Bye for a bit!!

Hey Guys!

I'm so excited!, in 4 hours I leave for Seoul :)  YAY!!

Seoul... see you in 30 hours!!!!!!!

-Gisela V

Traveling to Korea... Expectation / Reality

Expectation / Reality

A few months ago I ran into someone whom I took Korean Lessons with, after catching up a bit I remembered she had traveled to Korea just a couple of weeks back and asked how it was.... To my sorprise she said she didn't liked it O_O (WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!!) I wasn't shocked because I want everyone to love Korea but because she was taking Korean Lessons and seemed to be very into Korean Culture, but no she was only into Hallyu/K-Wave, I'm not sure about her age but she is older than me (I'm 27) by at least 10 years.

When she started with "I didn't like it because you can not experience K-pop the same way you do it here (KoreaTown in Mexico City)"...I was like.. REALLY?? That's your reason??????????? HUH????????... how is it possible?

Reality / Expectation

So, let me tell you a bit about my experience with Korea. 

After listening to her stories I was pretty relieved I didn't know much about Dramas, Kpop and Hallyu in general when I traveled to Korea...I wouldn't even dare to say more than 3 words in Korean :(. I was very into Korean Culture, I loved (still do) the language, the culture, the food and it just seemed like a very cool place to travel. I read TONS of K-blogs writen not only by Foreigners but also by Koreans so I new a bit about both sides of what was going on in Korea... when the time came and I traveled to Korea I wasn't really expecting anything and ended up having an amazing trip...I still feel like I didn't do enough even thou my schedule was packed everyday and sometimes I feel like I wasted too much time sleeping while I was there (What???!! this country has 24hrs deliveries, Noraebangs, Spa's, etc!!)

Reality / Expectation

On the other side, this ex-classmate was VERY into Korean culture, on the 1st day of classes most of the people there said they wanted to go to Korea and meet their Idols O_o (Maybe that's why I never felt like I fitted in that class...), they would go to K-pop meetings, watch Dramas, buy (extremly expensive) K-pop products and would gather at a famous (expensive) Korean Coffee shop in Mexico to drink 8USD Teas with a 5USD piece of bread. 

I know for fact she was expecting to go to Korea and ran into someone famous or maybe find a Tall, rich and handsome Korean man who would be mean to her at 1st but then would fall in love with her. Sadly she went to the other side of the world for pretty much nothing :(, I even felt bad when she said she arrived at Incheon and thought it was an Ugly place....

haha they do think different.... 

I wonder if all Hallyu fans are like this.... if they will feel disapointed if they travel to Korea and can't meet their idols, sometimes we read so many things about Kpop that we believe Kpop is TOP priority in Korea, although Kpop it is popular, not everyone in Korea likes it and not everything is about Kpop. Most people (I've met) think Kpop is for Highschool girls... which is what I told her.... there are some "famous" Mexican bands who are very famous in other Countries (RBD) among teens but in Mexico older people (like me :( ) don't even think about at ALL.

This is why I'm worried now... even though I'm not obsesced with Hallyu... I've seen WAY too many Dramas (On my 1st visit I've only seen "My name is Kim Sam Soon") and I know a tiny bit more about Kpop... what if I get dissapointed with my next trip to Korea???... have I been biten by the Hallyu mosquito? is this contagious?... will I be expecting a Goo Yoon Pyo to come and resque me from the bullies from Highschool?? O_O or am I expecting to run into BigBang on the subway?? (okok,,,maybe I am expecting that lol)... I wonder if I would see PSY horse ridding while crossing a street in Gangnam....

What Most Hallyu fans will expect:
1.-Kpop playing everywhere
2.-Seeing your idols everywhere
3.-Each and every Korean to be extremely handsome
4.-Sexy women wearing super short shorts
5.-Korea as a country to look just like in Dramas

Reality...remember this is only MY experience:
1.-Kpop was played in Shopping areas or Malls...not everywhere (most of the times I was unable to recognize the songs....)
2.-I didn't see anyone... one day I was at COEX Mall and people were gathering for an event...I don't know who it was but there were less than 20 people waiting for him...so it might have been just a book signing?
3.-..... Not everyone was dead gorgeous, I mean most people are into fashion and people tend to wear nice clothes but NO, not everyone is as cute as Gum Jan Di or Goo Joon Pyo (Can you tell I don't know many characters names?? lol)
4.-THIS I will give you... on my 1st visit I went in WINTER...once I stepped outside of Incheon my face froze...I desperately wore my 2 jackets, a hat, gloves and a scarf and still I was freezing but Korean girls?? pfffft they don't give a (insert your word here) if it's 0°C...they will go out with a miniskirt and high heels, you will see them on the subway, at coffee shops, malls, buses, etc... they are awesome, either they are VERY used to that cold or they are much more worried about how they look (I will go for the 2nd one)
5.-Korea does look like in Dramas because well it is pretty in reality, BUT.... remember most Dramas will show you the Big City, the newest mall, the cutest Coffee Shop and well..the BEST of the best, but there are also very poor zones, at night you'll see homeless people sleeping in the subway (this is a bit scary actually....), does anyone remember when Gum Jan Di goes to sleep on the subway on BBF?? well...it's like that O_O, but it's safe if you hurry and get out of there as fast as you can lol :P jk

Anyway, on My 1st trip to Korea the REALITY of my trip overcome the EXPECTATION..... I wonder what will happen on this upcoming trip 0_0.

How was your 1st trip? How did you handle the Expectation/Reality of the trip?

-Gisela V.

Guest Post - Jeju Highlights

Hi everyone!,

Sorry about the lack of posts on the blog!, as some of you know I've been busier than I would like... I haven't had a nothing-to-do-except-laying-in-bed weekend in a while since my sister and I started our Cupcake business a couple of weeks ago (333Cupcakes), anyway, a couple of weeks ago I found a very entertaining blog written by Tom Stockwell and after a couple of emails he was kind enough to contribute with this blog, so here's Tom's post about Jeju Island :) ... Again  Tom, Thank you so much for this great post! :) 

Jeju Highlights 

Jeju island is known as the “Hawaii of Korea”. Tucked down in the south of the country, the island has a climate very different from mainland Korea and the volcanic landscape renders it unrecognisable as part of the peninsula.

Jeju’s flora has evolved differently from the rest of the country thanks to the climate, and ditto the accent. Many people who live on mainland Korea often say that when people from Jeju island talk, they simply can’t understand what is being said due to the difficulty of the dialect and the different words used.

It’s not easy to sum up the island in just a few sentences, so here are a few photos with some short descriptions that display the incredible diversity that Korea’s most beloved island has to offer.

1.      Walking Trails

Jeju has walking trails all around the island and these colourful trinkets can be seen dotted along them helping you to find your way.

 2.      Flora

The variety of plants and flowers on Jeju is truly magnificent and you’ll encounter their beauty wherever you stroll, whether it be through the hiking trails or the island’s gardens.

3.      Swirls

The seas around the island can become rough and produce some dramatic effects against the black volcanic rock which make for mesmerising views and stunning photos.

4.      Black Pork

Jeju is well renowned for its black pork, rightly considered a specialty and served as Korean barbecue. It’s eaten wrapped in a cabbage leaf with soybean sauce and garlic.

5.      Galchijorim

A spicy fish stew choc full of vegetables, galchijorim is full of flavour and another dish that the island is famous for. Avoid the tourist restaurants and go for somewhere that may look less glamorous but will offer more hearty, homemade fare.

6.      Strange Seafood

As well as the more traditional fare, strange creatures from the sea are sold around Jeju as food. I have no idea what any of these are.

7.      Theme Park

This theme park consisted of just a Viking boat and precisely zero people when I passed it on a rainy July day.

8.      Dutch Hero

Korea has a rather close affinity with the Netherlands, most specifically football coach Guus Hiddink who led the national team to the finals of the 2002 World Cup. This patch of Holland in Jeju is located around an area dedicated to Dutch explorer, Hendrick Hammel.

9.      Halla Mountain

On the top of Halla Mountain, the highest in South Korea, lies a crater filled with a lake. The top can get extremely windy, so proceed with caution if you decide to venture up there.

10.      The Descent

The steps leading down from Halla Mountain will make you pause to admire the view ahead of you. The weather at the top is often drastically different from that at the bottom. I didn’t expect the rain and sleet.

11.      Cacti

There are cacti all over the island, which surprised me but made for some great photos. Chocolate made from the plants is produced and sold on Jeju.

12.      Stone Men

These little stone men are dotted all over Jeju island. I’m not quite sure what they represent, but the quirky characters and individual expressions make for interesting viewing and story making.

13.      Sunrise Peak

The view from my pension room over the sea with Sunrise Peak in the background. We didn’t go as it was clogged with tourists when we drove past it, unfortunately.

14.      Puppy Love

OK so this one might be cheating. This puppy was chilling out in the port town of Jangheung, where I caught the ferry over to Jeju.

15.      Volcanic Beach

The beaches on Jeju consist of a special kind of volcanic sand and are by no means your white sand paradise like the islands of Thailand and Indonesia. Crowded in summer, your best bet of having a bit of beach to yourself is if you go in June or September, before and after the main tourist season but while the weather’s still nice.

16.      Robotosaurus

If you visit just one museum in Jeju, make sure you go to the Believe It Or Not! Museum. Thoroughly cheesy but thoroughly entertaining, there are plenty of wacky and interactive exhibits inside to keep everyone amused.

17.      You’re Not in Korea

It’s moments like driving down a motorway and seeing a horse just ambling down the lane that make you realise you’re not in Seoul anymore. Jeju can, at times, seem like a completely different country.

BIO:

Tom always had his nose stuck in an atlas as a child, and pretended that the stairs in his home were a magic carpet whisking him away to some faraway country that he’d seen on the map. Now, he’s travelling the world and has taught in Korea, explored snow covered beaches in Poland, partied at Sydney Mardi Gras and almost thrown up from trying durian in Kuala Lumpur. You can keep up with Tom’s adventures through his blog, Waegook Tom, via Facebook, and by following @waegook_tom on Twitter, too.

Korean Folk Village

I visited the Korean Folk Village in the Gyeonggi Province on December 2010, I realized I never really posted about it so, this was a good time to do it. 

Here's some of the History of the Village:

About 30 folk villages were relocated and recreated in the approximately 200,000 pyeong (660,000 square meters) vacant land around the area of 107 Bora-ri, Giheung-eup, Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province on August 5, 1973 and opened to the public after completion on October 3, 1974. 

The Korean Folk Village isopen all year-round and nearly 1.8 million domestic and foreign tourists visit here throughout the year. The Folk Village is a venue where visitors can learn Korean culture in a short time. 

All year round there are Folk Performances performed twice a day like

-Fasmer's Music and Dance

-Acrobatics on a tightrope 

And a traditional wedding  (Mar-Nov)

(This might be canceled due to weather)

Entrance Fee 

Adults: 15,000 Won

Adolescents/Seniors 12,000 Won

Chil 10,000 Won

For more info visite the KFV website here.

But why don't I show you more about it with pictures? (I sure love pictures!!)

After the Music/Dance performance

You have to write a "wish" in those papers and make a knot to put it there

I took this picture because my mom is a huge fan of this Dorama.

At the entrance of the KFV

This lady was making silk out of the worms,,,very impressive, she was really nice and explained those can be eaten as well.

The Dance....awesome how they make that lace move only with the head.

This man was walking on that rope dancing and jumping... I failed to take a video thou :(

Are those filled with..... Kimchi? Soy paste?... I couldn't help but wonder....

Another one for my mom... The KFV was set for Dae Jang Geum

How to ger Silk Fabrics... Next t the lady we saw before n_n

And after that... we had a nice lunch at a restaurant inside the KFV!

Banchan.... loved it <3

There was a couple in one of those tables (sitting on the floor) next to us and the Ajosshi probably listened that I wanted Makgeolli and was kind enough to offer me a cup of Makgeolli.... Priceless... Thank you Sir!!! (You kind of made my day that day)

Well, I hope you get a chance to visit this Village, I know I want to go back and re-visit.

-Gisela V.

1 Year Anniversary

Last year by this time I was getting my suitcase ready to go to Seoul, it was Wednesday and I was scared, 24 hours flying and would be in S. Korea!

I wish I was there again, specially since it's snowing now u_u

But hopefully I'll see you next year Korea!!

I can't believe that 1 year later I still have lots of pending posts :/

-Gisela V.