Seoul

We took a holiday to Seoul recently. All this Korean drama craze makes you wonder what the place is like, and whether all the boys and girls there will look like the stars on TV.

Incheon airport looked like a futristic space station from the outside, but the inside looked annoynomus, steel and glass structure which made me feel the same as Hongkong, Bangkok. Such interiors were starting to get a little boring to me. But I am sure it has reasons for being named the best airport for 2009.

I must say that October is a good time to go. The leaves were turning yellow and red everywhere. Weather is cold and a nice change from Singapore. The small streets and alleys were filled with traditional houses converted to the cosiest cafes and restaurants much more tastful than Singapore in terms of ambience and design. Coffee and waffle shops were everywhere although I am not sure if it is a passing trend.

People on the streets were in their 20s and 30s and they dress much better than Singaporeans. The men have hairstyles that looks like the Korean stars and good complexion.

Some quick notes:
-Weekends are in my opinion not a good time to be in Seoul, its overly crowded on Sats and shops are closed on Sundays. Weekdays are much better for tourists.
-Meoyndong has stalls along the streets which sells snacks and cheap trendy stuff. However if you go on Sundays they are closed
-Migilore has Grade A fakes which are worth having a look
-Lotte World sells a type of premium ginseng sweets which cannot be found anywhere else. We looked for a few days before finding it. Also it being a big time supermarket, you can buy prepacked kimchi to take home.
-Nandaemun market sells a good range of dried goods, cheap sweets and kitchen ware, which costs about twice as much in Singapore korean shops. I found my favourite korean anchovies there! You can also find semi sun dried persimmons which are simply delicious. So are the dried octopus slices.
-The city bus tour is an extremely in expensive way to see Korea if its your first time there. Costs about 10 Sin dollars per pax and you can go round the whole day, get on and off at attractions and busses come every half hour. You could spend 3 days on these buses I estimate.
-shopping: Bargaining was hard as I dont think it is common. Only the people selling Grade A fakes are willing to bargain for obvious reasons. haha

Things to buy which are probably costs double in Singapore korean shops:
-kimchi 2.2 kg @ 15 000 won from Lotte World
-stainless steel chopsticks and instand noodle pot (haha)
-Grade A fakes from Migilore
-Ginseng sweets cheap from Nandaumun and premium ones at Lotte World
-Red local ginseng powder from Lotte World and Nandaemun
-Maxim 3 in 1 coffee which tastes fantastic for 3 in 1 instant coffees (watch the calories though!)
-Soju at 3 Sin dollars a bottle!
-BB cream for men (haha)
-korean anchovies (the ones they use for sidedishes)
-semi sun dried natural pessimons

Food:
-The barbeque was fantastic and so was the kimchi and side dishes. Ginseng chicken I find expensive at almost 20 Sin dollars a bowl but rivgorating in winter time.
-Most of the food there had red chilli bean paste in them and after a few days I could not take it anymore and was dying for something else.
-Tuna and kimchi goes very well. Just get the canned tuna from the supermarket and mix it with Kimchi and rice. yummy

What I could have done better
-Dont expect to find money changers in Korea like the ones in Singapore. I kept delaying changing money in Singapore because I thought the rate was not good enough. So when I went to Korea, the rates were worse! In the end I got the worst rates I could possibly get....:(

Language
Thank you- Kam Sa Mi Da
Hello- Anio Haseyo
Hey- Chokio
Can you give me a discount- Kaka cha se yo
Good bye- Anio Kaseyo