Travelogue around Asia Pacific

Seoul - My customer decided yesterday to bring YJ and I along to a day trip to Hwacheong for ice fishing - fully paid by them - thank you.   I had to get up early as my customer will come at 6.45am to pick me up and take subway 1hr journey to the chartered bus at Lotte Hotel.  Brrr, it cold outside and was warned to pad up as the temperature will fall sub zero - much colder than Seoul.  So, double everything and as prepared as can be.  This is a famous International event and here is the website... http://www.narafestival.com/07_global/?lang=eng Me and Chae Yun Freezing cold -10 Many people ice fishing on the frozen Han river Young Jin preparing the fishing tackle My customer trying to catch our lunch Hand fishing in -10c water Chae Yun with one fish caught - our dinner! This is the toughest and I did not want to 'hurt' myself as it will take a toil on my body.   Mr Ko was shivering very badly in the sub zero water. ...

Seoul - Temperature was nice and bit sunny about 1 degree C.  Fairly warm for Korean standards.   But I like it very much, of course I still had to pad myself warm.  In between meetings, I had a hankering for doungnuts.  Maybe it's the cold making me crave for sugar bout to keep warm.   I don't eat much nor hanker for doungnuts in Singapore - it's a strange feeling jut wanting to eat doungnuts so we found Krispy Kreme and it was so delicious. Dinner was with our new channel partners and we went to a Korean sashimi restaurant - chose a private room for 4 of us to discuss business matters.   There was much food of various fishes and it was overwelming.   The highlight of the dinner was this really smelly fermented fish - Hong Eo홍어 - it is actually deeply fermented skate (type of fish - that is similiar to sharks) - that Young Jin says 'smells like toilet' - I think it smelt worse than that.   This is really bizarre... ...

Seoul - The day before I checked the temperature of Seoul and 'ouch' -3 degrees C, very cold.   But, I was prepared mentally for the cold coming from an area of 32 C.    This time I decided to stay at a newly opened Hotel by Mariott - Courtyard Seoul Times Square @ Yeoungdeungpo-gu.  For the uninformed, this is not your regular Airport Limosine Bus that makes regular stops at Hotel but at Bus Stops along the road.   The event unfolds when I bought my ticket at the Airport Limo counter and had to repeat 'Courtyard Seoul Time Square' and 'Yeoungdeungpo-gu' a number of times and was given Bus 6008. The Bus 6008 does not stop at hotel entrance but at the certain bus stops and some near the Hotels.  So, you need to know which Bus Stop to get off.   I asked the driver but he speaks no English -Oops.   Hmm..I saw a number of pretty Korean ticket counter ladies - surely they speak English - they waved their hands 'saying no'...