Why I Love to Revisit Korea

I was supposed to go to South Korea on the second week of this month for a return visit. Unfortunately, a lot of things prevented me from pushing through with the trip, among them: I got sick (as in, I collapsed a few days before the trip and later found out that I was too stressed and has a low hemoglobin count) and my brother flew in from the U.S., whom my parents and I rarely get to spend time with.

And so I made new plans for another trip to Korea, which elicited this question from family and friends: "You've been there. Why do you want to go back so badly?" I have a thousand a one reasons for this, and here are the Top Five Reasons Why I Love to Revisit Korea:

Five. Hallyu. Oh yes, yes. I'm a hallyu fan. Seven years ago, I knew so little about Korea. But when they started showing those k-dramas on Philippine TV, I instantly got hooked and yearned to see those pretty set locations. Since then I've been researching all things Korean. Fortunately, the Korean government and its entertainment industry work hand-in-hand quite well and preserve the drama sets for fans to be able to see and experience. Being in places that I've seen in dramas adds a layer of flavor to my travels. Like the dramas give an intro to these sites prior to visiting them, which makes me relate better to the places and their stories. It makes the places (and the dramas) come alive. And when I return home from my trip, I smile whenever I see the places I've been to on TV.

Four. Fashion. The streets of Seoul are like giant, crisscrossing catwalks. Be out during rush hour and you'd meet a flood of people clad in high-fashion gear, bringing to life those posh TV ads. It's wonderful to look at. Even more wonderful to be in its midst. 

Fashion is a big thing in contemporary Korean culture. Even in Namdaemun market (Korea's answer to Divisoria), you'd find very fashionable clothes to buy. Moreover, the Korean climate gives justice to layering of clothes. In Manila, one would wonder why some people would insist on putting on layers of clothes during the hot summer season.

Three. The Old & The New. Well-preserved palaces and cultural heritage sites sit amidst clusters of skyscrapers. It's like yin and yang. When you get tired of walking around palace grounds, you can go out and seek refreshment from nearby restaurants. Or traditional eateries, whichever appeals to your fancy. Moreover, historical sites are very accessible through various modes of transportation - the best of which for me are the subway trains, buses... and for the newbie tourists, the tour buses. One also has a wide array of choices for accommodations, from the upscale hotels to traditional hanok houses.

Two. The People. The Koreans I've met are generally nice, hospitable, accommodating, helpful, polite... I could go on and on. They would do anything for their guests. (Let me not forget "good-looking.") And I look like them. I feel at home in their company. Heh.

One. The Magic. It's the mix of all those mentioned above, plus that unexplainable "aftertaste" that keeps you wanting to revisit Korea for more. Going back to Korea... just having that thought makes me feel excited. I get the shakes. I'm soo hooked! ;)

things I've learned from my travels - list#1

Pack light. I have the tendency to bring along with me things that I don't really need, like extra clothes, and then suffer the burden of lugging them around. In my recent travels, I have been really trying to reduce the amount of things that I pack. What I need to learn next is to know what type of clothes to bring according to the weather at my next destination.

So far, I've learned that if I have to visit South Korea again on winter, I should bring with me a long, black (or any neutral-colored) coat. And a pair of good walking boots. Why black? When I visited Korea, I donned a light blue jacket which, not only reflected the warm rays of the sun, but also made me stand out like a sore thumb in the streets of Seoul. I don't know about other people's level of confidence, but I don't enjoy people staring at me for donning a relatively-attention-catching clothes on my travels. Plus being able to blend in - as much as you can - when traveling have benefits.

I also made a note that if I go on a trip to Hong Kong or Macau again in Summer, I should bring shorts (instead of long pants/jeans) and cap to wear when going around these cities. The reason: to avoid melting from the very warm weather.

Follow the rules. Traffic rules, baggage rules, dress norms... So far, I haven't broken any law (knock on wood, I hope I ever don't.) while out of the country. In Hong Kong, I noticed that many of the locals cross the street even when the red light is still on. I attempted it too but almost got side-swept by a rushing cab. (It's a shame, I could have done better, being a girl from Manila where jaywalking is second nature for pedestrians.) I guess practice makes perfect. Anyhoo, I've decided to stick to the safe side from then on.

I don't need all those camera lenses. I own three lenses: an 18-55mm, a 55-200mm, and a prime 105mm macro. I used to bring two or all three with me when I go out on a trip. I always bring the 18-55mm kit lens for my landscape shots. The 55-200mm was useful in Pagudpud (Ilocos Norte) when I took a shot of the Bangi Windmills from Saud beach. I only bring the 105mm macro whenever I go back to my hometown, where baggage weight is none of my problems, and where I have good use for it in my Mom's garden.

shot set at 200mm, taken with my Nikkor 18-200.

On my foreign trips I only bring my kit lens. More lens add to the weight of my luggage, and my shoulders already suffer from my tendency of bringing too much clothes. Add to that the weight of my tech gadgets and their chargers.

The 18-55mm kit lens served me well in South Korea, in Hong Kong, and in Macau. I'm quite happy with my shots, which are generally landscape. I rarely felt regret about not being able to zoom in on far-away subjects. I'd rather that I be able to take wide-angle shots and shoot subjects within close range.

shot with my 18-55 kit lens at 22mm focal length

However, I intend to get an 18-200mm lens soon, for better versatility.

Get a neutral density filter. I am well aware that the best outdoor shots are taken early in the morning, or in late afternoon, because of the favorable natural lighting condition. Now, when I travel, being out at midday is something I cannot avoid. (Besides, I'm more of a weekend backpacker, so I cram destinations in my itinerary.) And when I'm out at such times, my photos tend to be washed-out. I do have a polarizing filter mounted on my camera, but it's not enough in toning down the light coming in. Besides, polarizing filters are made for enhancing colors of outdoor photos. Also, I am too trigger-happy and yet to incorporate into my reflexes the habit of adjusting my camera's manual settings before taking a shot.

I don't have to bring my laptop.

1. A laptop can significantly increase the weight of my baggage. I have a 13-in. laptop - while relatively smaller than others, it gets heavier the longer I carry it around. Considering the not-so-good state of my back, I'd rather leave the laptop at home. I could bring more water in it's place.
2. Laptops are thief magnets. 'nuff said.
3. One point of getting away is to get off the grid. Another is to take yourself away from what you usually do. Being in front of the computer is what I do 3/4 of my everyday. Having a laptop  in my travel doesn't give me that break.
4. Airports, hotels, and even guest houses have PC terminals and Internet connections. Should I need to access the grid, getting wired isn't that hard to do these days.
5. When away, the most that I need to do with a PC is to access my Facebook account. My smartphone lets me do that. (Plus the phone helped a lot when my travel buddies and I navigated our way through the streets of Hong Kong and Macau. While at it, though, I constantly reminded myself of the risks of having my phone exposed - that is why I held on to it very well and didn't put it out on view whenever I can.) 

Bring sachets of 3-in-1 coffee and my own mug. It helps me start up the day. When I have these, I don't need to worry about hurrying to find a nook to have breakfast in right away. I just buy a bag of bread from a convenience store (usually 7-11 - it's everywhere) before sundown, and then next morning I can have a light breakfast - and then eat more when I (and my buddies) find a good place to pig out.

Set a default meeting point when traveling with a group. This is what my travel buddies and I have learned from our recent trip to Hong Kong (details in my August 21 entry). You can never tell when your group will split up, and then realize later that you can't find your friends - worse, your phone service provider's roaming services do not work abroad and you can't think of ways to find your pals. My buddies and I have agreed to set a default meeting point every time we step out of the guest house in case we split up again.

Reserve plane seats when traveling.  I won't try to save up P100 again (seat reservation fee) and suffer being on an aisle seat. I get dizzy and I don't enjoy the view. Note to self: reserve seat on the right side of the plane, on the first few rows, on my next trip to Hong Kong. That way, I'd get a good view of the island of Lantau coming in to HK.

Bring my patience with me. Even locally, people differ in their ways. Same thing with people in other countries. Nice people are everywhere, and so are rude ones. Whatever they do that displeases me, mostly, I don't take it personally. I take it as just their way of life. I could complain, yeah, but I can never change the way people are. I can't control other people. What I can control is myself - my temper. I don't need to get in trouble for petty reasons. It's not worth putting a dent on my travel experience.

Day 2 @ Macau: Uma Cidade Muito Bonita

After an hour of bumpy (but fun) ferry ride, Macau loomed from the distance - a beautiful city of two islands interconnected by very long bridges. (Actually, there were three bodies of land: the Macau peninsula, and the Taipa and Coloane Islands. The latter two were joined through reclamation, and the area is now called Cotai - where new residential and hotel sites, such as the Venetian and City of Dreams, have risen and continue to be established.) Excitement filled me as our ferry drew closer, so I whipped out my videocam and took shots of our arrival.

This is the main ferry terminal of Macau, which is located at the Outer Harbor. There are two other ferry terminals: one located at Pier #11 at the Inner Harbor (which mostly serves mainland China-bound trips), and the other is at Taipa (for other Hong Kong-bound ferries).

We docked at the Macau Ferry Terminal, where there is a nice view of the Pearl River Delta (the one that leads to Hong Kong), and the island of Taipa. The terminal sits by a part of the Guia Circuit - one of the most challenging racing circuits in the world - the Grand Prix Stand can be seen from where we stood. The circuit was already set up for the 57th Grand Prix, which would happen from the 18th to the 21st of November, 2010. I was curious at how it would feel watching a race - live. But then again, I don't have that much money nor time to come back on winter just for it.

Macau, like Hong Kong, is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China with its own immigration regime. We had to go through the immigration process, like we were entering a different country - so, our passports got stamped again here. And like in Hong Kong (unlike in Mainland China), entering Macau is visa-free for many foreign nationals, including Filipinos.

The inner side of the ferry terminal. I took this shot while on our way in search of hotel shuttle buses.

After going through immigration procedures at the ferry terminal, we headed to the building's lobby and checked out tourist maps and guides (all free) at the information center. That's where lots of people (many were Pinoys) approached us, offering guided tours - which we declined. 

One particular manong who was offering such services told me, "Ma'am, baka maligaw lang kayo. Masasayang lang ang panahon n'yo." (You might get lost. It would be a waste of your time.) To which I replied with a smile, "Okay lang ho. Sanay na kaming maligaw." (It's okay, we're used to getting lost.) Inside, I felt pity for the guys and at the same time, I felt insulted. I pitied the guy for he looked like he needed the money so much - having waited there for tourists with all the competition. And I felt insulted because, although I'm an amateur traveler, him questioning my sense of direction (and general common sense) offended me. However, the pity I had for the guy was more than my regard for my pride. Nevertheless, we didn't avail of his services. We prefer exploring new places - that way we really learn the ways of traveling, and we tend to remember directions more. But bless him for he still gave us a tip - to take the free buses picking up tourists from the terminals to the hotels, for a free get-around ride. And he recommended getting on the Grand Emperor Hotel bus since one of us mentioned the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral - it's walking distance between the hotel and the religious/tourist site, just bring your bottled water with you.

More on the tourist guides: they usually ask for 50MP (Macau Pataca) for a whole day tour, plus meals. They seem friendly and helpful - especially the Pinoys who meet fellow Pinoy tourists. Some guides - that we've come across while treading through the streets of Macau - went out of their way to assist travelers. However, I've read from travel forums that there are tour guides who take guests to shops where the latter would have to buy souvenirs and whatnot - and not to the tourists' intended destinations.

Indeed, our group's the adventurous kind - often to our disadvantage. The manong was right, on our Macau trip we have wasted a good amount of time finding our way around from the ruins of St. Paul's to the Venetian Hotel. Had we known where to board the right buses, we could even have visited the Macau Tower. But that doesn't mean that we didn't enjoy going through the hassle. Basing on what I've observed on how my buddies were, just like me they wouldn't have it any other way. It was fun navigating through a new city, and it felt amazing getting through it. Along the way, we stumbled upon interesting sites and shops, which we think we wouldn't even notice had we had a tour guide. Besides, we went along with our normal pace, not having to rush taking photos or lounging at certain places in regard of a stranger waiting for us to get done with our thangs. Personally, I was also concerned that tour guides might stick to certain itineraries, and that it would not jive with our stride.

Anyway, so we looked for the Grand Emperor Hotel bus - there were so many hotel buses at the ferry terminal offering free rides to the corresponding hotels. We were like giddy kids as the bus drove by posh hotel/casinos, especially the Grand Lisboa, with all its shiny-shimmering glass walls. It calls you. When we got to the Grand Emperor Hotel, we took advantage of the air-conditioning at the lobby (it was hot in Macau!), while we took pictures in there.

pure gold bars such as this one lay encased under
glass on the floor of the hotel lobby

 The Grand Emperor Hotel was, well... grand! It screams luxury and comfort, judging from its interior, which by the way boasts a walkway adorned with 78 bars of pure gold laid amongst gems. The lobby displays portraits of royalties of old (whom I forgot to take note of), facing a golden fountain in the middle. Someday, when I have much money to spare, I will check in at this hotel.

Reality time! And so we plotted our way to the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, with the help of the map that we got from the tourist information center and my phone's GPS. It took us a while, discussing our course at the front of the hotel prior to venturing on to our little adventure.

Again, I wanted to kick myself for not bringing a hat. Have I mentioned it already? It was hot in Macau!

Hong Kong Day 2: The Search for the China Ferry Terminal

Got up at around 6AM, bathed and dressed up at once while my roomies were still in slumber. I woke them up when I was ready to go, so that saved me from the queue to the bathroom. :) They were complaining about our early prep for our trip to Macau, and I reminded them that we had to return by nighttime so we should make the most out of the day. And so they dragged their carcasses to the bathroom, one after the other.

We had a little bread and instant coffee for a quick breakfast, and then headed out to find the China Ferry Terminal - a pursuit which we found to be rather challenging. The thing is, we were so used to how Philippine ferry terminals look like (buildings and pier in open premises) that we weren't able to find the ferry terminal right away. We forgot that this is Hong Kong and things are different here. So here's what happened...

two of my fave travel buddies: the couple Oliver & Lyn. photo taken on our way to the ferry terminal.

From Lee Garden Guest House, we walked our way along Cameron Road and then turned left at Nathan Road. When we reached the first street corner, we crossed Nathan Road, and then walked along Haiphong Road passing by Kowloon Park, until we reached the World Finance Tower. We then turned right and headed to Canton Road, where we started to have trouble looking for the ferry terminal building.

designer shops fill building fronts along Canton Road.
I particularly love the look of these panda bags, however I can't think of any use for them in my kind of lifestyle :)
(photo courtesy: Oliver & Lyn)

It said on the map in my phone that the terminal was located near the Kowloon Park Drive flyover. We've seen signs pointing to the terminal's general direction, but weren't able to figure out its location right away. We even walked into the driveway leading to the Prince Hong Kong, emerged from it realizing that there was no way to the terminal from there, walked up north Canton Road again until we reached the fire station. At that point, we figured out that we were getting lost. We walked back south and realized that the mall-looking China Hong Kong City building was actually the way to the terminal (inside were ticket booths for the ferries).

quiet Hong Kong street, early Sunday morning. shot while we were looking for the ferry terminal

We bought tickets from the CotaiJet booth (HKD146 each), and then headed to the Immigration area where we had our passports stamped for exit. We bought breakfast from a 7-11 store at the lounge while we waited for our departure.

the ferry where we boarded - for our 1-hr. trip to Macau
(photo courtesy: Lyn & Oliver)

It was my first time on a ferry, and boy, was I a bit worried about the wavy sea. I know we're perfectly safe - I've been to a lot less safe boat ride before *cough*Hundred Islands tour*cough*, what I'm worried about is me getting seasick from being in an enclosed vessel on a turbulent sea. I tried to eat my breakfast on board, and I was only able to consume half of it. I mostly swigged water.

Sansu, Jeff, and I aboard the ferry. Lyn & Oliver were seated far from us. (photo courtesy: Jeff)

I thought that the ferry ride to Macau was dizzying, but the trip back to Hong Kong was a claustrophobic theme park ride... I'll tell about that later.

Anyway, I still managed to relish that ferry ride experience despite looming dizziness. I was able to take photos and videos while on board and once again, the inner child went "wheeeeeee!!!" :D

Hong Kong Day 1: Sweltering Day at Disneyland!

 

After making it through our “little adventure” at the MTR System and having lunch in a fastfood store, my buddies and I headed to Disneyland to spend the rest of the day there. Quickly learning from our navigational mishap, we were able to make our way through from Tsim Sha Tsui to Disneyland Resort Park.

From Tsim Sha Tsui Station, we headed to Lai King Station (red line), changed lines to Tung Chung (yellow line), got off at Sunny Bay Station and waited for the Disneyland Resort train there (blue route in the map).

Waiting for the Disney train at Sunny Bay Station (the one that connects to Disneyland) felt like forever - given our excitement - for it was the first time to a Disneyland for all of us except for Oliver. It read “5 minutes before the next train” when we looked at the big digital clock at the station. It was a long five-minute wait and the temperature wasn’t helping at all- no wonder they called the place “Sunny.” It was a good thing that I was done with my medication and the hot flashes were gone. It would have felt like being in a oven if I wasn’t, given the amount of light that was coming in through the sunroof and the glass windows. 

my travel buddies, while we were waiting for the Disneyland Resort train...

And so the Disney train arrived - and what a delight it was to the eyes with its Mickey Mouse windows. Inside, it was like a museum-cum-playtrain (the equivalent of playhouse) with the statuettes, colorful seats, and Mickey-shaped handles. I don’t know about my companions, but inside, I was reduced to a child. Had there been no one else in the train, I would have walked (no, trotted) from one end of the train to the other and took pictures of everything in it. My outer, adult shell held on to mature conduct to save myself from embarrassment. So I was left with smiling like I had a nasty secret - which could explain why the Chinese man sitting opposite us gave me that weirded out stare. Anyhoo, my buddies couldn’t help but smile a lot too - a sign that they could be having a great time as much as I was.

photos by me: train, statuettes, Oliver / group photo by Oliver / photo of handle by Jeff

Disneyland Station welcomed us with its 1920’s Old American look, which was inviting for a brief photo shoot. But the crowd that we arrived with rushed out of the station like floodwater and took us along with them. We were just stepping out of the train and then the next thing we knew, we were already at the turnstiles.

 

going up the escalator to the station gates
photo courtesy: Jeff

 
And then bam! Hello intense sunshine! It was as if the sun was on ambush for people stepping out of the station. Global warming could not be denied: sunlight was painful down to the dermis. Among us, only Sansu had the sense to bring an umbrella, and so we all huddled together with her to share the only shade we had until we reached the nearest tree. But the benefit of the umbrella shielding us from the sun was offset by the warmth of being too close together at midday. It didn’t take long before we dispersed because of the heat. Having no individual umbrellas, we ran from shade to shade to minimize sun exposure. However, from time to time, we braved the heat so we could take pictures at the promenade. I was so thankful that I changed into lighter clothes, since I flew in in long-sleeved, knitted shirt. I would have ended up like embutido - or since we were in Chinese territory, siomai (dumpling) - had I not reconsidered my outfit.

sharing the only umbrella with Sansu near the Disney Station / photo by Jeff

When we got to the park proper (we paid HK$350 for the entrance), we were initially at a loss at where to go, though we had a map of the park on hand. We were being like kids left to ourselves in an immense playground. Although we have been to Enchanted Kingdom a lot of times, and HK Disneyland had a similar feel, it was still a new playground.

photo courtesy: Jeff (top) / Oliver (bottom)

 We first agreed to join the queue to the photo op with Mickey and Minnie - a visit to Disneyland wouldn’t be complete without having a pic with these iconic mice. And so we endured the long and creeping line, where at one point we were overtaken by a couple of queue jumpers (we've encountered a lot of such people in our entire stay at the park). By the time that we reached our turn, we were already pretty displeased with the way we were smelling. (Sun + sweat + human skin = awful!) I pitied the guys inside the mascots - they must have been sauteing in whatever was left of their body fat, plus they had to pose with smelly park visitors like us. 

On a side note, I don’t know what came over Minnie Mouse. During our photo op with her and Mickey, she rested both her hands on my right shoulder (I was sitting low in front of the group) and squeezed it repeatedly. It was kind’a weird, cuz my shoulders were skinny and there was nothing “squeezy” about them. Maybe the mouse was trying to tell me to eat more and gain some weight. Or she must have been going bonkers from the heat and found a stress ball in the form of my shoulder. I can’t remember if I gave her a weirded-out glance or if I just smiled at her. Or him - whoever was in that pile of fabric and foam. He/she got me a bit concerned - she kept squeezing my shoulder until I stood up and walked away. Anyway...

one of the two stations for the Disneyland Train that goes around the park

souvenir shops & stalls abound at the park, which
offer all the temptations that can break one's budget
photo courtesy: Oliver

After the photo op, we went around the park via the Disney train. Bless them, whoever thought of putting a train that went around the park - it was a lifesaver. I couldn’t imagine walking halfway at the open grounds and managing not to melt and eventually sizzle out. (Lyn mentioned that a visit to the park could be better if done on Winter. She could be right, however until we try it, we'll never know.)

The wind that came with the movement of the train was a relief - but it wasn’t enough since the sun shone on us at angle that’s beyond the train roof’s coverage. Plus the train was packed with passengers when we boarded. It was a real commune with the other visitors as we shared seats and body odors half the ride - majority of the passengers alighted at that pink station at Fantasyland. My group decided to stay through another round and eventually got off at Fantasyland, from which we walked to Adventureland and passed time refreshing over cold (and overpriced at HK$16 a bottle) drinks that we bought from one of the stalls.

Left Photos: artificial geysers burst every time a Jungle River Cruise boat passed by;
Right: totem poles spraying mists

My friends and I considered trying the Jungle River cruise, but were discouraged upon sight of the insane queue to the ride. So we decided to lounge around and chill under the trees for a while to regain normal body temperature and sanity. While we were at it, I caught sight of the Liki Tikis and had the urge of walking amidst the totem poles that sprayed mists in the air - so I could feel fresher, but dropped the idea when I was reminded of my camera that was hanging on my neck.


We spent our time at the park until sundown, getting on rides, chilling out, and buying souvenirs. One interesting thing that I can’t get off my mind was the getup of that Chinese girl in front of us at the line to Space Mountain. The girl was wearing a lacy ensemble of white, long-sleeved blouse and full length skirt, that came complete with a long umbrella. It was like watching a white lady (a form of a ghost in Philippine folklore) in high fashion, getting on a roller coaster. In the coaster, she sat in front of me, which caused me concern about her long hair hitting my face in the course of the ride. Thankfully, it wasn’t long enough to do so. She looked so proper and dainty, that I watched out for how she would scream  by the rise and drops of the coaster, but she was a letdown. Before the coaster exited at the last turn of the ride, a camera flashed and took a photo of us. My buddies and I were intrigued at how the girl would look in the picture, so we immediately scanned the wall of photos at the exit. We found our pic, and the girl looked rather unexcited in it - compared to me who looked like the one who did the most screaming in the group. The girl must be a roller coaster hustler. Anyway...

Our group agreed to leave the park by 6PM so we could catch the light show at Victoria Harbour by 8PM. Apparently, it wasn’t that easy to leave Disneyland. We were tempted (and we gave in) to take pictures every step of the way out of the park. Hungry and tired, when we were done with the picture-taking, we dragged our feet back to the resort station where we boarded the train back to Tsim Sha Tsui. It was already past 8PM when we got there so we didn’t bother to go the Avenue of Stars anymore to witness the light show. We opted to look for a place to eat, and found ourselves in a Chinese restaurant along Humphrey’s Avenue - a few blocks from our hostel - that was being flocked by locals and foreigners alike. I forgot the name of the place, but it looked like a Chinese fastfood with menus on the walls - imagine ordering food while pointing at your choices on the walls that surround you. The food was good, although a little pricey. I ordered rice topped with braised beef, which was yummy, although it was a little greasier than I could handle so I wasn’t able to consume my entire plate. My friends had better appetite, so they got their money's worth.

After dinner, we headed back to the hostel and called it a day. Whoo! It felt so good to take a warm shower after all that walking and back-breaking bearing of the combined weight of my shoulder bag and camera! If it wasn’t for my roommates waiting for their turn at the bathroom, I could have fallen asleep with the warm water running down my weary back. Speaking of my back, it loved being in contact with the soft bed so I zonked out in no time.

And no, I didn't have Disney-themed dreams.