Author: serenatan

Bangkok – with Family 2015

Posted on by serenatan

Bangkok, in my opinion is a city of amusement. I have had the privilege to step foot in this boisterous city a few times but every time it felt like it was my first. A city that never sleeps. A city full of religious citizens who pray not only to God but to their beloved – the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

I may not have travelled the world but to judge Bangkok itself is certainly worth comparing to the world. During my visit in December 2015, along with some family members, I managed to explore Bangkok with a complete view and understanding which I would love to share in this post.

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Visiting the Pratunam Night Market 

Walking distance from our hotel, Pratunam Night Market never fails to impress. You can basically get things like earrings, customized passport holders, clothes, fruits from the market easily. But mind you, the small alleys are pretty packed hence do prepare lots of tissue (or a towel) to wipe your sweat.

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Maeklong Railway Market

If one asks me to name a special spot to visit in Thailand, I would shout out to Maeklong Railway Market. The 1000m long railway track runs 67km from Wongwein Yai to Samut Songkram in Cemtral Thailand. Unfortunately, after almost 2 hours of bus ride, the train was under maintenance when we arrived.

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Refreshing Thai Milk Tea (Cha Yen) to ease my thirst.

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The uncle that sells chilis.

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A group pic of us.

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Amphawa Floating Market

Some say it is the original floating market in Thailand. I was expecting a less touristy, down-to-earth kinda market but to my surprise, it was filled to the rafters.

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Village houses along the river.

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The river gets narrower as you row in deeper.

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Merchants selling variety of stuff.

You name it, you see it.

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One must not miss the famous and crowded four-faced buddha.

Tourists from all around the world flood this place to pray for happiness, smooth business, health and studies.

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Khaosan Road, at night.

You want a tattoo? Go to Khaosan.

You want beer? Go to Khaosan.

You want to feel young again? Go to Khaosan.

blog 15If you fancy a little more affordable shopping, head no where but Chatuchak (jatuchak).

You’ll find everything there, I mean EVERYTHING!

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Next day, we ventured into a new tourist spot in Bangkok. Where you can see a combination of East and West – Asiatique.

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The Grand Palace, Bangkok.

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Before I end my post, I would like to express my thoughts on this back dated trip end of 2015. I’ve not only seen the loyal side of the Thai people towards their King but the unity that is so strong that is almost impossible to imagine.

I was utterly touched.

I hope that the wonderful Thailand will remain prosperous and continue to show the world what is special.

X

Korea: Autumn (Family Trip)

Posted on by serenatan

My second Korea trip. This time, with my family. We went during end of Sept til early Oct to Seoul and Jeju Island. So its Autumn this time.

I have pretty much explained all the places visited in my previous Korea post so I’ll just do the newly visited places in this post instead. As many of the places and attractions are mainly for my family that visited for the first time.

Seoul:

  1. LINE FRIENDS Store, Garuso-gil

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This huge signboard must not be missed!

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You will see this HUGE Brown bear just right in front of the entrance.

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Buy all you want! Its too cute to just ignore.

2. Dark Han Ma Ri, Restaurant near Sinchon.

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My second visit to this awesome restaurant that serves chicken in soup and many other dishes of cause. I brought my family here and they all loved it! Too hard to not include it here in this post, too.

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3. Hongdae

Hongdae is a university district that has so much to offer not only on food, fashion, beauty but also its unique ambience that draws so much attention in the country to check out their street performances by students and street artists.

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Strolling along Hongdae.

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FOOD!

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Street performance, daily.

4. Ewha Womans University

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Ewha Womans Univeristy is famous in Korea and it is one of the best university in the country. Despite its name Womans University, it is not restricted to only women, but men who wants a taste of Korean culture and the feeling of being in a womans university are also welcomed. Oh yes, only foreigners though.

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Its famous library. Even Runningman filmed a few of their episodes here. Walk along Ewha street, you can find many stalls like Banila co, Innisfree, fashion brands are all available. Some stalls are open for bargain too.

5. Guard changing ceremony, Gyeongbokgung

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Its Chuseok festival, we’ve seen many locals dressed  up in Hanbok (traditional Korean costume) taking pictures at Gyeongbokgung.

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I managed to hunt down a pair for a shot.

6. Korea Ginseng Chicken Soup since 1960

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7. Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)

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On the way to DDP, the outstanding Dongdaemun Gate.

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The astonishing view.

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Award-winning architecture.

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A shot with DDP.

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8. Gwangjang Market 

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Variety of food.

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Visited this Ajumma’s stall. The best Mandu ever tasted.

9. Myeongdong night strolling

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Bro with a cat mascot.

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Egg bun.

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Cheeseeeeeeeee!

10. Nami Island + Bungy

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This time, its AUTUMN.

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Beautiful.

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Encouraged and dared both brother and sister to try out Bungy as I did it before at the same spot here in Nami.

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TADA!

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Jeju Island:

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  1. Yongduam Rock

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2. Neul Bom Black Pork Restaurant

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Jeju black pork is very famous worldwide. To my surprised, it was really very good.

3. Teddybear Safari

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There are 2 different companies of Teddy Bear Museum. I was at the other one during my previous visit.

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So cute!

4. Manjanggul Lava Tube [UNESCO World Heritage]

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It took us about an hour to complete the tour.

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5. Mysterious Road

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Click on link to read more about this Mysterious Road explanation.

6. Jeju National Folk Museum

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To be honest, nothing much here. There’s tour guide that will brief you a little about Korean history and wine making and so on. In the end, if you do not buy any products from them, they show temper.

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7. Seongsan Ilchulbong [UNESCO World Heritage]

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This place is beautiful beyond words.

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Le bf and I.

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Wanted to check out the woman diver performance but it was cancelled due to inappropriate weather.

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Managed to climb up the peak and the view was priceless.

8. Jeju Stone Park

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9. Hallasan Horse Ranch

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Til then.

Annyeong x

香 Hong Kong 港

Posted on by serenatan

Hong Kong. A former British colony.

Now a major global financial hub famous for its skyline.

I made a last min trip to Hong Kong after my Macau trip only for 2 days since I have not been and have heard a lot of good (and some bad) things about this country often known for its food.

Bought the Turbojet from Macau to Hong Kong.

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As you can see from the image above, its HK$153 for one way from Macau to Hong Kong stops at Sheung Wan Station.

Where all the trams are nicely parking for passengers to board. Too bad we have no intention in trying out the tram but you can always check them out HERE.

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Our hotel in Hong Kong is Best Western Grand Hotel, located strategically at Austin Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui area. Which I have always wanted to check this area out.

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There are two entrances: via Austin Avenue & Tsim Sha Tsui.

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Korken (name of my pet horse) having a fun time.

After shower and freshening up, we strolled around the street of Nathan Road. Checking out the culture and not to my surprise, all the buildings are really really close to each other.

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Hungry. It’s time for dinner.

We walked around with no clue where to go for dinner but ain’t thats why its fun to be a backpacker?

We had our dinner at this small, wantan mee shop at Jordan Road. Honestly, I cannot recall the direction as we were just walking around with no idea and just stopped by.

Its 辉记云吞面食

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The wantan mee texture was so good! Not to mention the huge prawn wantan too! It was so delicious! Cost me about HK$30 inclusive of a refreshing cup of Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea.

We proceed to:

Avenue of Stars

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Approaching Avenue of Stars.

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Stopped by Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade.

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You know you are here when you see this statue.

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A shot with the late Bruce Lee statue overlooking the stunning view of Victoria Harbour.

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These images need no explanation.

Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower

The Tsim Sha Tsui clock tower is a landmark of Hong Kong. It is the only remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton Railway.

Mong Kok

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Mong Kok is often famous for its funny street names. We were hunting for street signs and grabbed a bowl of Hui Lau Shan‘s Mango dessert.

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Called it a night.

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Next morning, with plans to try the very famous Hong Kong style Cha Chan Teng.

Australia Dairy Co. 澳洲牛奶公司

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Yes of cause we need to join in the (loooong) queue.

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Selfie while we waited for half an hour or so.

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Tempting us while we stood right in front of the fridge.

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Finally! We managed to be seated with two other strangers that obviously did not know each other as well. And ordered our portion of breakfast. It was so good I think I don’t mind queuing up again next time.

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Do check them out when you are paying a visit to Hong Kong. And mind you, if you do not read Chinese, request for an English version of menu.

Yes. They are considerate like that. Hehe.

After this satisfying meal, we proceed to check out The Peak. Thank God we purchased our tickets online beforehand hence avoiding the long queue at the ticketing booth.

The Peak Tram

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The tram is here after 10-15mins of waiting.

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On the way up!

We headed to Madame Tussauds first as we got out admission ticket bundle online together with the Peak Tram.

Madame Tussauds, Hong Kong

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The entrance of Madame Tussauds.

A few of my favourite statue out of many:

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Dai Go, Jackie Chan.

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Korean drama prince – Kim Soo Hyun

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My all time fav – TVXQ, Changmin & Yunho!

Victoria Peak

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Stunning!

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Hong Kong view is amazing both day and night.

Lan Kwai Fong

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Lan Kwai Fong is a small square of streets in Central, Hong Kong. The area was dedicated to hawkers before the Second World War, but underwent a renaissance in the mid-1980s.

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I couldn’t help but feel a pinch of disappointment towards this infamous area. It wasn’t as happening as it seems like the movies. Drunken people all around and definitely not my kind of hang out spot. But nonetheless, it was an eye-opener.

Causeway Bay

Causeway Bay is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, located on Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road. – wikipedia.

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SML, Times Square, Causeway Bay

We ended up in this restaurant “SML” located in Times Square 11th Floor, Causeway Bay.

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I like this place. Cozy. Not noisy.

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That sums up our last dinner in Hong Kong.

Let’s call it a night.

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Next morning, decided to opt for the very famous Hong Kong dimsum. Checked out some blogs and stuff, we found this place just by foot from our hotel.

Cuisine Cuisine, The Mira Hotel

Michelin-5 Star dimsum place. Ofcoz, pricing is quite that standard too.

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FOOD!

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Appetizer and Chinese Pu Er before the main dishes.

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Prawn dumplings.

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Siew Mai (not the ordinary ones)

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Xiao Long Bao. (too awesome)

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Cheong Fun (In Malaysia we call it “Chee Cheong Fun”)

And lastly..

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My fav dimsum: HAR GAO WONG!

It tasted so good but due to insufficient fund, we have decided to put a stop to it after my fav Har Gao.

It costs us around HK$500.

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Time to say Good-Bye to Hong Kong. Though it was a short trip, I managed to visit quite a number of attractions, witnessed the Oh-So-Famous “Symphony of Lights” at Avenue of Stars overlooking Victoria Harbour. The little red boat that reminds me of my mom echoing to me her story in Hong Kong. The food. YES THE FOOD! That’s the BOMB!

X

澳 Macau 门

Posted on by serenatan

Often when many think about Macau, casino came into their mind.

But for me, there is only one thing that attracts me to the heaven of gamblers – Bungy Jump.

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Not only being the highest bungy in the world, but also with Guinness Book of Records with “World Highest Commercial Bungy Jump” at 233M.

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It all started when I was browsing through the AirAsia web for promos and caught this good deal to Macau.

I quickly check with my adventurous partner, Kah Mun to see if she wants to join in the fun.

Guess what, she said YES!

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We started our journey from Kuala Lumpur to Macau International Airport on the 4th June 2015.

Booked hotel and stuff beforehand so there is no rushy.

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Our hotel: Ole London Hotel (not bad actually despite the rude receptionist.)

After checking in, both of us went on to explore the small city of Macau with scorching hot weather at about 35 degrees.

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Confused while walking, we were so drenched in sweat until we found these signs.5

1. Senado Square

 We headed to Senado Square. It is a town square in the small city of Macau.

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It was packed with tourists. Mainly from the Mainland.

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Had lunch before heading to the MUST-VISITs.

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Koi Kee biscuit is everywhere in Macau. Like literally every corner! You can find some located in Hong Kong too.

2. Ruins of St. Paul

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The auspicious Ruins of St. Paul! Finally!

It was super sunny. We could barely feel our foot. Nonetheless, witnessing this greatness was all worth-while. We selfie non-stop and figured that was all. Yes, and reading some history as we approached the walls behind.

Then we proceed to our next destination with lots of pictures and sweats.

3. Macau Fisherman’s Wharf

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Fisherman’s Wharf has never came to my mind until it was spotted on one of Korean Variety Show “Running Man”. Which happened to be my all-time fav TV program weekly. It looked so beautiful despite the freaking hot sun.

It was very quiet and empty though. We did not figure out why until we asked the lady at a cafe. She explained that usually it is always packed at night because of the casinos available.

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We had some drinks at the cafe purely because we couldn’t walk any longer until the cruel summer heat.

4. Venetian

Located on the Cotai Strip, Estrada da Baía de N. Senhora da Esperança.

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With an area of about 980,000 square meters (242 acres). Opened on August 28th, 2008, it is the largest single block style hotel in Asia and the second largest building in the world.

It has the function of performance, entertainment, shopping, exhibition, accommodation and large scale gaming.

Venetian, in my opinion was impressive. Mainly because of its very European-style architecture and building design.

5. Grand Canal Shoppe

Name all the brands you like. Its all here!

Grand Canal Shoppe is located in Venetian. Just a few mins walk away from the main building.

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You will see Gondola rowing in the middle of the area. Well, yes you will need to pay for the ride!

6. Rua de Cunha

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FOOD!

its all about eating here at Rua de Cunha!

The famous porridge: Seng Cheong is a MUST-TRY!!!!

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7. Macau Tower

The tallest building in Macau. Macau Tower has so much to offer. Variety of things to commit into.

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Head to the observatory deck for a great view of Macau, to be impressed.

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Dining at the 360 degree restaurant will give you a spin, beware!

8. AJ Hackett Bungy Jump- Macau Tower

The main reason visiting Macau Tower, or should I rephrase it.. The ultimate reason for the trip is to Bungy Jump at the World Tallest Bungy Jump under Guinness Book of Records.

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At 233m, you get a 7 seconds free-fall with your eyes opened.

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Caution: Not for the weak-hearted.

Check out my bungy jump video here.

 Next: HONG KONG!

Til then.

X

Korea Spring, Day Six: Seoul, Korea

Posted on by serenatan

We woke up early today as it will be our last day in Korea before ending the trip.

Follow our footstep:

1 . Gyeongbokgung

Built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung Palace is also commonly referred to as the Northern Palace because its location is furthest north when compared to the neighboring palaces of Changdeokgung (Eastern Palace) and Gyeongheegung (Western Palace) Palace. Gyeongbokgung Palace is arguably the most beautiful, and remains the largest of all five palaces.

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A pavilion at Gyeongbokgung. It was also the filming site of “Rooftop Prince”.

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The beautiful arch. Me love ❤

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Beautiful, don’t you think?

And.. obviously I am talking about the palace, no?

2. National Folk Museum

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The museum is not that big, so it won’t be too time-consuming to check it out.

And, its free admission!

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3. Gwanghwamun 

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Changing of guards: 1pm daily.

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4. King Sejong Statue

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5. Admiral Yi Shun Shin Statue

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6. Ssamziegil, Insadong.

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7. Insadong

Lunch Time.

Our lunch looked like this:

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TADA!

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Insadong street is packed with tourists venturing into all the local stalls.

You can easily get souvenirs like keychain, post cards etc here too.

I got myself a Taegukgi shirt for only RM30.

8. Bukchon Hanok Village

Situated nearby Insadong area. It is accessible via foot.

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Easy guide to walk to Bukchon Hanok Village.

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9. Try “Hanbok”

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Try on Korean Traditional Costume, a.k.a Hanbok.

Beautiful right!?

10. Cafe Breezin, Samcheong-dong

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The waffle is super good.

I realized.. there is nothing in Korea that is not good. At all!

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Evening view from top of Cafe Breezin overlooking the street of Samcheong-dong.

11. Namdaemun Market

You can taste variety of food here in Namdaemun market.

Bear in mind, the shops close pretty early.

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12. Myeongdong, (Again!)

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We went back to Myeongdong after checking out Namdaemun.

Did some last-minute shopping here, had supper and walk around since it was our last day in Seoul already.

I must say Korea has been a great place throughout my 7 days trip and the weather was nice.

I can’t wait to blog about my Autumn trip in Korea soon!

Til then.

X

Korea Spring, Day Five: Seoul, Korea

Posted on by serenatan

Day Five was a hectic one. We traveled from Jungmun to Jeju Airport early in the morning but it was raining cats and dogs.

We arrived at Gimpo Airport about 12noon already with a lil delay and stuff.

Took AREX to Gyeongbokgung station to our booked homestay.

1. Vine Hanok Guest House.

9 mins away from Gyeongbokgung station.

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It was our first experience staying in a Hanok. Simply means Korean Traditional House.

The setting was lovely and really comfortable-looking. There are 4 rooms in this Hanok.

We were greeted by the host as we booked via airbnb web.

2. Tosokchun Samgyetang.

One of the very famous Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken) in Seoul.

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Located near Gyeongbokgung Station, the restaurant was also frequented by late President Roh Moo-hyun.

It produces their ingredients like Tojongdak (Korean chicken), 4-years ginseng, chest nut, jujube, garlics, ginger, adlay, perilla seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seed, nuts, pine nut, black sesame, and etc.

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I am going back to Korea.. like tomorrow. Really!

I will surely visit Tosokchon again if my other members want to.

I can never, ever find such taste in Malaysia!!!!

3. Gangnam, til late.

Well, after dinner, we did not have any plans so we headed to Gangnam, just to chill.

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Posing with the Gangnam subway sign.

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Interesting mirror caught my attention.

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Gangnam. High rise building everywhere. I can see Samsung HQ from here too.

Remind me alot of Bukit Bintang in KL, Malaysia.

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Visited COEX Mall for the night.

There are numerous of branded outlets in COEX Mall, like MCM, Coach etc.

COEX Aquarium is located inside too. Unfortunately we did not manage to check it out.

It was raining. So we went home early.

Had snacks from Jaw Food nearby Vine Hanok Guest House.

It was awesome.

I really love Korean food, Korean snacks and all the other stuff.

X

Korea Spring, Day Four: Jeju Island

Posted on by serenatan

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1. Arrival At Jeju Airport.

We took Jeju Air directly from Gimpo Airport, Seoul to Gimhe Airport, Jeju-si.

It was an extremely windy morning and foggy too.

The flight was delayed to one hour later. We were so exhausted and slept all the way til we reached Jeju Airport.

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View outside from the airport.

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Cherry Blosson along the street in Jeju. A view I missed until today.

2. Arrival at Jungmun Log Pension & Resort.

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We took an airport taxi to Jungmun Pension.

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Here’s how Jungmun Log Pension looks like.

3. Brunch at a restaurant.

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Brunch at a restaurant nearby.

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Happy Brunch with the bunch!

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Especially my Abalone porridge! OMG!

4. Teddy Bear Museum, Jeju.

Address: 31, Jungmungwangwang-ro110beon-gil, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.

Operating Hours: 09:00 – 20:00 (Peak season July 18 to August 23)
09:00 – 22:00 (Non-peak season
(Tickets are available for sale until 19:00)

Tickets: Individual – Adults 9,500 won / Teenagers 8,500 won / Children 7,500 won
Group  – Adults 7,500 won / Teenagers 6,500 won / Children 5,500 won

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A dream-come-true for me!

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This is my fav section in Teddy Bear Museum. As a fan of the K-drama “Goong” back in 2004, I was thrilled to be able to finally visit one of my fav place in Jeju! It was definitely awesome!

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This Teddy Bear is definitely not stranger to you if you have been to Jeju Teddy Bear Museum.

It is the most expensive Teddy in the World!

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Vincent Van Gogh Teddy!

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“Goong” character: Lee Shin (Joo JiHun) & Shin ChaeKyung (Yoon EunHye) Teddy.

5. Hello Kitty Island, Jeju.

Address: 340, Hanchang-ro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.

Open All Year Round.

Tickets: Individuals – Adults 12,000 won / Youths 11,000 won / Children 9,000 won
Groups – Adults 10,000 won / Youths 9,000 won / Children 7,000 won

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Hello Kitty statue situated right in front of the building, how not to spot?!!!

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Got our tickets ready!

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It was so cute! So happy to be in this place surrounded by Hello Kitty!

You can check out Camellia Hill from the hill top outdoor at Hello Kitty Island.

6. Camellia Hill

Address: 166, Byeongang-ro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do

Operating Hours: Summer season (June-August): 08:30-18:00
Winter season (December-Februrary): 08:30-17:00
March-May/ September-November: 08:30- 17:30
* Last admission: 1 hour before closing.

Tickets: Adults (ages 19-64): 7,000 won / Group: 5000 won
Youths (ages 13-18): 5,000 won / Group: 4,000 won
Children (ages 3-12): 4,000 won / Group: 3,000 won
Seniors (over 65): 5,000 won / Group: 4,000 won

* Infants ages 3 or younger: Free
* Groups: 30 people or more

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Tickets to Camellia Hill.

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Such a beautiful place!

OH! Do you know “Love from the star” was filmed here too?

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7. BBQ at night, Jungmun Log Pension & Resort

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Owner of the pension prepared everything for you at a minimal charger.

We got all the ingredients and meat from the market nearby Jungmun town.

8. Jjimjilbang, World Cup Stadium Jeju.

Jeju Water World (Take the local or intercity bus to the World Cup Stadium and walk around to the south side. It’s in the mouth of the giant, green-lit shark.). Family-friendly water park consisting of a large indoor section quite literally under the south grandstands and a small outdoor section off to the side. Has a sauna and jjimjilbang attached. ₩21,000 for water park admission (₩8,000 for sauna, ₩10,000 for jjimjilbang).

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Price list board.

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Male: Blue attire.

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Female locker room.

Male and female bath places are separately at different side of the entrance.

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The bath place was empty when we arrived. So happy to be able to bath all for ourselves without much interruption.

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After the bath, you can go up to the common area where every can meet each other (With clothes on of cause!)

Tried on the hot salt bed for a good 30mins! It was so awesome!

That’s all for my Jeju day.

X

Korea Spring, Day Three: Seoul, Korea

Posted on by serenatan

It was a great night before I realised that day three was equally awesome, too.

We kinda printed out a list of places to go accordingly with directions and it was a very detailed itinery all done by me myself and I. I have always been very impatience about going for trips and must make sure all is well communicated beforehand.

Never that I thought this so called “brilliant” itinery will be ruined upside down. Well, not particularly ruined but it didn’t go according to plan at all. We kinda visited places on day one and two that was supposedly for day three and four etc.

But I guess everything happens for a reason!

Day Three was a hectic one as I recalled. We went to some hot spots recommended not only by locals but friends from our home ground who have been here before we did. Check out where we went on day three:

1. Myeongdong

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Myeongdong is one of the hottest must-go in Seoul, Korea. Being known for its endless variety of cosmetic and beauty products, street food, snacks, fashion and many many more.

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It was about 11 degree celcius in the morning and the hungry me has started hearing signals from my precious stomach. Steven, a friend of mine recommended us to this dumpling restaurant to satisfy my crying stomach.

2. Myeongdong Gyoja, Restaurant at Myeongdong

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The dumplings are so delicious! Their portion are quite big too. A bowl of noodle can be shared by two.

3. Hello Kitty Cafe, Myeongdong branch

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Everything in this shop is so pinkish. Though am not a fan of pink but we are talking about Hello Kitty Cafe, nevermind. The tables and chairs are all shaped in Hello Kitty. Even the packaging for food and drinks.

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Desserts looked super tempting. Too bad we didn’t have any as we were still super full from our lunch earlier.

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Souvenirs! I bought a pair of Hello Kitty dressed in King and Queen from Josean Dynasty. You can also get them from Hello Kitty Island in Jeju Island but subject to availability.

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A picture with this cute Hello Kitty plush.

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Hello Kitty Cafe is overall amazing to me. (Imma Hello Kitty fans, Big time!)

A cup of Mocha latte with beautiful coffee art of Hello Kitty. You get different designs each time.

4. Street Vendors, Myeongdong.

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Churros!

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Famous egg buns!

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Pancakes!

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Deep Dried Squid!

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Tang-Hulu.

5. Lotte Mart, Myeongdong branch.

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Lotte Duty Free Mart has 12Floors in total offering variety of products and services.

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One of the highlight: LINE Store!

6. Namsan

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You can actually take a cab over to Namsan cable car station or be adventurous and walk over from Myeongdong.

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Weather is so nice that we walked 15mins to reach. Enjoying the beautfiful view of Seoul late evening.

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Cable car ticket: 8,500won.

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Nice walk up to Namsan.

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Stop by at love lock, Namsan. You can purchase a lock for as low as 5,000won.

7. N Seoul Tower

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N Seoul Tower view from Namsan.

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Reached the ticketing booth of N Seoul Tower. Previously Namsan Tower.

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Love Lock at night, Namsan.

Korea Spring, Day Two: Seoul, Korea

Posted on by serenatan

We woke up pretty early on our second day in Korea. Mainly because we were feeling cold. Yes, coming from a tropical country like Malaysia, I am really not used to cold and dry weather like in Korea but it was a great experience for someone who doesn’t fancy cold weather much as it was nice strolling around without sweating, at least. Haha..

We were greeted by complimentary breakfast set from Cozybox Guesthouse. A set consists of hard boiled egg, ramyeon (aka Korean ramen/instant noodle), Gimbap (a popular Korean dish made from steamed white rice and other ingredients rolled in dried seaweed) and Yakult. I was too hungry and forgotten to take a snap shot of it 😦

Check out where we visited on our day two:

1. Nami Island

Gaining its fame from the Korean hit drama, Winter Sonata. Mainly took place in this historical island. Tourists from around the globe visit to take pictures and the island is always packed with people in all seasons. Claims to have different view all four seasons. It is crowded mostly during Winter (Winter Sonata, maybe) and Autumn.

Check out How to go to Nami Island

We took approximately an hour or more to reach Gapyeong station. Where you have to locate a cab to the Namiseom ticketing office to board the Nami Island ferry.

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pic: (left) Gapyeong station. (right) boyfriend waiting for a cab.

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pic: (left) ticketing office of Namiseom. (right) Nami Island entrance ticket/entry visa.

The ticketing counter is on your right when you approach Namiseom. Bear in mind that you will get a discount for the ticket to Nami Island if you are tourist at 8,000won instead of 10,000won. So much love!

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Group pic in front of Namiseom.

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The ferry to Nami Island from Namiseom.

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Finally! Nami Island!

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pic: (left) Signboard in Nami Island. (right) Cutiepie spotted!

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Nami Island bank.

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Filming location of Winter Sonata.

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Nami Island is an amazing place. Close to nature and it was so relaxing strolling around this small island. Love birds, families and many foreigners were seen spending time chilling and playing games on the grass that usually turn into an ice field during Winter. But Spring time, was just nice. You can spend a dollar or two trying out local snacks from the stalls available in the island or sitting down in a cafe or a restaurant having deep thoughts.

On our way back to Namiseom from Nami Island, we spotted a place possible enough to do bungy activity. I was in doubt at first but going closer to check it turned out to be a place for bungy jump! Without thinking twice, I have decided to give it a shot as bungy jump is always top of my bucket list! The dare devil me urged others to jump with me but unfortunately, only 4 out of 8 of us did it. It costs 40,000won per jump and no, you won’t get any certificate from it cause its not AJ Hackett!

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The Bungy Jump platform at Namiseom.

Curious? Check out my Korea bungy jump video HERE

Read about my nerve-wrenching Bungy Jump experience at Macau Tower coming very soon!

2. Dinner

The sad part is that I have forgotten the name of the restaurant we dine in after Nami Island visit. Maybe we were too hungry to figure that out and just stormed into any restaurant that sells.. FOOD!

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pic: (left) bibimbap set. (right) chicken ddeokbukki with rice.

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And some nice soju to end the night.

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Korea Spring, Day One: Seoul, Korea

Posted on by serenatan

When I was sixteen, I was overly obsessed with this Korean boy group, TVXQ. Constantly imagining myself being close to them k-pop stars, I vowed to visit South Korea at least once in my life and it turned out to be a dream-come-true after ten years of waiting. (I was a student back then and did not have the permission and enough cash to travel)

After a few years of gambling my life in the working world and this ever so competitive society, I did the best decision to my buddy’s proposal to book the flight to Seoul – The Land of Morning Calm.

We managed to strike the lucky charm and got ourselves a pair of Air Asia X at RM600+ both ways. As we got it way earlier from the travelling date, we spent some time researching on the point of interests in Seoul.

After arriving Incheon International Airport, we were amazed by the architecture. Its modern and humble design caught my eyes and it was very crowded when we arrived at 3:40pm at 8 degree celcius.

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Without wasting time, I made my way to “K Book” store situated at the lower ground of Incheon Airport to redeem the local sim card that I have ordered online for my 7 days trip here in Korea. Check out EG SIM, HERE. Also you might want to consider getting the T-Money card for easy access in Seoul. You can basically use T-Money for KTX, metro, mrt, taxi, buses and even 7-eleven in Seoul. Super convenient. Something like our Malaysian Touch n’Go? LOL. Find out more about T-Money card and its coverage of usage, HERE.

We took the KTX to Ewha Women Uni. Station, where our guesthouse situated. Before departing to Seoul, we made a reservation online with Cozybox Guesthouse. Conveniently situated opposite of The Coffeebean & Tealeaf in Daehyun-dong, Seodaemun in Shinchon, Hongdae. You can find bakery, souvenir shops, restaurants that open till late night and Shinchon police station is just right in front. Going down the road for a bout a minute more by walking, you will see a mini shopping street with variety of korean latest fashion, shoes, cute socks and street food too! Do check out Cozybox Guesthouse HERE.

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 Here are some of the places we have visited in day one:

1. Dinner at “Dark Han Ma Ri” Restaurant

We were greeted in Mandarin by Ajumma working in the restaurant. It was our first visit (obviously!) so we were introduced to try out their chicken dish in hot pot and later on with rice shimmer to perfection. As you can see from the first pic below, the chicken was well-cooked and perfectly melted our hungry stomach with minced garlic and their complimentary kimchi!

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2. Sinchon street market

Throughout our whole Korea trip, shopping in Sinchon was overall the cheapest. It was just few steps away from Cozybox Guesthouse and the variety of fashion, street food is just great. I wouldn’t say it is the best but they do have many beauty products and clothing selling at reasonable price. We were strolling around and did a little shopping here.

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3. Dongdaemun

We took a cab to Dongdaemun and it stopped in front of Doota Shopping Mall. One of the many famous malls in Seoul. We went in to have a look. There were many clothing booths located at ground floor, mainly from local designers and their pricing was sky high. I did not manage to secure any but did a while of window shopping. It was really crowded with youngsters or maybe there were just avoiding the strong outdoor wind. Fortunately, there were LINE characters air balloons in front of the mall which garnered a lot flashes of camera. Of cause, we did too. If you are tired of walking already, head to one of the many coffee shops/cafe just nearby Dongdaemun. Don’t forget to check out Gwangjang Market along the way as it is crowned the largest food alley in Seoul! Yummmms!

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4. Food Cafe, Sinchon

We were hungry and decided to head to a cafe just across the road from Cozybox Guesthouse. Food Cafe offers variety of Ramyeon and I picked the Cheese Ramyeon. Sounds weird to me but to my surprised, it was so good!

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Happy and exhausted. We ended day one with much satisfaction.

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