Seoul Tower @ Nam San - One of place to vist

The Famous Seoul Tower

Some Korean words are similar to Mandarin language - Nam San in Korean means South Mountain - sounds similar to Mandarin as South Mountain.

  View from the cable car

At the cable car station on top of Namsan

Cherry Blossom in Seoul

Cherry Blossom in Seoul

This time of the year is the best season to visit Korea as the temperature is very nice at 15-28 degrees celsius and the Cherry blossoms are in full splendor. It was an awesome sight to behold.

Cherry blossoms lined the roads

Mr. Ko get blown by Cherry blossom wind

Korean Curry and Seeing Green

A Game of Badminton

During lunch, my friends at LG Group decided to have a game of badminton which was fine by me since I have not played it for quite a while. They are very good - playing it every day during lunch time. We spent about 30 minutes trashing the shuttlecock and had a good work out.


LG Canteen

Then we took a slow walk back to LG building to their canteen for lunch. The lunch at the canteen was very systematic - at the entrance we had to choose one of 2 menus for the day and then walk left for menu A OR right for menu B. Once I made my choice I walked up to the counter, queued for for lunch, took a tray, put all the small side dishes and then your choice main course.

Korean Curry

Today's menu choice was Korean Curry or some soupy dish - I chose the Korean curry and I was not disappointed - it tasted good. Walk up the cashier and hand-in my coupon given to me by my LG friends.

Green Tea Latte

I had it twice here in Seoul - once @ illy's and another @ a cafe called "my home". I very much like the taste. I love all kinds of tea and not much of a coffee drinker. The Green Tea latte is built just like a regular latte - with freshly steamed milk. They are flavored with matcha, which is powdered green tea, a splash of melon-flavored syrup. I think for some it is an acquired taste.

Bar-B-Que Korean style

Bul-Gal-Bi (Korean BBQ Beef ribs)

Everytime I visit Seoul, I must make my 'pilgrimage' to a Korean BBQ restaurant. This is one of my favourite dishes when I am in Seoul. I have discovered that I cannot find a similiar Korean type Bul-Gal-bi in Singapore or around Asia. On this trip, I had twice Korean BBQ for dinner.


Galbi literally means "rib" in Korean. Prepared typically from beef short ribs these succulent ribs are cut to cook fast without the toughness you'd get otherwise. It can be seasoned or unseasoned, and in the seasoned variety, the ribs are marinated in a sauce made from fruit juice (generally Asian pear juice), rice wine, soy sauce, garlic, sesame seed oil and sugar.


When cooked on a grill, the meat is usually cut in thin slices across the bones. This permits the marinade to penetrate the meat faster, allows the meat to cook more quickly, and makes it easier to eat the finished dish with chopsticks.

Galbi is generally served in restaurants known as "galbi houses", and the meat is cooked right at customers' tables on grills set in the tables. Generally I have noticed for Galbi because of the ribs, the waitress will cook the meat and then cut it up into small pieces to be easily picked up by the chopsticks. It is typically served with generous servings of lettuce, perilla, or other leafy vegetables used to wrap the meat, which is then dipped in ssamjang, a sauce made of fermented bean curd and red pepper paste. It is often accompanied by many side dishes called Banchan and the most popular is Kimchi. In Korea, galbi is also a popular picnic food, and many people have portable gas or charcoal stoves for cooking it outside.

Recommended restaurants:

• There is a very good Korea BBQ restaurant about 10 minutes walking distance from Renaissance Seoul Hotel. The beef is very fresh and noticeably not frozen like many cheaper Korean BBQ restaurant. Dinner for 3 persons cost about Won188,000 (about US$202) and it is expensive. $$$$
• Gecko Terrace (www.geckoterrace.com) - $$ - @ 128-5 Itaewon-dong - a nice pub cum restaurant - crowded mostly with non-Koreans

Seoul - Alcohol Consumption on the rise!

Koreans are drinking more alcohol - Today, it was reported that Koreans drank 80 million litres more alcoholic beverages last year compared to 2005. I know they are good drinkers but wow! 80 million litres - that is a lot of alcoholic beverages.

Each adult drank an aveage 80 bottles of beer, 72 bottles of soju and 1.7 bottles of whiskey according to the Korean National Tax Service. The volume of alcoholic beverages produced last year amounted to 3.16 billion litres, rising by 80 million liters from 2005. Also alcohol production in Korea is on the rise since 2002 except in 2005 when it fell by 92 million litres from the previous year.

It was stated that the increase in alcohol production is partly attributed to the rising number of female drinkers and the increasing number of beverages with low alcohol content being introduced to the market.

What is Soju?

Soju (소주) is an alcoholic beverage with origins in Korea. The main ingredient is rice, almost always in combination with other ingredients such as wheat, barley, sweet potato, or tapioca (called dangmil in Korean). Soju is clear in color and typically varies in alcohol content from about 20% to about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV), with 20% ABV being most common.



If you get a good bottle of Soju it taste very nice and sweet but the 'kick' will come after a number of shots. You don't realise that the alcohol content is around 20-40% much more than drinking beer. You need to pace yourself when drinking with the Koreans because Soju to them is like 'water', otherwise you will find yourself literally under the table. A good brand is Jinro brand of Soju. Most Koreans will knock it down straight either cold or warm.

Seoul - arriving on SQ latest plane

SQ new plane - The first thing that struck me when entering the cabin of Singapore Airlines SQ 16 to Seoul was the ultra freshness of the cabin - it gives you a good feeling that this plane is "youthful". Just like getting into your brand new car - you can smell the newness oozing out from under the seats. The spaciousness of this spanking new plane is just awesome. It's the latest Boeing 777-300ER and it was nice - Boeing calls it the largest long-range twin-engine jetliner. Even the bath rooms are well thought out, with full length mirrors and well placed lights to make it look posh.

The in flight entertainment is much better and more user friendly. I always look forward to the movies on board my flight because I do not have time to go to the movies with 3 kids in tow and work...nah. With the headsets on - I have my privacy and the latest movies to keep me occupied throughout the journey. I managed to squeeze two movies in the 5hrs+ flight to Seoul - James Bond "Casino Royale" and "The Pursuit of Happiness" - both worth the watch. The only drawback on this new plane is the starting up of the engine - it is so noisy but once in the air - it became quieter. It would be cool if SQ added noise reduction to the headsets because the screens are now bigger and sharper, better user interface but the noise from the engine is still too loud thus affecting the total joy of a complete in flight entertainment. You have to put the volume to maximum to achieve audibility.

The 'cattle' class seating is no longer like before. This plane economy class seats are much bigger and also had RJ45 and USB port. The USB port is meant for office productivity software to upload and edit - using word, presentation, spreadsheet and file sharing. I did not bother as I saw no real use for it. SQ improving on their in-flight entertainment is a real plus for me as I travel a lot and that really takes the boredom out. My friend flew from Germany to meet me in Seoul on Laufthansa airlines and they do not have individual screens - I would be bored to death.

Arrival at Incheon airport is a breeze - I have been through Seoul at least 40 times and everytime I use the Limosine bus services that takes me directly to my designated Hotel.

Hotel Review:

Hotel: Renaissance Seoul Hotel @ 676 Yeoksam-dong Gangnam-gu

Comments: I have stayed at this hotel many times and feel very comfortable and safe. A 5-star and a very good class business hotel that offers broadband internet access, provides me all the amenities. Around the hotel there is a 7-eleven store and many good restuarants. My business partners like it because it is very central and convenient. All the staff speaks good English and very helpful. The Limosine bus stops just outside the hotel.

Gettng around Bangkok

Taxi

Bangkok has thousands of metered, air-con equipped taxis available 24 hours. Be sure the driver switches the meter on. No tipping is required, but rounding the fare up to the nearest B5 or B10 is common. Additional passengers are not charged, nor is baggage.

Tuk-Tuks

Those three wheeled taxis are nick named tuk-tuks, named for the steady whir of their engines. They are popular amongst tourists and can be fun for short trips around town. A 10 minute ride should cost around B40, but fares alway have to be bargained before boarding. Beware if a tuk-tuk driver offers to deliver you anywhere in town fo as low as B10, it's part of a setup that will lead you to an overpriced souvenir or jewellery shop. It would be wise to decline any such offers.

Motorcycle Taxi

In Bangkok's heavy traffic, motorcycle taxis are the fastest, albeit most dangerous, form of road transport. Easily recognisable by their orange vests, motorbike taxi drivers gather in groups by department stores, at the end of long sois or by tourist spots. As with tuk-tuks, fare definitely have to be negotiated beforehad. Similiar to Vietnam Motorbike-taxi.

Skytrain

The Bangkok Transit System, or BTS is a two-line elevated train network convering the major commerical areas. Trains run every few minutes from 6am to midnight, making the BTS a quick and reliable transport option, especially during heavy traffic jams. Fares range from B10 to B40, special tourist passes allowing unlimited travel for one day (B100) or three days (B280) are available.

Subway

Bangkok's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is another fast and reliable way to get across town. The 18-station line stretches 20kms from Hualamphong (near the central railway station) up to Bang Sue in the north. Subways run from 6am to midnight daily, with trains arriving every 6-7 minutes. Subway fares range from B14 to B31.

Kuala Lumpur - Fatty Crab

The flight into KLIA was brief just 50 minutes from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur - the best part was the fast and efficient KLIA express train from the airport straight into KL Sentral - cost me RM$ 35. From Sentral I catched the taxi to Federal Hotel . I usually stayed at Hilton Kuala Lumpur or Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur - both are 5-star beautifully designed hotels. Both have porters that will take your lugguage from the Sentral train station to the reception.

Hotel Review:

Hotel: Federal Hotel @ 35 Jalan Bukit Bintang

Pros: The Federal Hotel is very near the main shopping area of Bukit Bintang.

Cons: The hotel building looks old and badly needs a renovation. The reception was impersonal and this would be my last stay ever at that hotel until the hotel renovate or upgrade - the only reason I stayed there was because of my customer was located at Jalan Pudu - just a 10 minutes walk to their office.

There is a musky and stale air in the room - the furnishings was just basic and old - no broadband internet access in the room - the wash basin was even cracked -luckily it was just for one night. Even my room card key was worn out and broken - much afraid that when I slot into the door I would not be able to pull the card key out. I think it was not wise to use plastic wrappings for the iron board - the iron board wrappings starts to melt when you place the iron on the ironing board. Most hotels I stayed in uses cloth as their iron board wrapping - it is very strange to use plastic.

Food Review: I like to try different cuisines each time I visit KL and it is always good food,

• Jade Garden Restaurant - $$ - located at Blue Boy Mansion @ Jalan Bukit Bintang -this is a herbal restaurant that serves real good chicken brew for all cures - their detailed menu describes each dishes and it's medicinal purposes. The main herbal dishes are served individually and cost about RM$ 9 and above.
• Pangkor Fish Head Curry - $$$ - located @ 59, SS 24/8, Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya - serves very delicious Fish head curry - we had a small dish of Fish Head curry about RM$ 26.
• Madam Kwan Restaurant - $$$ - located @ Suria KLCC - Peranakan food - very tasty and good - highly recommended
• House of Sundanese - $$$ - located @ Suria KLCC - Indonesian food - part of the same restaurant chain as in Singapore
• Bangsar Seagood restaurant - $$ - located @ 1 Bangsar, No 63, Jalan Ara, Bangsar Baru - Seagood - recommend to try the Butter Crab
  
• Fatty Crab Restaurant- $$ - Highly receommended - located @ Mines Resort - (Fatty Crab Restaurant has a branch also opposite Pangkor Fish Head Curry @ PJ) - the crabs are Malaysian local crabs and are small compared to Sri Lankan crabs which Singaporeans are used to - but they are deliciously cooked. Differently done called sweet, sour spicy crab. The bread used are not 'man tou' but toasted sliced bread which you can then dipped into the crab sauce.

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