MY FIRST MALAYSIAN

http://www.business-standard.com/newsimgthumb/thao_airasia.jpg

Just this year, Malaysian airlines Air Asia joined the fray of the already stiff local flight competition. It is a budget carrier just like Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines that targets passengers who are willing to give up flight conveniences (e.g. extra baggage, insurance, on-board meals, etc.) for a surprisingly low airfare. Being the natural stingy that I am, I booked my Davao vacation in Air Asia. Guess how much I paid for a roundtrip ticket.

P1,500!

It is a far cry from PAL’s ~P10,000. While in college, Mama always booked me a PAL ticket despite the dizzying price tag because she wants her unico hijo to come home safely and conveniently. And now that I’m working and I pay for my tickets, I never looked back at PAL.

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – LOVELAND

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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WARNING!

If you are under 18, or have a weak heart, please do not proceed on reading this entry.

I am actually warning you. See those cartoon characters they used on their entrance booth? Definitely not for kids.

HEY! Why are you still reading? Didn't I tell you to leave this page?

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There. Don't say I didn't warn ya

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – SOINGOOK MINIATURE THEME PARK

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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Christo Redenter

Yup, that's right. It is the Christ the Redeemer statue. But nope, we were not in Rio de Janeiro (how I wish we're there). Actually, we were in Jeju Soingook Miniature Theme Park. It features miniature versions of some of the most famous architectures, landmarks, et cetera around the world.

See? It's just a miniature version.

Anyway, please enjoy viewing our trip to the Soingook Miniature Park. :-)

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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I knew this is a quite delayed post for my March trip, but I vowed to finish these Kimchilandia entries even if I have to do it inch by inch. :-)

You see, I have started my Masters in June and since then I barely had time to rest. Much less blog. But anyway, here’s another tourist attraction we visited while we were in Jeju Island.

Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Museum.

Mr. Ripley with Balinese dancers

Mr. Ripley in few of his countless excursions

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – CHOCOLATE MUSEUM

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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Wow. I have been soooooo busy with my work-school routine that I am recently finding it hard to make time for blogging.

But anyway, since I am currently uploading bulk photos of my Aunt's wedding and his son's christening (rushing this for my dear mama who's so eager to see the pics since she wasn't able to attend because she is in the province), I will squeeze in posting this one entry.

Luckily, this is not too time consuming as there is no long story to tell.

not your ordinary chess set

That pictured above is something that you don't want to play with. Because that set, believe it or not, is food.

It is chocolate molded into chess pieces. And while you're reading this entry, you will see a lot of "cute-ly" styled chocolates, because well, this entry's about the...

CHOCOLATE MUSEUM! Are you ready to salivate?

Shortstride & Arigato by the entrance of the museum

the facade

the welcoming lobby is a chocolaterie

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – TEDDY BEAR MUSEUM

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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We kicked off Day 2 of our Jeju sub-trip by having a warm morning with teddy bears.

I used to love cutesy stuff when I was young. Figurines, collectibles, potpourri, stationery, anything scented, stuff toys. However, that affinity disappeared when I started college. I don’t really know why 

I stopped liking cute things maybe because Elbi made me realize that life is tough, and cutesy stuff are just impediments in one’s coping with the bluntness of reality. (huh?)

So anyway, enough of that uhm darkness. I’m here to talk about light, delightful stuff! What’s good about the Jeju Teddy Bear Museum is that it made me get in touch with my old self. Now I’m liking cute stuff again. =)

Move over Michelangelo

I mean, how could you not be joyed when you see these adorable bears...

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – JEJU FOLK VILLAGE

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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umi-emo si koya

Folk villages are a common type of tourist spot in Korea. It is one of the must-go-to attractions in Kimchiland, so I insisted that we should visit at least one. However, even if there was one near Seoul, we were only able to visit the one in Jeju (one of the two in the island).

The Jeju Folk Village features an actual village, albeit uninhabited except for dolls, where you get to peek inside traditional village homes, farms, backyards, etc. The village also features an administrative house, where the most influential man in the village ought to live.

The compound has some restaurants and souvenir shops where you can shop for neat Jeju thingamajigs. Plus, there's an area where you can don traditional Korean costumes, for a fee of course. And it even has a hut filled with Jang Geum memorabilia. Yes, that Jewel in the Palace girl.

Wait. Why am I spoiling everything? Here, take a peek of our experience in the Jeju Folk Village.

Enjoy!

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND - LAVA RUINS, A LABYRINTH, AND A GIANT SAUCER

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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Seongsan Ilchulbung (see source at the bottom)

Gimnyeong Maze Park

Manjanggul Lava Tube

From here on, I will classify my Kimchilandia entries per theme. This is because our Jeju trip, albeit short, featured soooo many different tourist spots that putting all one-day’s worth of activities in one entry is a Herculean task.

And besides, I don’t want the amazingness of a particular attraction to diminish; which I think would happen if I would squeeze them in one entry. Especially as Jeju island is the home of 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

So anyway, let me start by featuring first the destinations that are ‘nature’-related.

Kimchilandia Chronicles: Day 4 – CHANGGYEONGGUNG AND THE FLIGHT TO JEJU-DO

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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the mysterious palace gate

 

view of Jeju-do from the high heavens

Before I start, let me share with you our dinner after our Everland adventure.

To somehow counterweigh our expenses for the first couple of days, we decided to eat cheap. We bought luncheon meat, noodles, and bab (rice) in Family Mart, a famous convenience store chain in Korea.  I cooked, and then Arigato and Shortstride took turns in cleaning.

By the way, just another tip, if you will be on the move most of the time (just like us, since we wanted to cram a lot of activities in a short span of time), you might want to eat light meals in Family Mart. It is a lot cheaper than eating in restaurants, plus you get to finish more quickly. And then just make up for a heavy meal when you are not in a rush.

Kimchilandia Chronicles: Day 3 – EVERLAND

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure.

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Monday, 12 March 2012

It was Day 3 of our trip and we were scheduled to go to EVERLAND!

Arigato, Shortstride, and Lonewulf --> Happiness

Korevia # 4 When in Korea, it would be a sin not to visit Everland. Everland is a huuuuge amusement park that features not only the usual theme park rides but also some animal shows, exhibits, and restaurants. They even have a separate water resort (with indoor diving pools!) called the Caribbean Bay.  --- Everland is owned by Samsung (surprise!). Yes, that mobile giant that is currently the second largest mobile producer in the world. Apparently, it has businesses in different industries in Korea

By the way, Everland is not in Seoul. It is in Yongin, a city located south of Seoul.

Kimchilandia Chronicles: Day 2 – THE SEOUL CITY BUS TOUR THAT WAS NOT

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure.

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Sunday, 11 March 2012

Day 2 was allotted for Seoul City Bus Tour.

Korevia # 2 – If you want to optimize the appreciation of Seoul, you better board the Seoul City Tour Bus. It travels in a circuit that links the best places to see in the city like the great palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, etc.), N Seoul Tower, markets (Dongdaemun, Namdaemun, Insadong), Korean War Memorial Hall, and many more. What’s best about the tour is that you can purchase a one-day pass for 10,000-12,000 KRW and you can tour the city in your own pace. Meaning, you can get off in a particular attraction and stay for as long as you want, then just board the next scheduled bus.  Tip: The bus tours are not operational on Mondays. So make sure to plot your itinerary properly. Also, if you are serious about the palace tours, research about the tour schedules as English tours are only conducted in certain hours.

Sad to say though, as the title suggests, we were not able to do this activity. We were too exhausted (Go, go, muscle pains!) from the activities the previous day. Plus, factor in the lack of rest since we all came from work the day before that. So our ending: Photoshoot around Hwaseong Fortress.

Kimchilandia Chronicles: DAY 1 (ANNEX) - SNOWBOARDING 101

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure.

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SNOWBOARDING 101 for LONEWULF, SHORTSTRIDE, and ARIGATO 

Jisan Forest Ski Resort, Yongin, Gyeonggi, South Korea

10 March 2012

Lonewulf, Shortstride, and Arigato

The Slopes

Lovin' the cold

To complement a previous entry about our Day 1 in Korea, I am posting these pictures of our snowboarding adventure in Jisan Forest Ski Resort. Please have a journey through the pictures below. By the way, note that it is our first time (ever) to try this sport so be easy on the "fallen" shots. :)

Happiness - We'll definitely come back next winter

Read on.

Kimchilandia Chronicles: DAY 1 – ARRIVAL + SNOWBOARDING + MYEONGDONG DINNER

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure.
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Lonewulf, Shortstride*, and Arigato*

For the next few entries, allow me to recount my experiences in South Korea. I’m doing this for three reasons: (1) I was extremely awed by the beauty of this country and its culture, thus my strong urge to write about it; (2) I want to provide as much tips and other info as I can to those who are also interested to visit Korea; and, (3) That weeklong vacation we spent overseas was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and looking at our pictures never fails to make me smile (or laugh at times). =)

Okay, so let me start by recalling our Day 1 activities.

PART I – ARRIVAL

Friday, 9^th of March 2012. Straight from our respective offices, Shortstride, Arigato, and I dashed to our respective homes to get our respective baggage, and went straight to the airport, all giddy about the coming adventure. Four hours after take-off from Manila, with less sleep, we treaded on Korean turf for the first time in Incheon International Airport. YAY!

cute toilet bowl for kids - airport washroom

TO KIMCHILANDIA WE WENT

Just over a week ago, I embarked on my ‘first vacation abroad’, with two good friends of mine, to the home of electronics-giants Samsung and LG, automobile-giants KIA and Hyundai, and of course, Lotte. The Land of the Morning Calm... SOUTH KOREA, BABY! =)  /*I do not count my HK trip last July as a vacation abroad, as that one’s business-related. Or so I call it.*/

So for a few days, I lived and breathed kimchi. Which is not entirely true as I do not really fancy eating vegetables (and fruits). But anyway, here is what I can tell you now... THE WHOLE TRIP WAS BLISS. It was like experiencing a good fraction of the best moments of my entire life within one week!

And because of that I will spend the next couple of weeks writing entries about our week-long trip. =) I hope the entries will give you a taste of Korea, if you haven’t been there (yet). Or give you tips and ideas in case you are planning to go there.

W.O.C.D.T - HELMET DIVING

 

Finally, I was able to find some time to post this. The last installment of the W.O.C.D.T. series. :)

To complete our Bora activities, we allowed ourselves to be submerged was that 15? feet below sea-level, and had a one-of-a-kind experience of playing with some fish.