Where the hell am I?

For those who are wondering where I am, I'm back here in Manila... I haven't been updating my blog these couple of days but I'm still gathering pics from my travels here so hopefully I will be able to do so in a couple of days or weeks.

I arrived Saturday morning at the newly opened Manila International Airport Terminal 3. I don't know why I need to bitch on this, but I beg to disagree to the people who mentioned it's 'high-tech' or 'state-of-the-art' but of course, it's much better than the old and dilapidated Terminal 1. I just thought, they could do more

I think I only slept for 4 hours before getting up at 8 am. I went to the grocery and bought a lot of stuff I missed while I was in Korea. Good thing the supermarket is about a minute away from our house! 4 days have passed and what did I do? I went shopping for shoes and gym clothes, enrolled in a gym, went to the bank, started working-out, watched two tagalog movies in theaters, met friends, visited a hospital for check-up, visited my dentist who missed me so much, played at TimeZone and so much more! It was a crazy four days and I'm pretty sure it's gonna get even crazier!!!

Stone Galbi

Yesterday, I went to Inggyedong to spend the afternoon. Inggyedong is place where people gather to eat, drink, and be merry. There are lot's of dance clubs, bars, hofs, noraebangs, and restaurants. But the place can be quite boring in the afternoon, they come to life at night where neon signs fill the place with colorful lights and loud music.

I planned on visiting 'Pink Don' Samgyeopsal restaurant for lunch but much to my dismay they are close till 5 pm. So instead of waiting till they open, I went to this restaurant nearby. It was a good choice, food was great. It was featured in MBC TV show for their delicious menu so the place is quite popular.

I had Seok Galbi which I haven't tried before. It's slowly cooked in a stone pot, quite uniquely. They served about 12 'banchan' or side dished which I really enjoyed.

After a heavy lunch, noraebang was the next destination. It was hard looking for a noraebang that is open at that hour. They usually open from 6 pm. Luckily, one place was open. The manager was very kind and polite and he gave a lot of bonus time! I really enjoyed belting out my favorite songs... Call me cheesy, baduy or whatever but I think I sang "I don't wanna miss a thing" twice! And both times I got a perfect score of 100... not bad huh?!

A Tour Underwater

Last year when I visited Jeju, I had this one of a kind experience. I'm talking about a submarine tour and it's probably the coolest thing I have ever done! I never thought a tour underwater is even possible or better yet, riding a submarine!

In Jeju, they offer submarine tour for a hefty price. I forgot how much we paid but I remember that it was expensive. The submarine can only accomodate limited number of people so reservation in advance is necessary.

After parking the car, we rode a huge boat that took us to the middle of the sea. Then we transferred to this floating submarine. It didn't look much like a submarine when it's upfloat...


After a brief introduction from the crew and a couple of pictures here and there, we were guided to passage-way below....


We were escorted to our respective seats and after a while the captain politely introduced himself and the rest of the crew. The submarine didn't move a lot while going down... so I didn't notice the descend. When it reached the bottom, lights were turned on so we could view the outside. It slowly moved, exploring the places around. There were lots of fishes and colorful reefs and plants. I was in complete awe! I took several pictures but as I expected, it's not so clear.

After a while, the lights were shut so I thought the tour has ended but when the lights went back, I saw a diver waving at us. He swam gracefully around us while feeding the fish near the window so we could see upclose. After doing a couple more rounds outside the submarine, he then waved goodbye. Lights were shut again and we slowly made our ascend.

It was already dark when we reached the parking lot. Tired but very happy. It was a memorable experience for me. I'm really glad I had the chance to experience that.

2nd Round

So we went back to Outback for dinner like what we planned last Friday. Our reservation already lapsed when we arrived 15 minutes late, so we had to wait a couple more minutes before getting a table. There were 3 groups of people waiting to get a table ahead of us so I browsed through some magazines while waiting.

As usual, there was Bushman Bread served while we were choosing our orders. I got a nice salad in Blue Cheese dressing for starter, it was actually good especially the cherry tomatoes! For the main entry, I chose Rockhampton RIbeye in Mushroom sauce once again, can't get enough of it really... There was also baked potatoes in butter and sour cream dressing.

This time, the steak didn't come perfectly done. It was a medium well done, scorched a little bit more on the outside. A bit tough, really regret not having it in medium like the usual. Overall, it wasn't mouth-watering-ly delicious but a so-so and I'm fine with that. Steak will always be steak.. gotta love them when rare, medium, or scorched!

Remembering Lotte World

Before coming to Korea, I've always wanted to go to Lotte World because I've watched Korean Dramas which showed this place. So whenever I plan on going to amusement park, it always crossed my mind but I always end up in Everland instead. It was a rare opportunity to visit Lotte World last winter. It was so cold at that time, not a good time to visit a theme park and ride rollercoasters.. I can't say I enjoyed the time while I was there... my winter boots were killing me at that time. Huge chunk of my visit was wasted on falling in line to try out the rides cause there were so many people.... I think it's not worth the $26 I paid for the ride all you can : (

'Happy Socks'...

Ever heard of 'Happy Socks'? Well, I got one...

Mul Naengmyeon

This is 'Mul Naeng Myeon', a summer delicacy here in Korea. It's made from buckwheat noodles and let me tell you that it's really chewy. The key ingredient here is the sour and salty broth topped with shaved ice. There's egg in it, some sliced veggies, and meat. I personally don't like eating Naeng Myeon. I find the cold sour broth not appealing, and the noodles are too damn chewy that sometimes I have difficulty in swallowing it. But it's a popular dish here in korea so I'm sure a lot of people like it. It costs about $6.50 per serving.

The Specialty Dinner

Yesterday, the water delivery person came and brought 24 bottles of water separated into two large boxes. Since I'm alone, I had to carry it and transfer it to another place by myself. I didn't think it was that heavy so I kind of hurt my back.. I think I might have a torn ligament or something cause it hurts like hell. Because of this 'injury', I wasn't able to cook dinner so I thought going to a restaurant is a good idea (just making a lame excuse!).


This is a specialty Naeng Myeon restaurant that also serves Galbitang, one of my personal favorite. I always order Galbitang whenever I visit here and since it has a very mild taste similar to 'nilagang baka', I ate this a lot the first time I came to Korea. Back then, I was less tolerable to spicy korean dishes that I always look for food that resemble ours.


The way to prepare Galbitang differs from place to place. But this 'style' appeals to my taste the most. It's served piping hot in a very big bowl; one reason why I like this place is because they have big servings unlike the other places scrimping on meat... The broth is mild and light, just exactly how I like it. They also put 'tteok' or rice cake along with a bunch of vermicelli noodles. Also a lot of scallions, jujube, gingko nut, ginseng (this is what makes it healthy and uber delicious!!!), and some mushrooms were added. It's best eaten with boiled rice... This Galbitang costs about $8 per serving.

Banchan

Here in Korea, it's customary to serve side-dishes called 'banchan' in restaurants. Kimchi must be the most popular banchan there is. There are many kinds of side dishes ranging from spicy, to sour, salty or sweet. Most restaurants serves between 2-4. Others serve more. But the most number of banchan I saw, served in one meal .. is in Cheolla province. One halmmoni served 13 side dishes!

"Gae Jang"

Ever heard of "Ge Jang" or Raw Crab in Sauce?

I haven't eaten a raw crab before, so this was my first. I was a bit adamant trying it but I was assured that it's perfectly safe to eat. Ge Jang is dish using fresh raw crabs marinated in spicy sauce. I heard that Ge Jang is a must-try so the last time I went to Homeplus, I got some. It's quite expensive for $10 a piece... But it was so delicious! It was so good with rice... I had anti-motility drug on stand-by just in case I get stomachache, but I was perfectly fine after eating it. Can't wait to try it again!

Marilyn Monroe Chocolate?

Got this "That's Hollywood Macadamia Nut Clusters" several weeks ago. This must be the most interesting sounding name of a chocolate I have ever heard of! The chocolate was ok but it's the box that caught my attention...

As you can see from the pic above, it shows a picture of Marilyn Monroe from her movie "The Seven Year Itch".

The back portion of the box says: "It was the Golden Age of Hollywood. James Dean rebelled. Marilyn Monroe flirted. And we all were beginning our long love affair with cinematic dreams, crowding into dark theaters to watch Gene Kelly kick up his heels, and Rhett Butler sweep Scarlett off her feet. It was a time when Hollywood nights were lit up by the starlets and the spotlights of movie premieres, and glamour adorned the Los Angeles landscape like so many palm trees. The glamour still lingers here, from the Hollywood sign nestled in the hills high above Tinsel Town, to the Walk of Fame where the stars have been honored. Even as classic movie scenes fade to black, the stars shining brightly in Hollywood."

Smilin'

I like posting my blogs here about my travels and other special happenings in my life. It's like my personal journal, my own diary... the only difference is, others might read it. I created this blog not out of boredom but to document events in my life that I would like to remember. With blogs come photos... a certain and distinct tangible thing to cap each entries that I write.

I'm not as comfortable in front of the camera as the others... that's why some of my pictures which I posted here might seem a little odd to some cause I tend not to smile. I'm not comfortable smiling at all. I think I look horrendous in my braces.. How many people are there in their late 20's wearing braces?! A lot in Manila perhaps... like my sister. Not here in Korea. It's hideous here... I got teased a lot saying it's ugly or something. Pre-braces, I used to smile a lot. But right now, I get so freakingly shy I tend to close my mouth in front of the camera.

It's a lonely day today. I think I need to smile a little bit just to remind myself that everythings gonna be alright...

Homebound

Yup... I'm homebound in a matter of days. I don't know what I'm feeling right now. Kind of mixed emotions really... I'm excited and sad at the same time. I would get to see my loved ones alright.. but I somehow feel I dont have a life in Manila anymore.

Sunday at Outback's

As the barbecued 'moksal' reminded me a lot about steak, I decided to spend the next day, Sunday, at Outback's... kiddin', it was actually planned for the last two weeks. I was supposed to go to Outback two weeks ago but I was down with a flu that I had to cancel. I didn't want my messed up tastebuds meddling with that juicy steak so I thought I had to wait a little bit longer.

It's about 20-minute walk from the house. Quite far I should say, but I do enjoy walking in lazy Sunday afternoons. We arrived 10 minutes late from our reservation time. The waitress gladly escorted us to a nice and quiet table as soon as we arrived.


After getting our orders, the waitress served Bushman bread as always... I was hungry at that time (didn't eat anything till 2 pm!) so I kept on eating the warm bread and the waitress kept it coming just before she served the mushroom soup. It was good although, I prefer broccoli and cheese which they aren't serving that day (BUMMER!). They were only serving pumpkin soup and mushroom so the only logical choice was the latter. The soup was delicious and it was gone in an instant!

Then my Rockhampton Ribeye (my personal favorite!) came in perfect medium. It was so good! It got those perfect fat marbling oozing with juices. I like my steak scorched on the outside but still rare on the inside. There was 'bokkeumbap' and some vegetables on the side too but it wasn't so good, disappointing I should say. I should have chosen baked potatoes instead. Still, the steak was perfect that we made plans on coming back to try the steak again this Wednesday...

After having 2 cups of brewed coffee and finishing the left over bread, we decided to go. As always, they gave 3 wrapped Bushman Bread to take home...

We went to Homeplus right after to buy some red wine and walnuts before heading home and calling it a day

River-side

The last destination in Pocheon was this big and beautiful river. We were actually getting out of Pocheon-si when I saw this beautiful river below the bridge. Instinctively, I blurted "stop the car", I wanna see the river up close. I tend to say that whenever I see a beautiful spot while we're driving.

There was no decent way towards the riverside so it was such a pain trying to go down in a bunk of soil without falling down. Luckily, I was able to get down safely to the river... I walked there a little bit, feeling the warm water in my feet. There were small fishes... at first I thought they were tadpoles but when I looked closely I was sure they were fishes. Some people were there, mostly ajussi's eating 'samgyeopsal' and drinking soju. They were annoyingly noisy and more people kept on coming so we decided to just leave the place.

A Valley in Pocheon

Pocheon is a small town in Gyeonggi province about 3 hours away from Seoul. It happens to be near the border of North and South Korea so you can see a lot of soldiers hanging around the area. Some scenic places are also restricted to be entered by ordinary citizen because they are military 'hot-spots'... well, I just coined that term. The good thing about being near the border is that the town wasn't developed and as a result, the nature is at it's pristine form.

Every summer, I make it a point to go to Pocheon to cool down and breathe some fresh air away from the city. There's this memorable pension house which I really like visiting... It's located in a secluded place just beside a beautiful valley. Unlike many other camping places which is crowded with tourists, the place is quiet and serene. It's different in so many ways, here's why...

When I was about go out from the car after getting my things, I saw a wild rabbit munching on my left-over 'omma-son pie' which I accidentally dropped minutes before. I don't know if the rabbit is wild or owned by the owner but it didn't budge when I went closer, seconds later... the rabbit hopped towards the bushes... Then I saw this small man-made lake where ducks swam freely with some chickens and ostrich looking around. I don't know why they were there but it was fun goofin around with them. If I wasn't mistaken, I even saw a racoon or possibly a beaver near the stream close to the pension but it ran away just when I was about to snap a picture. I saw creatures like grasshoppers, moths, beetles, mantis, dragonflies (and lots of 'em), even frogs... which are rare to find in the city. Korea developed so rapidly that normal teenagers wouldn't even have chance to see or touch these creatures in the city.

We brought meat so we prepared the barbecue grill right away... The meat which is called 'mok-sal' here tasted so much like steak. It was delicious with sangchu, garlic, kimchi, and ssamjjang and the taste was much better than the ones we order at restaurants. We drank beer while we were grilling our meat and enjoying the scenery. There were plenty of stars that night which I almost never see in the city.

The next day, we went to enjoy the water of the stream... We walked a little bit till we reach a nice place to hang around. The water is cool and clean that it's safe to drink it. I found a nice rock to sit, and I drenched my feet in the cool running water of the stream...

I didn't notice the time while I was there. The place was so serene and relaxing that I just wanna stay there the whole day.

Time flew so fast that I hardly noticed that it's time to go. I just love this place so much that I made a promise to myself that next summer, I will be back...

"The Garden of the morning calm"

No, it's not some cheesy title I just made up. Believe me, it's the real name of a place I visited in Gapyeong... "The Garden of the morning calm"...

The garden is situated high atop a mountain. There were not so many people... blame the intense summer heat at that time. The place was beautiful with so many unique looking trees, flowers, bushes and a whole lot more. SBS was shooting a show at that time so it kind of hampered the way going to some of the places in the garden.

The place was huge! It needs at least a couple of hours just to go around... Not bad for a trip that wasn't planned. It just showed up in our navigation while going to Pocheon and I thought why don't we check it out and it turned out well worth it.

Summer-ender

Today marks the end of the summer season here in Korea and it's now officially Autumn in my calendar! Sigh... summer was unbelievable! It was indescribable... I had a lot of fun, created a lot of good memories that'll last me a lifetime worth of good chuckle.

Lets see... I consider this a 'coming-out-kinda-season' and no I'm not a lesbian or anything. It's just that I realized so many things this season. I did things I never thought I could, and I'm very happy and thankful about it. On top of it all, I learned so much that I think I've become a much better person than before.

I've visited so many places and saw so many sights in such a short period! I've experience so much that it felt like a roller-coaster ride! You know the part where in you have to hold your breath before plunging really fast from the top all the way down and you can't stop wriggling and writhing the whole time cause you feel something 'funny' in your gut and you can't stop laughing?!

I'm a bit tired from going to so many places but I wouldn't trade that for the world! My last stop was Pocheon-si, just last Friday, I embarked on a very cool trip to a place somewhere in Gyeonggi-do. Yet again, not my first time... but the place is still a charm. Went to this cool pension house in an isolated place, just beside a valley with cool water running through a stream, surrounded by beautiful pine trees and other colorful bushes. We had barbecued 'moksal' on the terrace that night. There were grilled frankfurters on the side, chips, wine and beer that lasted us till midnight. It was cold so I had to wear my training clothes and I wanted something warm so we cooked soup while watching the stars and fireflies flying nearby... At daybreak, we trekked towards the mountain where there are so many beautiful wild flowers (and insects). Saw several inhabited log cabins in the middle of the forest... I imagined myself staying in a quiet place like that, in the middle of nowhere with just a fireplace to keep me warm. We drove around the city before bidding goodbye to the place.

It was good till it lasted. And as for those who are going to ask me 'how was my summer', I would say... I ended it with a BANG!