Step by step covering Seoul (6)

Day 8: Noryangjin Fish Market >>> Korean National University of Arts >>> Yeouido

Originally, we had planned to go with Jody and his family to Seoul Grand Park for a camping trip, but things came up at the last minute so we just ended up spending the day together. In fact it turned out to be a really Fun and Amazing day!

We met Jody at Noryangjin Fish Market, this was a special request from me as you can't find these kinds of wholesale and fresh seafood markets in Hong Kong or Canada or the US. (actually, I wanted to go on a fishing boat and catch my own fish, but I'm happy with this too! hehe...)

We walked around the market to have a look at what fishes/seafood we would like to eat, but with our inexperience we really needed Jody's expertise. Jen, it's just like in Family Outing when the family goes to the market in the morning to get food for breakfast! hahaha!

In the end, Jody chose a beautiful flounder for our lunch. The fishmonger sliced up our flounder on the spot and we found a restaurant to enjoy our fresh sashimi!

The bones from the fish were used to make maeuntang (spicy fish soup). Jody showed us how they make maeuntang and added in ramyun. When all the fish and vegetables in the soup was done, Jody added in rice to make juk (congee)! We had sooo much food! But it was so good!

above: photo by eve wu

Flounder KRW25,000
Lettuce & condiments, Maeuntang and drinks in restaurant KRW 15,000
I think for a meal for 3, and the quality of the fish and meal, it was a very good value! (KRW40,000)

After lunch, we left and made our way to Gangnam (south of the Han river), this area is the new downtown and city centre. Houses in this area are usually more expensive and many large MNCs have moved their head office across to this area.

Jody brought us to the Korea National University of Arts and the Seoul Arts Centre to attend a concert that showcases Korean traditional music. At KRW 10,000 for a concert of high calibre, this was a very good deal! We arrived early and got our tickets then walked around the gugak museum (music museum).

above: in the gugak museum

below: the performance auditorium

To be truthful, I was nodding my head and ready to fall asleep during the first two performances as they were very very very slow, and the auditorium was very warm. Good thing the last three performances were much more lively and more interesting with dancing as well so it was quite enjoyable.

The Seoul Arts Centre which presents many large scale productions such as dance, opera, concerts etc is shaped like the hats that scholars wore historically.

Last event of the day was to get to Yeouido for the fireworks. As part of the Hi Seoul Festival's closing ceremony, a fireworks display by China, Canada and Korea was done by the Han river. We decided to take the subway to Yeouido as we knew that the roads would be blocked. Never in a million years would I have imagined that Seoul's subways could be soooo packed!

I've never gone to see the fireworks in Hong Kong, and in Toronto, it was packed, but the crowds were not as big. The 3 of us got on the subway, but we were seriously squished in with everyone else, our faces were like a breath's away from each other.....

yummy fried chicken

When we finally made it to Yeouido, we picked up some fried chicken (another thing that I really wanted to try in Korea) and beer and then headed to the water to pick a spot to watch the fireworks. No later than having picked a spot between some parked cars, the fireworks started. First off was China, they did some really spectacular fireworks Big and Red!

China's firework display

Then Canada came, their display was more subdue and the music that accompanied was very slow.... not that great compared to China..... but I still liked some of the ones that were fired up.

above: some of my favourite shots of Canada's fireworks display

below: photo by eve wu

Lastly came Korea! They did an amazing job! They really put some thought into the design of the fireworks! The music was great and they even added laser lights to the display.

below: photo by eve wu

It's unfortunately that I can't put ALL the photos from the fireworks here, we were constantly taking photos trying to capture the spectacular sights, but these photos definitely don't do it justice.

above: more of Korea's fireworks display

oh, and the fried chicken was SOOOOO yummy! It didn't taste like frozen chicken (like those that are from KFC or McDonalds), the crispy skin and the moist meat.... mmmm, and the beer! It was all perfect! Apparently fried chicken and beer is a really common meal in Korea, a lot of people go for beer and fried chicken after work with co-workers.

Total steps walked: 13,138 steps

photos by eve wu

above: it's not a fire, it was fireworks from the side of the bridge, it was like a waterfall

below: the crowd disperse after the fireworks

Step by step covering Seoul (5)

Day 7: Kanghwa Island - Day out with Korean Dad

We had our breakfast at Paris Baguette, a bakery chain in Seoul, it was a typical American/Continental breakfast with sausage and pancakes and a cup of coffee.... not that great compared to the coffee we've had at Coffee Guru and also the instant ones we get at the hostel.

Then we walked along Cheonggyecheon stream, as it was a part of the Hi Seoul Festival (a week long of festivals and events throughout Seoul, usually art related), there were some artworks exhibited on either side of the stream. We decided to check it out as we were only meeting up with Eve's Korean dad around lunch time.

We saw some artwork from local artists and students, as well as by foreigners who are living in Seoul. There was even a traditionally dressed ahjussi (uncle) who was an ambassador for Hi Seoul Festival! He was so nice and smiley!

With time to kill, we popped into the Korea Tourism Organization to see if there were any clinics that we could try (I was hoping to try out the chiropractic one...), but it was about plastic surgery.... I got a consultation for doing a nose job... hehehe... and she said that they would take cartilage from my ear and make my nose higher. Having a flatter nose makes us look young but it's not as nice... and also my nose is uneven, one side is higher than the other...

Even as I was listening to the girl giving me the consultation, I was regretting my decision to sit down at their counter... but when we finished, we were given some nice Korean fans! hehehe...

And then we spotted a stress machine, it measures your how your body is due to stress and also your blood vessels.... we've seen the blood pressure machines before, but we were interested in this "new" thing! So we just had to sit there with a cap over our finger and it measures your stress level... here's mine.....

my blood vessels are younger than my actual age! hehe...

We also stopped by YP Books, a HUGE bookstore in Seoul, and I picked up a couple of wedding magazines and even a book on Korean wedding traditions in Korean! Now, I really have to learn Korean! :) - that's why Eve and I bought an exercise book to learn Korean!

We dropped off my heavy magazines back at the hostel and then made our way to Geomam station (pronounced "Gi-o-mam" - in Incheon, just outside of Seoul) to meet Jody (Eve's Korean dad). At the station we also met up with Anna and Tony, two other teachers who were also at the Summer English Program that Eve ran in 2008.

We then started to make our way to Kanghwa island. Jody recommended that place to go fishing, but we would have to get there before the tide came in! I thought the island would be just half an hour or an hour away, but actually we had to drive almost an hour to get to the pier where we changed to a ferry.

above: on the wall of a restaurant, a reminder that came at the perfect time.

Before we got to the ferry, our stomachs were grumbling from hunger, so Jody stopped by a traditional Korean restaurant where the building was built from yellow mud. We ordered seafood pancake and bbibimbap with red rice and barley rice.

The area was famous for barley rice and there were many fields around and all the farmers were busy picking sweet potatoes as they were ripe and in season. Jody even took us out to the restaurant owner's field and he let us try his sweet potatoes. Koreans just shave the skin off and eat it raw (they also eat it cooked), it was definitely a different taste.... but I prefer cooked soft ones.... :)

from left to right: Tony, Jody, Eve, Hera, Anna

When the food came, it was such a sight! The table was FULL of food along with all the banchans (side dishes), when Eve and I ate our meals in Seoul we were never given more than two or three banchans. Don't know if it's cuz they think we will waste it or that's how it is now, but I like it when there are LOADS of side dishes, cuz they all taste so good!

After our late lunch, it was already 3pm, so we quickly made our way to the pier and took the ferry (those that carry cars as well) to Kanghwa Island. On the way, sea gulls would fly around the ferry catching the shrimp chips that passengers threw for them. I've never been in this situation before, but I know that my cousin experienced something like this in Japan as well. We actually didn't get a HUGE swarm of sea gulls, but I was still just as scared of them accidentally releasing their droppings on me! hehe......

By the time we got to Kanghwa Island it was too late, the tide had started to come in, so instead we drove around the island, took some photos of the scenery and cosmos that were blooming everywhere and ended up at a temple.

below: a temple carved in the bedrock

We hiked up the mountain behind the temple to take in the sunset, we lost count of how many steps to go up.... it was just LONG!

left: tiles with writing - don't know if it's buddhist scriptures or if they are the names of people who "bought" tiles for the temple...
middle: the long climb
right: pine needles of tree along the way up

left: we were just in time to watch the sun set
middle: a funny sign...
right: Jody taking a photo of the sunset

Then we had to make the long trip down the mountain and back to Incheon to meet up with two more teachers from the Summer program. We had dinner at Outback Steakhouse that night.

Suyang, Eve and Anna

Then we made our way home to get some sleep before we meet up with Jody again the next day.

Total steps walked: 11,629 steps