lies in the flavourings added like bean paste & fermented sauce; there is also notably many spices and fibre-rich ingredients - main culprits of the WEIGHT-FRIENDLY effect.

PS: I had no significant weight gain after the trip. Start eating KOREAN now!
However, Korean food is expensive in Singapore, so ....




Crispy Korean Pancake (Pajeon) - good as a standalone dish for breakfast. Great when dipped with spicy soy sauce, I recommend that you try it at least once in Korea because pancakes are a many outside Korea but nothing tastes as authentic as having it in Korea.




Table Tennis @ ground level of our dorm - The place where I learnt how to play the sport.
It was SG/US versus NL/KR, guess who won?







Next school-led activity: Korean Folk Village (한국민속촌)



Korean See-Saw

This is a traditional game played by Koreans in the past. Instead of sitting, players are in standing position and take turns to jump on the plank, whilst maintaining balance when they return to original position, the one to lose balance first loses.

Sounds easy? Looks easy? NO!

I was up against someone twice my size, the amount of Newtons unleashed was MASSIVE, sending me back to Singapore instantly. What a simple and ingenious game thought out for Korean Folks to pass time, wonder what the stakes were then: Kimchi? Toekbogi?




Display of Martial Art on horseback

Other than this, there was also Jultagi (tightrope walking). The whole Korean Folk Village experience is one that brings you back to the early Joseon era, and allows you to appreciate Korean culture just like how you see it in the famous cooking legend drama, Dae Jang Geum. If you are tired of a shopping and scenery-admiring itinerary, this is a place to include in your next Korea trip!

/

A photo of the "graduation" cocktail reception to mark the end of Part 1.

Read the other parts for places that we went without "school assistance, OFF WE GO!!

A Different Way to travel Hong Kong | 5D4N | Day 04 & 05

This may not be your usual HK journey

Having the first 3 days jam-packed with activities, we decided to slow things a bit. Our trip has been smooth-sailing thus far with temperatures swinging between 18 - 24 Celsius in November. Weather was great with sunshine and no rain. What better way to start off Day 04 than with HK style breakfast at >>>>> AUSTRALIA DAIRY CO.

Located within walking distance of Jordan MTR Station, ADC is open 7.30am - 11.00pm daily, except Thursdays. This is a popular joint with many good reviews online. We specially came to see what the hype is about, here goes:




We reached ADC around 9.00am and the queue was damnnnnn long.
The worst part?
- aircon water DRIPPING on us
- scorching sun COOKING our backs 😡
Fortunately, efficiency is essence in HK, and we were assigned to a seat after 15 mins in the queue.

Sharing tables is a norm in HK "cha-chan-teng" (Cantonese for restaurant), so the 2 of us were awkwardly squeezing on one side of the table, with 2 strangers opposite facing us. As business is good, note that there is a minimum order per customer. The whole place was noisy and food ordering is fast paced. It helps to speak a bit of Cantonese so that the staff taking your order knows exactly what you want. Unless you are OK with being rudely brushed off, I advise you to confirm your order before getting the waiter over - ask too many questions = prepare to get scolded and receive a smug on the waiter's face.




I ordered a breakfast set meal and my comments are:

• Macaroni w/ Ham - Cooked decently well but to me, it is just normal fare with no surprises
• Omelette - VERY tasty! They are soft and eggy, with a hint of cheese/butter infused inside
• Toasted Bread w/ Margarine - Slight crisp on the toasted surface, fluffy and warm on the inside. Great to complement with the omelette!

Note:

• There is warm tea or water served in translucent cups ⇨DO NOT DRINK, THEY ARE FOR RINSING UTENSILS!!
• Simple Cantonese to help you order
• Hot milk tea = Yit Nai Cha (note that it comes without sugar, add your own from the table)
• Cold milk tea = Dong Nai Cha (comes with sugar)
• Omelette = Chao dan
• Sunny side up = Jim dan

We also ordered milk puddings for dessert (YES, COLD DESSERT on an early morning, hands UP if you agree that life is good 🙌 ). The yellow one is with egg, while the white is without. Smooth, slurps down your throat easily, and lingers a milk taste in your mouth 😳 (tasty!). After breakfast, we headed to Causeway Bay (via the MTR), and the place we're going IS ... HYSAN PLACE. 









This shopping mall is pretty upscale with prices similar to that of boutique shops in Singapore. Nonetheless, it offers brands and variety which are limited to HK. I went to the DFS shop at basement level to buy stuffs for a colleague, and the rest was merely window shopping. In the vicinity, there are also many other shopping malls like:

• Times Square HK
• Lee Garden One
• SOGO 

If you are looking for cheap stuffs, then these are the places which you may want to skip. For us, it was out of curiosity that we breezed through these malls, but definitely not a second visit next time. After walking for 3 hrs in the malls and streets surrounding, it is time to FEED our hungry stomachs again! We settled lunch at a Roast Goose place. Did not record the place's name as I felt the food was passable but not fantastic.





I ordered Soup Noodles w/ Roasted Goose; the meat was fragrant but with too much fat between the skin and meat, so it felt more like eating fats than meat. The soup noodles was nothing more than average. Let's head back to our "hotel" and move on to the last day!





Day 05, 8.00am: Without washing up, we woke up and walked to the back of our "hotel" in Tsim Sha Tsui to find breakfast for our bottomless pit stomachs. I had to take a photo of our SG$100/night lodging to remind myself that I could have gotten better at the same price. Looks old and creepy from outside isn't it?





After 5mins of walking, I spotted this place called SEE FAH. The entrance is at ground level, but the dining area is at level 2. I ordered a breakfast set meal consisting of toasted bread, omelette, pork chops and thick vermicelli with soup. It is a good place to go for decent food if you have run out of places and would like somewhere convenient. 





Since it was our last day, we went back to the ground floor of our lodging at MIRADOR MANSION to purchase the much coveted Jenny Bakery cookies. This is a definite MUST BUY as the cookies are freshly made without preservatives (shelf life only 3 weeks) . The popular flavors are butter and coffee and OH MY they are SO FRAGRANT to the extent of having THE SMELL present IN URINE after consumption. Big tin sells for HKD 130, while small tin is at HKD 70.







Our return flight HKG-SIN is at 4.00pm and we had to be at airport before 2.00pm. Thus, we decided to have one last meal at Tsui Wah to conclude the trip like how it started at Tsui Wah. Mao ordered Spare Ribs Dry Noodles, while I ordered the Pork Chop Bun w/ Mustard Sauce. Needless to say, my drink was HK Iced Milk Tea (hmm... think I ordered this more than 10 times already?! because I just can't withstand the HK aroma from the tea).

According to Mao, the spare ribs were tender and the sauce is good when paired with the springy noodles. Mine was more lackluster, as the buns were tough and dry, and the meat was lacking in flavor. Perhaps that is why mustard sauce is provided, but overall it was disappointing.

CONCLUSION:

Hong Kong is a great destination for people of all ages because it has a developed infrastructure that allows easy commuting. There will definitely be food matching everyone's palate with the mass variety of cuisine in restaurants and delectable ones at street stalls. For the more adventurous, you can consider hiking at the mountains like we did, or even do the bungee jump at Macau Tower. If you only have 3 to 5 days to spare, Hong Kong is definitely your ideal destination for a short vacation.

TELL ME

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Stay tuned for other posts!

A Different Way to travel Hong Kong | 5D4N | Day 03

This may not be your usual HK journey

I knew this trip's not gonna be slack with Mao who really likes exploring. So here we are covering 3 more areas today, prepared for much more WALKING!

1) Mid-level escalators
2) Lamma Island
3) The Peak



The CENTRAL MID-LEVELS ESCALATORS is within walking distance from Central MTR, and it REALLY is just an escalator! One thing to note is that it changes direction (up/down) at certain periods of the day.



Famous eatery - LAN FONG YUEN
We came to see what the hype about the online reviews for here is about since it is located below the escalators. There was a crowd when we reached there and we had to share tables as usual. Yes, welcome to HK~!



I ordered Pork Chop Nissin Noodles, paired with HK milk tea. Verdict: DUPER AWESOME stuff! Ain't that just instant noodles with some slices of meat? Well, it IS a tender piece of meat pan-fried to perfection, with the piggy oils and marinate soaking into the broth. Toss some noodles, soup and have a bite of the pork - HEAVEN *angelic chorus*. That AHHH moment.
The hot HK milk tea uses HK evaporated milk and has the lingering taste on your tongue, great beverage to complete the meal.



After a fulfilling breakfast, we digested our food by walking to Central Ferry Pier just 20 mins away on foot. At the pier, we used the HK Octopus Card (used for public transport in HK) to pay for the ferry ride from HK to LAMMA ISLAND.



The view from on board the air-conditioned ferry is - normal 😏. After around 30 mins, we arrived at Lamma Island. The ride was good as the ferry's jerks were gentle , suitable for people like me who has motion-sickness!



Mao recommended to try the AH PO TOFU Beancurd



Verdict: Weird background taste not to my liking (nasty!)



Me & Mao, and who's that lady in white?!



After slurping down the beancurd which Mao adored so much (he downed 2 bowls!), we embarked on the hiking trail from one end of Lamma Island to the other.


Although it was sunny, the weather was pretty cool around 22 Celsius. This made our hiking pleasant. There were some pretty arduous upslope trails along the way, but once we reached the vantage point, the picturesque view took away the aches from our lower limbs. Clear skies, pristine waters, lush greenery, cool breeze; what more can we ask for?



After sufficient rest (and camwhoring against the irresistible views), we went downslope to the other side of the island. Reason? An awesome seafood place lies ahead at the other end! We heard they serve fresh seafood at reasonable prices.



Me & Mao, no signs of exhaustion. But our stomachs were furiously GGROWLING! Time to fill them up! We settled lunch at NAN YA TIAN HONG.



Though small sized, there's a natural sweetness from the prawns. When dipped with light soy sauce ...ooo la la! (tasty!)



Fresh Abalone in Supreme Soy Sauce. The meat is soft and succulent, I literally sank my tooth into it and sucked the juices out, before tearing the meat apart and chewing them down. Unfortunately, I did not fancy intestines (which supposedly is the dish's highlight). So if you are unlike me, I'd say GO for the INTESTINES man. If I recall, each abalone costs only SGD $8, woohoo!



The fish's meat is springy, sweet and VERY VERY fresh. It exudes a sea taste from the seas surrounding Lamma Island. We sat Alfresco beside the sea, bringing the sensory of our dining experience to the next level, now that's what we're talking bout' man!



After lunch, we hopped to the souvenir shop nearby and I bought some natural soaps produced from Lamma Island as souvenirs. Thereafter, we went to board a ferry back to HK Island.
OH, did I miss something? The ferry ride back is FREE!!!
*Tip: Seafood restaurants on Lamma Island provide FREE ferry rides for all their customers*



When we reached back to HK, we spotted the HK umbrella protests in Central. Without second thoughts, I seized the opportunity to capture this historical moment. How fortunate!



Our next stop was THE PEAK. In order to reach the peak of The Peak (nice rhyme uh?), we had to take a tram up. However, the queue was SUPER LONG>>>>>>>>>> we waited like 1.5h? After a long wait, we finally boarded the tram, and the scene you see above was what we experienced; people pushing each other and rushing to the spots where the tram doors are. Tough ride right? (nice alliteration uh?)
*Tip: Purchase tickets from Klook to skip the queue*
PS: Klook did not sponsor my post, perhaps Klook can do so now? Haha




After alighting from the tram and taking some escalators to the lower section of The Peak, there is a MADAME TUSSAUD's gallery. We did not enter the gallery, but merely took a photo with Bruce Lee on display outside. Apparently, I am taller than him and his nose is itchy, eeeeeewwww~~~



We went further up to THE PEAK OBSERVATORY & I had to take this obligatory photo against the skyscraper buildings in the backdrop.



*Stomachs growling again*


We headed for dinner at MAK'S NOODLES - I had Soup Wanton Noodles - My comment is that the noodles had a defined texture which lets you feel the strands tingling over your tongue, but taste wise, it is average.






As the weather was cold, the hot soup did warm our bodies. However, the warmth was short-lived as the tram queue downwards was SUPERRRRR long and we had to queue in cold and strong winds. The Peak marks the end of Day 3, a fulfilling one indeed.

A Different Way to travel Hong Kong