Formerly 'Kiwigirl in Suwon, South Korea'
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Finding Foreign Food in Seoul
I just found a great article about the Foreign Food places in Seoul so thought that I would share it here for you.
It's written by Chris Backe for travelwire Asia - Life in Korea: Finding some tastes from home
It lists some of the different places you can find some foreign foods in Seoul and also where and how to find these places. I've been to a couple of them in Itaewon.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Travel: DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)
Where: Demilitarized zone in Paju ,Gyeonggi-do
How: Tour with Adventure Korea
Length: One day
In February I took a one day tour to the DMZ, it was a great trip and I would recommend it to anyone who is coming over to Korea. If you are in Seoul then its not too far away and you can easily do it as a one day trip. I went with Adventure Korea, I have used them before when I went to Jeju Island and found them to be very good.
There are various stops along the way when you do this tour:
Imjingak
Imjingak is as far as you can go towards the North without permission, it was built for the people who had to leave their homes in the North and there is an altar where they can pray for their ancestors.
At Imjingak you can also see the Peace Bell which was built in 2000 and is a symbol for the hope of peace and unification between the North and the South. There is also the Freedom Bridge where they used to exchange prisoners after the war and you can buy some North Korean money here which is a great souvenir.
The Third Tunnel
South Korea has discovered four tunnels dug by North Korea to infiltrate the south. They think there could be more but it has only been by chance that they discovered these ones so far. The 3rd Tunnel was found in 1978 and you can walk down into it for a ways – its about 73 meters below the surface. I’m pretty unfit at the moment and it was a bit of a hike – it’s not bad going down but you have to come back up at the end and that was a bit of a climb. There is a little car that goes down but the Adventure Korea tour price does not cover that. The actual infiltration tunnel at the end is pretty small, they give you hard hats so you don’t hit your head and after bumping mine with the hat on (after feeling a bit silly wearing it) I was glad of it.
The tunnel could apparently allow 10, 000 to 30, 000 soldiers to invade Seoul within an hour. Lucky for us it’s all blocked off now.
Tongilchon (unification village)
There are two villages inside the DMZ, which I found to be very strange and interesting as I had not known that anyone actually lived there besides the soldiers.
One village is Daesongdong and the other is Tongilchon, you can see some of the houses and hear about the life of the people who live here. The tour guide was really knowledgeable about this and it was really interesting – there are no gates or anything because there is no crime. There are too many soldiers about for there to be any problems. The villages are famous for their produce as the environment is a lot more natural up there.
Dora Observatory
The observatory is where you can actually see the DMZ and the North. Its pretty far away but they do have some binoculars that you can use (500 won to make them go). You can see some of the cities of the North, again its pretty far so you really just get an impression. Kijongdong is the ‘Propaganda Village’ which was built so that when you looked into the North you could see how prosperous they are.
Dorasan Station
You also visit the last train station that goes towards the North, you can even buy a ticket (really cheap) and go onto the platform to see the train.
How: Tour with Adventure Korea
Length: One day
In February I took a one day tour to the DMZ, it was a great trip and I would recommend it to anyone who is coming over to Korea. If you are in Seoul then its not too far away and you can easily do it as a one day trip. I went with Adventure Korea, I have used them before when I went to Jeju Island and found them to be very good.
There are various stops along the way when you do this tour:
Imjingak
Imjingak is as far as you can go towards the North without permission, it was built for the people who had to leave their homes in the North and there is an altar where they can pray for their ancestors.
At Imjingak you can also see the Peace Bell which was built in 2000 and is a symbol for the hope of peace and unification between the North and the South. There is also the Freedom Bridge where they used to exchange prisoners after the war and you can buy some North Korean money here which is a great souvenir.
 |
| Imjingak |
 |
| The Altar |
 |
| Freedom Bridge |
The Third Tunnel
South Korea has discovered four tunnels dug by North Korea to infiltrate the south. They think there could be more but it has only been by chance that they discovered these ones so far. The 3rd Tunnel was found in 1978 and you can walk down into it for a ways – its about 73 meters below the surface. I’m pretty unfit at the moment and it was a bit of a hike – it’s not bad going down but you have to come back up at the end and that was a bit of a climb. There is a little car that goes down but the Adventure Korea tour price does not cover that. The actual infiltration tunnel at the end is pretty small, they give you hard hats so you don’t hit your head and after bumping mine with the hat on (after feeling a bit silly wearing it) I was glad of it.
The tunnel could apparently allow 10, 000 to 30, 000 soldiers to invade Seoul within an hour. Lucky for us it’s all blocked off now.
Tongilchon (unification village)
There are two villages inside the DMZ, which I found to be very strange and interesting as I had not known that anyone actually lived there besides the soldiers.
One village is Daesongdong and the other is Tongilchon, you can see some of the houses and hear about the life of the people who live here. The tour guide was really knowledgeable about this and it was really interesting – there are no gates or anything because there is no crime. There are too many soldiers about for there to be any problems. The villages are famous for their produce as the environment is a lot more natural up there.
Dora Observatory
The observatory is where you can actually see the DMZ and the North. Its pretty far away but they do have some binoculars that you can use (500 won to make them go). You can see some of the cities of the North, again its pretty far so you really just get an impression. Kijongdong is the ‘Propaganda Village’ which was built so that when you looked into the North you could see how prosperous they are.
Dorasan Station
You also visit the last train station that goes towards the North, you can even buy a ticket (really cheap) and go onto the platform to see the train.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Music Monday #1
I thought that one way to keep my posts up a bit would be to have something that I do every week. Sometimes I don't have time to write a whole post and as I usually make then pretty long when I'm telling about a particular topic it can take some time to write and edit.
So I thought that I might include a 'Music Monday' post every week, in it I will post a song that I like. It might be one from the past or one I have just recently heard. I will try and include some from Korea (but I'm not really a big K-pop fan as I grew up listening to Rock and Punk so its not really my thing) if I find something I think is worth sharing. It may just be for the weirdness factor.
Anyway this week's song is from one of my favourite bands of all times. Bad Religion - its hard to chose one song as this group has been around for over thirty years doing their punk thing. I have so many favourites from over the years but I chose this one because it always makes me smile.
Bad Religion - Generator
(Warning - there is some profanity in this video - its a punk song so don't watch it if you don't like that kind of language)
So I thought that I might include a 'Music Monday' post every week, in it I will post a song that I like. It might be one from the past or one I have just recently heard. I will try and include some from Korea (but I'm not really a big K-pop fan as I grew up listening to Rock and Punk so its not really my thing) if I find something I think is worth sharing. It may just be for the weirdness factor.
Anyway this week's song is from one of my favourite bands of all times. Bad Religion - its hard to chose one song as this group has been around for over thirty years doing their punk thing. I have so many favourites from over the years but I chose this one because it always makes me smile.
Bad Religion - Generator
(Warning - there is some profanity in this video - its a punk song so don't watch it if you don't like that kind of language)
Monday, May 7, 2012
Welcome to my Neighborhood - Ingye-dong, Suwon
A short video I took on my new smartphone, it's the first time I used it so its not that great. I had the phone up the wrong way. I think it would be better on it's side next time.
Anyway this is my neighborhood, just after my apartment building and walking along the street for a little way. You can see the big Cinepark building toward the end of the video, it's a big building that houses lots of shops and restaurants along with a cinema.
Also at the very end you can see a great example of 'couple culture'. Korea is very focused on couples, they like to advertise the fact that they are in a relationship. This can be something simple like having the same phone or things like having matching phone charms or other accessories. Or you can get the 'Couple T'shirts' like in this video, the couple at the very end are wearing matching T's.
Only in Korea!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Confessions of a Picky Eater
I am probably one of the most picky eaters you will ever come across (although I have actually met worse). So you can imagine the surprise of my family and friends when I announced that I was going to Korea. The most common first question out of every one's mouth was 'What will you eat?'. That's because most of my close family and friends who have had the joy of dining with me on repeated occasions and the added joy of finding a restaurant where I will be able to eat, know only to well that I don't really eat much 'non-western' food and of that it's also pretty limited.
I had however already addressed this issue, its one of the first things that I have to think of when I am going somewhere. I did my research and found that Seoul and much of the more metropolitan areas of Korea cater to many western tastes and that there were an abundance of 'western chains' available. I have found that it is true there are a lot of western foods so I am able to find enough to live on.
On the other hand I have found recently that I am getting bored with eating the same foods, there is a limit to what is available and to be honest a lot of it is stuff that's not really that healthy. What I really miss are the snack foods like chips (I know also not healthy) that are readily available in New Zealand - Burger Rings anyone? Lucky for me I have a great Mum who sends me over care packages with things like Vegemite to keep me going.
I do find myself constantly wishing that I liked more foods (and yes I do try new things - I like to try something before I say I don't like it). At this stage in my life I'm pretty good at judging if it's something that I'm going to like, if I know I don't like a certain flavour and that is in the dish then there is a very good chance that I'm not going to like it. It does annoy me when people are like 'go on try it', 'you don't know until you try it'. While that is sometimes true, its not always the case. I really can't eat spicy foods, I'm a baby when it comes to spice so 'no' I'm not going to like it if its super hot - I know that I don't need to test the theory.
I always feel a bit embarrassed when eating out and I don't like anything, I don't really care if there is nothing I like - that's my issue and not anyone else's problem. What I don't like is when other people make a fuss, I'd rather just get something to drink be social and then I'll make myself a sandwich when I get home. Sometimes they are just trying to be nice and that's fine but you get the people who are like - 'You should have said you didn't like Chinese food!', however when you are in a group and everyone else agrees on Chinese food then what are you going to do - make everyone change just because you don't like it? Well I don't, I just go and try and find something that I might be able to eat, if all else fails I like rice so I'll just eat that :)
I had however already addressed this issue, its one of the first things that I have to think of when I am going somewhere. I did my research and found that Seoul and much of the more metropolitan areas of Korea cater to many western tastes and that there were an abundance of 'western chains' available. I have found that it is true there are a lot of western foods so I am able to find enough to live on.
On the other hand I have found recently that I am getting bored with eating the same foods, there is a limit to what is available and to be honest a lot of it is stuff that's not really that healthy. What I really miss are the snack foods like chips (I know also not healthy) that are readily available in New Zealand - Burger Rings anyone? Lucky for me I have a great Mum who sends me over care packages with things like Vegemite to keep me going.
I do find myself constantly wishing that I liked more foods (and yes I do try new things - I like to try something before I say I don't like it). At this stage in my life I'm pretty good at judging if it's something that I'm going to like, if I know I don't like a certain flavour and that is in the dish then there is a very good chance that I'm not going to like it. It does annoy me when people are like 'go on try it', 'you don't know until you try it'. While that is sometimes true, its not always the case. I really can't eat spicy foods, I'm a baby when it comes to spice so 'no' I'm not going to like it if its super hot - I know that I don't need to test the theory.
I always feel a bit embarrassed when eating out and I don't like anything, I don't really care if there is nothing I like - that's my issue and not anyone else's problem. What I don't like is when other people make a fuss, I'd rather just get something to drink be social and then I'll make myself a sandwich when I get home. Sometimes they are just trying to be nice and that's fine but you get the people who are like - 'You should have said you didn't like Chinese food!', however when you are in a group and everyone else agrees on Chinese food then what are you going to do - make everyone change just because you don't like it? Well I don't, I just go and try and find something that I might be able to eat, if all else fails I like rice so I'll just eat that :)
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Introducing Gmarket
About Gmarket
Gmarket is the most popular online shopping site in Korea, it has an English site which was launched in 2006 and in 2009 itwas bought by eBay. It works in a similar way to sites like eBay where the main site provides a place for many individual sellers to market their wares. This means that you are not really buying from Gmarket rather Gmarket is the intermediary between you and the seller.
There is a wide range of products available from, clothes, books, toys, food, electronics and much more. Because there are lots of different sellers often selling the same or similar goods the prices on Gmarket are very competitive
If you are buying from overseas what Gmarket does is combine the shipping and then send it out to you in one package. So the sellers sends the products to the Gmarket warehouse, if you have more than one item, then Gmarket will then put them all together in one box and send that to you. It means you can combine postage to make shipping the goods a bit cheaper as they only send by EMS (courier) internationally and it can get a bit pricey.
Kiwigirl and Gmarket
So I mentioned in my last post that one of my favorite things about Korea is Gmarket, this is very true and I have to say I am a little addicted.
I love shopping anyway and the ease and convenience of shopping online really appeals to me, I’ve bought so many things off there so far – sofa, printer, shoes, cosmetics, clothes and other accessories to name but a few.
So I thought I might make a start on some posts concerning this great site. Hopefully if you have not discovered the wonderment that is Gmarket or have been hesitant because it looks a bit daunting this will help you find your way.
Gmarket has a couple of sites, the main one is in Korean http://www.gmarket.co.kr which is fine if you read Korean. There is also a Singapore version http://www.gmarket.com.sg and of course the one that most of us will be interested in, the English version of the main Korean site http://english.gmarket.co.kr. The English language version of the site is pretty good once you get to know it, it can be a bit confusing when you first look at it as there is a lot going on. Most of the instructions are in English but there is still a lot of Korean on the actual merchandise. In saying that its usually not too much of a problem as there are always heaps of pictures so you can usually figure out what the product is and does, you can also use Google translate to help you out if you really need it.
If you are living in Korea Gmarket is a great resource for furnishing your apartment cheaply and for any other bits and pieces you might need. If you live overseas don’t worry as you can still enjoy Gmarket, lots of the sellers ship overseas. The seller page will have if they ship worldwide marked on it so you can easily see if it is something you can purchase. There are many things that obviously cannot be shipped but there are still heaps of cool things that can.
Gmarket is the most popular online shopping site in Korea, it has an English site which was launched in 2006 and in 2009 itwas bought by eBay. It works in a similar way to sites like eBay where the main site provides a place for many individual sellers to market their wares. This means that you are not really buying from Gmarket rather Gmarket is the intermediary between you and the seller.
There is a wide range of products available from, clothes, books, toys, food, electronics and much more. Because there are lots of different sellers often selling the same or similar goods the prices on Gmarket are very competitive
If you are buying from overseas what Gmarket does is combine the shipping and then send it out to you in one package. So the sellers sends the products to the Gmarket warehouse, if you have more than one item, then Gmarket will then put them all together in one box and send that to you. It means you can combine postage to make shipping the goods a bit cheaper as they only send by EMS (courier) internationally and it can get a bit pricey.
Kiwigirl and Gmarket
So I mentioned in my last post that one of my favorite things about Korea is Gmarket, this is very true and I have to say I am a little addicted.
I love shopping anyway and the ease and convenience of shopping online really appeals to me, I’ve bought so many things off there so far – sofa, printer, shoes, cosmetics, clothes and other accessories to name but a few.
So I thought I might make a start on some posts concerning this great site. Hopefully if you have not discovered the wonderment that is Gmarket or have been hesitant because it looks a bit daunting this will help you find your way.
Gmarket has a couple of sites, the main one is in Korean http://www.gmarket.co.kr which is fine if you read Korean. There is also a Singapore version http://www.gmarket.com.sg and of course the one that most of us will be interested in, the English version of the main Korean site http://english.gmarket.co.kr. The English language version of the site is pretty good once you get to know it, it can be a bit confusing when you first look at it as there is a lot going on. Most of the instructions are in English but there is still a lot of Korean on the actual merchandise. In saying that its usually not too much of a problem as there are always heaps of pictures so you can usually figure out what the product is and does, you can also use Google translate to help you out if you really need it.
If you are living in Korea Gmarket is a great resource for furnishing your apartment cheaply and for any other bits and pieces you might need. If you live overseas don’t worry as you can still enjoy Gmarket, lots of the sellers ship overseas. The seller page will have if they ship worldwide marked on it so you can easily see if it is something you can purchase. There are many things that obviously cannot be shipped but there are still heaps of cool things that can.
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