Summer in Korea - Part I

Who doesn't love Korea when it comes to shop, eat, still shop, and eat... ... 😜.

I'm finally back to this Kimchi-land after my last high school trip during winter time. I would say summer is a good period to shop for cloths (especially girls), due to summer clothings are started to go on sale around June-July, and of course masks and cosmetics. Please watch out your wallet!

There are so many places we wish to visit this time! We make sure we well-spend our days in Korea, yet we spent most of our times in shopping and eat, and reserved 1-2 day for sightseeing. Among all the shopping areas in Seoul, Myeong-dong is the best place to shop for cloths, masks, cosmetic, skincare, and snacks; second comes to Hongdae, where it's famous for its youthful ambience (Above all are just my personal opinion). 

SHOPPING

First stop: Myeongdong street

Earring store has about 10 feet tall!! How is it possible to reach?

Girls wont miss out this session. Most of our masks are bought from "All Mask Story"  

Must-drink beverage in Korea. You can get banana milk from any convenient stores and yet it is super filling 

3CE store in Myeong-dong. We spent about 2-hour here for cosmetic.

SIGHTSEEING
Gyeongbokgung Palace + Bukchon Hanok Village 
with Hanbok experience

Hanbok experience is pretty awesome although we kept complaining how hot it is to wear it during summer time. However, this is where we've gotten most of our travel shots here.

For those who are looking for a legit place to rent hanbok. I strongly recommend Oneday Hanbok where they provide high quality hanbok compare to most of the rental shops. For my advise is, please book it online at least one day in advance to get a 10% off (I booked thru Seoul Pass website). This shop is only 300m away from Bukchon Hanok Village.  

In Oneday Hanbok, they have widest selection and you got to try up to 2 hanbok. They even provide hair braiding service for ladies! Thumbs up.

Gyeongbokgong Palace

Who is the real queen? Left or right?

Bukchon Hanok Village

While going down to a railway

Must eat ginseng chicken at Tosokchon Samgyetang
Few mins walking distance from Bukchon Hanok Village, this restaurant is best known for their ginseng chicken with glutinous rice filling. (Avoid peak hour because their queue sometimes are crazy). Luckily we only waited 15-min to get in!

What we ordered for 6:
- 1 premium ginseng chicken soup (rich)
- 1 normal ginseng chicken soup (mild)
- 1 black chicken ginseng chicken soup 
- 2 seafood pancake (MUST TRY THIS)

Part II to be continued.... more foods and attractions comin'up!

Summer in Korea - Part II

Part II

Namsan Tower (N Seoul Tower)

We had a great time spending our morning walk to Namsan Tower. We started off from the trail in front of Namsan Library. I wouldn't say it is a difficult trail but it is good enough to warm up after a heavy breakfast.

The view we always see from K-drama, which is where the bus 402 stopped us.

We literally walked in the forest, there are people jogging and hiking as well so dont worry!

After 30-min hike..........

Hope now I have soju with me to enjoy this breathtaking view!

Food

Hondae Dakgalbi, Hondae

Best place for chicken lover, I will give 4/5 stars!

Myeongdong Kyoja

Can you imagine they only have 4 items in their menu and has 3 floors occupied with people? I personally love their cold buckwheat noodles, then dumpling and noodle soup.

Myeongdong unlimited grilled pork belly 

Ungteori, Myeongdong

We came here twice; and their cold noodle is pretty good too!

More food......

Oven baked chicken at Noo Na Hol Dak

Street food

Last min shopping for snacks! GOOD JOB

Next Year Summer, Korea again! =p

BALI 2019

The beauty of Bali is those images you saw on social media is real yet it is much more amazing than what you see on the gram. My first time here in Ubud, a small town soaked with its rich culture, surrounded with terraced rice paddies and temples, and friendly Balinese who speak quite similar to our Bahasa. 

Here are my little discoveries during my 4-day trip:

Accomodation
Puri Raya Villa

Accomodation in Ubud

Wake up with this view and you can hear natural sound around you

This accomodation is truely quiet and peaceful where you can even hear crickets stridulate, overlooked with the widest rice terrace view. For a first timer, I have never thought the weather in Bali can be so cold and breezy!

We had our everyday breakfast and dinner (we had lunch outside) served in this little cozy area near to the pool, our chef preps us their local delicious Indo food.

Bali Swing & Leisure Park, Ubud

Bali swing has become a new trend and one of the significant activity to do in Bali. You will most probably hear people screaming over the breathtaking view above terraced rice field and river. Other than Bali Swing, hanging bird nest nests are consider as one of the most popular spot where people queue for 'gram. Each activity come with different packages and prices. Tourist can either go for swing ONLY, hanging nest and leisure park, OR combo! Once we were heading towards the ticket counter, you can see people started to queue for the swing from entrance. Hence, we decided to skip this part instead, and rather take a bit of walk around the leisure park along the rice field and experience the hanging bird nests!

Bali swing

Hanging bird nest

Tanah Lot, Ubud

Balinese called this as their Mother of god. The best time to visit and get some nice pictures is during sunset. Unfortunately, we only stopped by for awhile due to the hot sun, with low tide, but the scene was still magnificent !

Humannnnn

Gates of Heaven

Thousand of tourist flock to this "Gates of Heaven" hoping to get their magical shots beyond the water. So we decided to drive 2-hour down to this place where I got influenced on gram. Woke up at 5am, arrived at 7am. All I know is I got cheated, they were just using a piece of mirror beneath your phone, and there you go, the reflection turned out HAHA. 

After 3-hour of queueing....

I would suggest to arrive there early in the morning (like 6am) if you really want to get nice shots without having a long queue. So at least it is still worth your trip!

Restaurant

Oops Restaurant and Bar

Thanks to our driver who brought us here. Reason why I would suggest this eatery place: They have wide selection of menu, surrounded in Balinese style ambiance and good customer service.

Juices and smoothies is a must! 

Click here

Besides, we also pampered ourselves with Balinese massage. I would say Balinese massage is a gentler option if compared with Thai massage. 

I am a fan of Balinese massage too!

We experienced room service massage in our room.

Here is my overall experience in Bali:
Tourist attraction: 8/10. For first timer traveller, I would suggest to go as many as tourist places that I mentioned above. Besides, Bali has more than enough rich cultural heritage and historical temples to visit! 

Safety: 6.5/10. Bali is considered one the most safety country compared to other under developed country. People here are friendly! One thing to be caution is the traffic here can be mad, loads of tourist riding motor bike on the small tiny road. Unfortunately, biker can just easily snatch your bag without knowingly!

Food: 8/10. Food in Bali is usually spicy, for someone who has a low spicy tolerance, it is hard to enjoy their traditional food like nasi pedas! However, there are plenty of nice cafe and vegan restaurant which I want to try out next time round!


Although it was just a short trip to Bali but this country has offered enough good impression and memories. I will come back again!