Soksan sutbul Galbi at Seodaemun-gu

If you happen to be at the area of the Grand Hilton Seoul at Seodaemun-gu, don't forget the opportunity to try Soksan sutbul galbi.

If its a galbi place, its korean BBQ and the best ones i believe are those places which actually don't have an english menu but this one exceeded my expectations. They have great beef! What else can I say, and the prices are not so bad, considering beef is really expensive in Korea with the limited grazing lands.

It happens to be one of the best i've tried so far! Grilled beef, sirloin, ribs, you name it, this place is worth a try.

No chairs here. just traditional seating. Make sure your socks are in good shape.

 Reasonably priced, I think...

Beef Ribs

Almost too late to get a photo as the beef was going very fast!

Kimchi Jjigae(김치 찌개)

Entrance to the 2nd Floor

Apparently they have some award of some sort...

This is the outside of the restaurant. Its on the 2nd Floor

Get There: From Hongje Station (orange line 3) its on the second floor just across the street from the Grand Hilton Hotel

Jeongok Port (전곡항): experience sailing

"I wanted freedom, open air and adventure. I found it on the sea."

                                                                                   — Alaine Gerbault, Sailor

I've never tried it, I always saw it, people talk about it and now I know why its so. Sailing.

They say its for the rich, but you don't have own a boat to experience it. At Jeongok Port, you can experience the sun, sea and wind.

I must say this was the first time I tried sailing and it was really fun. Here we were able to rent a boat for a few hours and sail around the bay. The operator even let me steer the boat even if i had no experience whatsoever in sailing. I felt like a captain steering the boat to some adventure. No wonder those who've tried it just fall in love with it. There's a certain sense of calm and at the same time, danger which excites the spirit, all this for KRW 10,000.

Be a captain for a day. Behind me are some pretty smart and trained sea gulls. You can feed them some crackers as you sail around the port.

GET THERE:  

Address: Gyeonggi-do, Hwaseong-si, Seosin-myeon, Jeongokhangro5 Jeongok Marina

From Suwon station take bus number 1004-1 the bus stops at Jeongok Port

 Tel. 1577-4200 (Hwaseong Call Center) / 032-860-8495, 032-875-0177 (Marine Academy)

Fashion, Design, Shopping at Dongdaemun

Next to Myeongdong which is a hyper shopping district, for me, probably the next would be Dongdaemun.

If you're looking for clothing, then this would be the place you would most likely find what you are in need of.

There are a number of giant shopping malls all clustered together and each building has 6 to 7 floors of shopping, shopping and more shopping. From childrens' to womens' to mens' and everything in between, its all here. Mostly what's sold is whats in season, so if you come during the winter, you wont's find any tank tops or shorts. But korean fashion has been considered one of the most trendy so make sure to give it a try. The down size is that if you're not as slim or close to how koreans are build, then you most likely have no luck in finding a big size.

It could take you an entire day to shop in this district but once youve seen one mall, they're mostly all the same.

The seller's could be really of a 'hard-sell' as there are hundreds of them in competition, so if you're set on getting a particular product or item, don't try to bargain it down or else they won't let you leave the store and you may end up getting something because you started bargaining for it.

Once you've finished all your shopping, it would great to do some sight seeing, right? Well lucky for me just across all these shopping malls is this oddly shaped building that looks like an alien ship. This is the DDP or the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Its worth looking around and exploring as there is a museum inside, a couple of shops, and some great architecture. Also, its connected to the subway so access is very easy.

Get there: By Subway, Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station (Lines 4, light blue and 1, dark blue)

It's snowing

I'm not particularly excited about winter. Its cold, plants are dead, it gets dark so early and you have to layer up to survive the outside world.

But if there's one redeeming factor about it, it's snow!

This was the first day that snowed in Seoul since the start of the winter season and according to the locals, its not usual to have snowfall but i guess it was my lucky day! I just had to go out and walk on the freshly fallen snow.

Gyeongbokgung Palace Visit

On my first free weekend in Seoul, I decided to visit one of the more famous palaces. This i think represents Korea the most, and no tourist should miss seeing at least one of the numerous ones that is scattered around the city.

This is Gwanghamun gate, the main entrance to the palace grounds, occasionally there is a changing of guards ceremony that is free for everyone to watch. You can get a photo with the guards too!

A clear sunny day, but boy was it really cold!

Beautifully detailed roofs

This "pagoda" is situated in the middle of this frozen lake. Unfortunately its off limits to get to the pagoda.

Get there: By Subway, Orange line (line 3), exit at Gyeongbokgung Station. Follow the signs, you get off right beside the palace.

Hansik means Korean Food

A good friend of mine who lived in Korea recommended this restaurant named Gogung (which means Old [go] Castle [gung] which is famous for their bibimbap and since I have no idea what to eat and my knowledge of Korean food is shamefully limited, I decided to  try it out.

As a newbie, I ordered the ones which sounded the most familiar:

Gogung is located at Myeong-dong, but  they have other branches throughout  the city, its on the 2nd floor of this building.

Ddukbeagi Bulgogi - served hot on a clay pot, it was still boiling and had a nice sweet taste to it. The beef was nice and tender perfect with a cup of steamed sticky rice.

Bibimbap - A healthy rice topping dish with assorted vegetable thats full of flavor and textures

We didn't order this! But in a Korean restaurant you get all this food

This is me enjoying my Hansik.

Get There: Gogung is located in Myeongdong, Myeongdong station, line 4 (light blue line), Exit 9

Mandatory First Post

As with any introductory posts, the first is always...

WELCOME!

My experience will probably be like any other foreigner or "waygook" who lives in South Korea temporarily but i do hope that you learn from my experiences and learn more about this wonderful country as I have. Maybe you'll have more, so keep exploring and enjoy reading about my #seoulLife

This is me, as I first arrived at Incheon Airport on a really coooooold day, around 8C as i recall. As someone who lived his entire life in a tropical country, this is something I had to get used to.